Destruction of the Roswell Museum Saucer

Not all that long ago we were told that the iconic flying saucer that looked as if it had crashed into the side of the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico, had been stolen. It seems that the saucer had been taken down for cleaning or repair and it was stored behind the museum until it could be

Roswell saucer in happier days. Photo
copyright by Kevin Randle

placed back in its position. Three apparent teenagers (I say apparent because one has been caught who was a teen but I’m not sure the other two were) loaded the saucer into their pick-up truck and drove away.

Today we learn that the saucer has been destroyed. Pieces of the Roswell saucer wreckage were recovered by the side of a road (and yes, I wrote that line that way on purpose because I could say that “pieces of the Roswell saucer wreckage had been recovered.”) I don’t know what would inspire someone to do something like that. It isn’t actually a harmless prank when you destroy the object. Had they returned it intact, or told those at the museum where to recover it, then it is relatively harmless. To destroy it changes the act.

The mystery, however, has been solved and the juveniles, if not already caught, are not long away from that. The names are known. These sorts of things sadden me whether it is tipping over gravestones (which is sort of harmless if they can be placed back with ease) or the defacing of a national monument because your ideology happens to differ from that of those who erected it, or just smashing mailboxes because you can. No real reason for it.

Saucer situated at the corner of the museum. Copyright by
Kevin Randle

Taking the saucer is sort of funny but only if returned undamaged. To destroy it makes no sense but then there is a great deal to the Roswell case that makes no sense. 

(I had thought of all sorts of headlines for this short tale, such as "Pieces of Roswell Saucer Recovered," "Roswell Saucer Found," or "Roswell Saucer Debris Recovered," but it seemed to smack of the sensational and probably would have driven traffic to this blog, but each of those headlines was misleading. I'll leave that sort of thing to AOL News and the Huffington Post.)