Editor’s Note: A special word of thanks to Aileen Garoutte for recently bringing this news story out of her files and sharing it with all of us. I used to correspond with Dr. Salter and periodically talked with him on the phone shortly after his story first came out. This account certainly brings back a number of pleasant and interesting memories. I always enjoyed talking with this nice gentleman.

My oh my, where has the time gotten off to!

---Brent Raynes

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COLLEGE PROFESSOR'S INCREDIBLE STORY:

FRIENDLY ALIENS ALTERED MY BODY AND CHANGED MY LIFE

By Franklin R. Ruehl

"I had a close encounter with friendly aliens -- and it changed my body in numerous ways!" declared respected university professor John Salter Jr.

"My immunity is heightened. Cuts and scratches now clot immediately and heal rapidly. My head hair, fingernails and toenails are growing two to three times the normal rate. Some of my age spots have disappeared. And the wrinkles in my face have faded.

"Also, hair has developed all over my arms, legs, stomach and chest which were almost hairless. And for the first time in my life, my beards is so thick and dark, I have 5 o'clock shadow."

Dr. Salter and his son John, 3rd, say they were abducted by aliens while driving in a pickup truck on central Wisconsin's Highway 14 on March 20, 1988. But surprisingly, they didn't realize anything unusual had happened until they checked their watches and discovered they had lost track of an hour and 20 minutes.

"It was twilight, about 6:25 p.m., when we came to a stretch of four-lane highway. The next thing we knew, it was 7:45 p.m. and neither John nor I could account for the missing time," said Dr. Salter, chairman of American Indian studies at the University of North Dakota.

"The next day, we were driving when we saw a bright light coming toward us. It was about two-thirds the width of a double highway and glowing with an extraordinary silver color.

"We could make out its saucer-like form and it had a slight dome. Then, with incredible speed, it was gone. My son and I immediately realized this was a friendly appearance for us and it explained the missing time the previous night."

But the Salters did not remember any details of their abduction until months later -- when they started having these flashbacks: "We were forced off the highway by an unseen force," recalled Dr. Salter. "Then we were standing not far from the passenger side of the pickup. It was almost dark.

"I saw two or three small humanoid figures climbing up the back bumper, looking at the gear in the back of my truck. The beings were 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall, with thin bodies and thin limbs, but comparatively large heads and large slanted eyes.

"There were also six or seven of these small people near us and a taller humanoid figure, almost six feet tall. They all communicated with us telepathically and the tall humanoid guided us through the woods to their spaceship which was hidden in a secluded clearing.

"My next memory is that of a brightly lit room in the UFO. An implant was placed in my right nostril and beyond. An injection was made in my neck at the thyroid area. Another injection was made in my central chest near the thymus gland.

"Our tall friend guided us back to the pickup and we then parted company on a friendly basis. Then the brightly lit UFO took off and we drove back to the highway where we regained our memory.'"

In addition to Dr. Salter's other physical changes, he says he now has psychic abilities, plus two reminders of his visit with the aliens.

"Occasionally, a red welt appears on the right side of my neck. And a brown spot surfaces on my chest."

Dr. Salter's son hasn't experienced the same physical changes as his dad, but says, "This was the most extraordinary event of my life."

Adds Dr. Bernard O'Kelly, a dean at the University of North Dakota: "People dismiss experiences related to UFOs as being impossible. But Dr. Salter has solid credentials and I'm keeping an open mind."