Retired U.S. Air Force security police sergeant. One of the principal witnesses in the December 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident; claims to have approached and touched a craft and to have received a binary code 'download.'
Sgt. Jim Penniston is a retired United States Air Force security officer involved in the famous 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident in the United Kingdom. He is recognized as one of the primary eyewitnesses who approached and allegedly physically touched a landed, triangular anomalous craft near the RAF Woodbridge military installation. Penniston's key contribution includes his detailed sketches of the craft's exterior and his claim of downloading binary code through physical contact with the object's surface. He has testified extensively about the event in documentaries and books, maintaining the reality of the encounter despite decades of official skepticism. His account remains central to one of the most significant military UAP incidents in European history.