FRANKLIN – Seventy-five years ago, Capt. Thomas Mantell Jr. began a dogged pursuit of an unidentified flying object spotted in the Kentucky skies. The chase proved to be fatal, with his P-51 Mustang crash landing in a Franklin field and feeding the nation’s budding UFO craze.

The Simpson County Historical Society honored the life of Mantell at Franklin’s History Center on Tuesday. His grandsons, Terry and Eric, accepted honors and proclamations from state leaders – such as Gov. Andy Beshear and Sen. Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green – on behalf of their grandfather.

“It means a lot,” an emotional Terry Mantell told the crowd gathered to remember his decorated relative.

Thomas, a graduate of Male High School in Louisville, flew C-47s in World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service that included dropping infantry onto the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

The war over, Thomas returned stateside – but his wings were restless, so he joined the Kentucky Air National Guard.

“The family was very proud, he came back but he still wanted to fly,” Terry said. “My grandmother always said she wanted him to get a 9-to-5 job, but he wanted to fly.”

Thomas was taking part in a practice mission with three other pilots on Jan. 7, 1948, when the Godman Field flight tower at Fort Knox told Mantell about a large unidentified object that had been spotted across the state.

Terry said there were three generals in that tower at Fort Knox that day, and “not one of them knew what it was.” He emphasized that his grandfather didn’t pursue the UFO for fun, but was ordered to do so.

“It’s really important that when you go into this story, this wasn’t some guy that’s flying a prop plane over some fields and just decided to chase something,” Terry said. “… In the military, if you’re told to do something, you chase it.”

The young flight leader, just 25 at the time, chased the object to high altitudes before losing oxygen and plummeting back down to earth. Poetically, he died near Franklin, the same place he was born.

Terry told the audience at the History Center that, according to a member of the control tower that day, his grandfather’s last words were: “I’m going in for a closer look.”

The U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigation of the incident suggested that Mantell was chasing a Skyhook balloon, an object not declassified to the public at the time.

“There were a few theories about chasing Venus, a theory about a weather balloon, theories that (Thomas) was kind of doing his own thing and went too high up – we never really got any answers, unfortunately,” Terry said.

Present at the event were a trio of witnesses who saw Mantell’s plane crash that clear January afternoon. Joe Phillips and Patsy Burnette were in their home eating popcorn when a “sonic boom” interrupted the placid winter day and metal bits pummeled their home.

“It sounded worse than any hailstorm I’d ever heard,” Burnette said. She recalled playing with aluminum pieces left over from the crash site that summer.

Terry said he’s been working to bring recognition to his grandfather, hoping that Thomas’ story could one day be adapted into a movie to share his legacy. The people of Franklin won’t forget Thomas any time soon – Jan. 7 is now recognized as “Captain Mantell Day” by the city.

The big question that still remains is what Thomas really saw that day. Terry said he didn’t know if what his grandfather chased was hostile or extraterrestrial in nature, but no matter the case, he was carrying out his duty.

“I don’t know what it was. What I do know is whatever he chased that day was a threat to the United States over United States soil,” he said. “And for that he should be remembered.”