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2009 · Jungle near Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Sumatra, 2009: Michael Herrera's octagonal craft

Sourced, unconfirmed
Strength C · 5/10
Evidence 1/4 · Witnesses 2/3 · Backing 2/3

One named firsthand Marine witness; the relief operation is verified and AARO took his testimony; no sensor data or photographs are public.

Plausibility High
Score 14 · 10 factors for, 1 against

A Marine who went public under his name, testified to AARO and Congress, corrected Greer's embellishment and still says the craft was human-made; the deployment checks out and nothing documentary contradicts him.

See the factors ↓

Unexplained
Part ofThe recovery teams, The squeeze
A 300-ft octagonal craft hovering over a jungle clearing near Padang while an armed team loads containers onto its platform, as Michael Herrera describes it (October 2009). · Illustration for uaptrail.com
WhenOctober 2009
WhereJungle near Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

In October 2009, Marine Michael Herrera was with a team from USS Denver on a relief mission after the Padang earthquake in West Sumatra. He says they came on a huge octagonal craft hovering above a clearing while an unmarked, armed team with American accents loaded climate-controlled containers onto a platform that rose into it. Afterwards the team was debriefed, their camera and phones were taken and he was threatened. Investigator Joeyisnotmyname has checked the operation and found nothing that contradicts him. AARO's 2024 historical report summarises a version of the account that Herrera says is wrong.

How plausible · High

A Marine who went public under his name, testified to AARO and Congress, corrected Greer's embellishment and still says the craft was human-made; the deployment checks out and nothing documentary contradicts him.

  • ●●
    Access On the ground with the first wave.
  • ●●
    Cost of speaking Named, broke an NDA, testified to AARO and Congress.
  • ●●
    Restraint Says human-made; corrects Greer's "guns to our heads".
  • ●●
    Checkable details check out USS Denver, 31st MEU and the Padang relief operation are on the record.
  • ●●
    Fits secrecy practice SD card taken, NDA, a threat, and an AARO summary he says is wrong.
  • ●○
    No gain sought Media appearances, nothing sold.
Against
  • −
    Lone source, no corroboration One firsthand witness has come forward.

Plausibility weighs how well an account fits where secrecy hides the documents by design, so missing records never count against it. Strength measures what is documented. Assessed 2026-10-24.

On the record

  • USS Denver and the 31st MEU were sent to west Sumatra in October 2009.
  • AARO's Historical Record Report vol. 1 (March 2024) summarises the account.Jake Barber
  • RADM Richard Landolt's press briefing on CH-53 relief flights from 9 October 2009, with crowd control needed (found by Joey).
  • Herrera's April 2023 AARO session, acknowledged in AARO's 2024 historical report.

Claims

A 300-ft octagonal craft, grey to black and rotating clockwise with a hum, hovered 15-20 ft above the ground while an unmarked, armed team with American accents loaded containers fitted with climate units; the platform rose into the craft and it left west instantly with no rotor wash.Michael HerreraMichael Herrera: UFO Whistleblower (ft. Joeyisnotmyname)firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMichael Herrera
Four F-350 trucks carried containers with climate units that held people.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMichael Herrera
After the event an admiral debriefed the team, the camera SD card and phones were taken, and on Okinawa a man in Air Force blues threatened prison or death; he signed an NDA.firsthandSourced, unconfirmedMichael Herrera
USS Denver was the only ship sent to the west coast; the 31st MEU, CH-53s and hasty landing zones match his account, and nothing in the operation contradicts it.Michael Herrera: UFO Whistleblower (ft. Joeyisnotmyname)Jake BarberanalysisSourced, unconfirmedJoeyisnotmyname (Reddit investigator)
Later waves were disarmed after an Air Force colonel objected to the armed first wave.Michael Herrera: UFO Whistleblower (ft. Joeyisnotmyname)secondhandLeadJoeyisnotmyname
Platoon members who say Herrera lies were not with him on the ground; a photo from team leader "Nathan" is disputed by Herrera.Michael Herrera: UFO Whistleblower (ft. Joeyisnotmyname)analysisSourced, unconfirmedJoeyisnotmyname and UAP Gerb

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People and organizations

AARO orgJoint Special Operations Command (JSOC) orgMichael Herrera personSteven Greer personAARO Historical Record Report, Volume 1 (March 2024) document

Sources

Mentioned on (11)

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