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In the
late summer of 1956, in a rural community of Northwestern New Jersey, in the undulating fertile hills of Hunterdon County,
a series of events transpired which brought nationwide and eventually worldwide attention to High Bridge, New Jersey. A young man's account of seeing and photographing "flying saucers" (as
they were called in those days) alerted the entire east coast to the first UFO FLAP. Photographs of the flying saucers
(called UFO's) in flight were developed by a local film processor and eventually found their way into the news media, radio
and television. Howard Menger had begun his strange odyssey
from a prosaic, routine life of a successful businessman and contented family man into the strange world of UFO's, aliens,
and the paranormal. Menger's story attempts to recount the
incident at High Bridge, New Jersey as it happened, how we perceived it, how we later tried to evaluate it. The authors
cannot offer a ready answer or easy solution to the illusive UFO phenomenon. Nevertheless, we conscientiously submit
this story with the objective that it might suggest a pattern that invariably followed the reporting of UFO's, and how these
incidents affected the lives of many contactees, abductees and their families. The authors believe that the underlying pattern of the UFO phenomenon is controlled by a central network from
which contrived information, such as sightings, holograms, photographs, specimens and documented accounts is fed to the public.
This central network consists of various top secret agencies in our government working with specialized personnel of the Army,
Navy, and Air Force in secret locations. But why is the public uninformed? The authors believe they know why,
but cannot prove it. Their main purpose is to let people know their side of the story: behind the story: and let the
reader decide the answer. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Obituary Howard
Menger, 87, beloved husband, father, retired Army veteran of World War Two, business owner, inventor, author, speaker, and
long time resident of Vero Beach, transitioned peacefully at 11:11 PM on Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Born
in 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up during the Great Depression on a farm in Highbridge, New Jersey, and joined the
U.S. Army at the age of 19. Trained in a flame-thrower unit of the 713th Armored Tank Battalion, Howard served honorably
in the service of his country while at war with Japan in the Pacific. During the battle for Okinawa, he earned the Purple
Heart and several campaign medals. He left the service after the war and returned to Highbridge to start his own business
in outdoor advertising and raise his family. During that time, he witnessed unexplained phenomenon that were described
as “flying saucers” and wrote a book about his experiences. He also spoke to the public about these strange
occurrences, appearing first on the Long John Nebel show in New York in the 1950s, as well as many other radio and television
broadcasts over the years. He was both defamed and honored for his outspoken stories, and eventually left New Jersey
to live in Florida, away from the public life. Howard and his loving wife, Connie Menger, moved to
Florida in 1962 to continue in the sign business and enjoy the beautiful weather. In Florida, Howard also worked on several
alternative energy inventions in his own backyard shop, while he and Connie raised their family and built their local business,
becoming one of the most successful outdoor advertising businesses in Indian River County. Howard and Connie eventually retired
in 1991 from the business world and pursued other interests, primarily their family and their friends, including their domestic
and wild animal friends! Howard always enjoyed nature, and loved to sit on the porch at his home, watching the birds and squirrels
share his yard. He often built them their own homes, and made sure he kept their water bowls full. He also took time
to write another book with Connie, and was asked to speak occasionally, both in the United States and abroad, about his early
experiences in Highbridge. Howard is survived by his wife, Connie, son Eric Menger, daughter Heidi Menger Evans, and grandchildren Kristen,
Tiffany, Christopher, and Caitlin Menger and Melissa Evans. There are also children from a former marriage; Richard
and Patricia Menger, and their children. Howard and Connie celebrated their 50 year anniversary in May of 2008.
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