Charles I. Halt is a retired United States Air Force colonel born in 1939. He served as deputy base commander at RAF Bentwaters in Suffolk, England, during the 1980 Rendlesham Forest events and later commanded the base and Kunsan Air Base in Korea.
Halt documented the incident in the January 1981 Halt Memo sent to the UK Ministry of Defence and an audio recording made on site. He later released a 2010 affidavit asserting the objects were extraterrestrial.
- Retired as Colonel in 1991 after 29 years of service including Vietnam, Japan and Korea assignments.
- Led patrol on night of 28 December 1980 observing lights and recording radiation at landing site impressions.
- Halt Memo dated 13 January 1981 described metallic triangular object, beams of light and radiation readings.
- Issued June 2010 notarized affidavit concluding objects were extraterrestrial and citing disinformation efforts.
- Appeared in multiple documentaries and co-authored book The Halt Perspective after retirement.
- United States
- United States Air ForceColonel, retired 1991
- RAF BentwatersDeputy Base Commander and Base Commander
- Kunsan Air BaseBase Commander
- Department of Defense Inspector GeneralDirector, Inspections Directorate
- ColonelRetired rank
Background
Charles Irwin Halt was born in 1939. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and economics and an MBA in business management. He joined the United States Air Force and trained as an aircraft maintenance officer and installation commander. Halt served in Vietnam, Japan and Korea during his career.
In 1980 Halt was assigned as deputy base commander at RAF Bentwaters, part of the twin-base complex with RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England. The base hosted the largest tactical fighter wing in the Air Force at the time. On the night of 26-28 December 1980 security police reported unusual lights in Rendlesham Forest east of the Woodbridge back gate.
Halt led a patrol into the forest on the second night. Personnel observed a glowing triangular object, recorded radiation readings at three depressions forming a triangle, and noted broken branches. Halt carried a microcassette recorder capturing live commentary of red sun-like lights moving through the trees and beams of light directed downward.
On 13 January 1981 Halt authored the official memorandum titled Unexplained Lights addressed to the UK Ministry of Defence. The memo detailed the observations, physical traces and radiation measurements. It was routed through base channels and remains a primary official document on the incident.
Halt later served as base commander at RAF Bentwaters and at Kunsan Air Base in Korea. His final active-duty assignment was Director of the Inspections Directorate for the Department of Defense Inspector General, with oversight of all military services and defense agencies.
Halt retired from the Air Force in 1991 as a colonel after 29 years of service. He first spoke publicly about the Rendlesham events in a television documentary confirming the incident's authenticity. In 1997 he was interviewed for the book You Can't Tell the People by Georgina Bruni.
In June 2010 Halt signed a notarized affidavit summarizing the events. He stated his belief that the objects were extraterrestrial in origin and that security services of both the United States and United Kingdom had used disinformation to downplay the incident.
After retirement Halt managed a large gated community of 7,000 residents for twelve years. He has continued to appear in documentaries and lectures on the Rendlesham case, including recent interviews addressing claims by other witnesses.
Where They Are Now
As of October 2026 Charles I. Halt, born 1939, remains active in public discussion of the Rendlesham Forest incident. He has provided archival materials for recent documentaries and participated in interviews as late as 2025.
Halt co-authored the book The Halt Perspective and continues to affirm his account of the 1980 events through media appearances.
Last updated 25 October 2026