A former fighter pilot who in 2004 saw one of the Tic Tac-shaped UFOs seen in videos released by the US Department of Defense, says others serving in the Navy stayed quiet in the past, fearing the stigma of being called kooky.

Now a mother of three, teaching at George Washington University and the US Naval Academy, Lt Cmdr Alex Dietrich told The Washington Post that she feels a “duty and obligation” to speak out about her experience.

Having appeared on the recent episode of 60 Minutes covering what the Pentagon refers to as “unexplained aerial phenomena” (UAPs), Ms Dietrich is now open about sharing the details of her close encounter.

“I was in a taxpayer-funded aircraft, doing my job as a military officer,” she said. “Citizens have questions. It’s not classified. If I can share or help give a reasonable response, I will.”

She added: “I don’t want to be someone who’s saying ‘no comment’.”

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