[Spook]Housekeeping, August 2025

The future of Getting Spooked + Thinking about Seth Harp’s “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and UFO contactee Chris Bledsoe

Keeping it real, I’ve been depressed. Posting weekly when having this recurring issue plus an actual job is a struggle, but I try to power through. I tend to battle the moldy brain moments through distraction anyway. This time around, I feverishly started working on an outline for a book project that’s been bubbling in my head. You heard that right, I’m just that much of a masochistic. I am envisioning this project, in very early stages, as a synthesis of a bunch of threads investigated on Getting Spooked, with many of the denser series coalesced into a meditation on the utility of ufology and other paranormal subjects to the American defense blob. The working title is Getting Spooked: UFOs and the Paranormal Weapons of the Eternal Cold War—a not too subtle reference to a series of Leon Davidson articles (that I’ve never found in full) entitled Flying Saucers: Weapons of the Cold War.¹

As such, a few changes are coming:

• Some older articles will be entering the archives, still available to paid subscribers. I will try to keep what I see as some of the most important writings public, though that is, of course, subjective. Otherwise, as usual, most new written work will be free at time of publication, barring Cystic Detective Updates.

• The “Reads to the End” Discount will also continue to be active, now increased to a full 25% off monthly or yearly subscriptions for life. I know that Substack’s minimum paid subscription amount can be a bit high, so I want to make sure that those eager to go spelunking in the archives are able.

• As a reminder, paid subscriptions are not without benefits: Members gain access to archived articles, special podcast episodes, Cystic Detective Updates, and the ability to ask questions for Q&As. I’m also thinking of doing a “call-in” through Zoom for paid subscribers so if that strikes your fancy, let me know. Your support now goes directly to continuing research and now, a theoretical book project. I would try to ensure that paid subscribers get precedence or a discount for any physical release.

Otherwise, as Led Zeppelin once said, the song remains the same. My thanks to everyone who has lent this publication not only financial support but also moral support. Your comments, engagement, advice, and leads have kept this vessel afloat. We recently reached 3k subscribers, so God bless.

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However, this wouldn’t be the second [Spook]Housekeeping post if it didn’t contain some stray stories or thoughts.

I have been reading journalist Seth Harp’s much-anticipated book The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces which has been getting some well-deserved buzz in the past week. Despite the dark, dingy depths that book reaches into, it’s a very easy read that I think will be an important tome moving forward. If the broader public can recognize that many elite soldiers within the American defense establishment are flawed at best, criminal at worst, a more grounded approach to foreign policy that does not rely on credentials, commendations, and astroturfed NGOs could be established. If only. Harp does not pull any punches, and the story gets rightfully harrowing. But the history—previously quite shadowy—is key to understanding how wanton foreign intervention and the forces of capital can leave weeping sores both at home and especially abroad. The point of origin for this militaristic seepage is not insignificant.

Fort Bragg (briefly Fort Liberty, though back to Fort Bragg once again) has come up in prior Getting Spooked explorations, chiefly in the backdrop to the Chris Bledsoe series. Bledsoe is from the Fayetteville, North Carolina area, which Harp notes is nicknamed “Fatalville, Fatalburg, and Fayettenam” by “rueful locals” who bear witness to town’s “elevated levels of poverty, inequality, homelessness, racism, pollution, prostitution, and gender violence, as well as widespread drug use.”² Nearly all of these issues stem from Fort Bragg’s proximity and the local economy’s reliance on the military and its soldiers. Indeed, Bledsoe attributes much of his construction company’s early success to the need to build homes for Fort Bragg soldiers—its subsequent difficulties on their deployment after the 9/11 attacks.

Even his initial paranormal experience, which included missing time, strange beings, and harassing lights in the sky, was not too far from Fort Bragg, home to the XVIII Airborne Corps and the 82^nd Airborne Division. The latter of these groups had members involved in drug trafficking and both are touted for their rapid deployment and parachuting capabilities.³ Fort Bragg also includes two Psychological Operations Groups, the 4^th and the 8^th. I believe that something strange happened to Bledsoe, his son Chris Jr., and the other employees joining him on that fishing trip one fateful night in 2007. However, the proximity of SpecOps teams is worth consideration when it comes to an event that reads more like an aerial strike team than a typical UFO encounter. That being said, I think the nearness of Fayetteville Regional Airport is also notable, as it was not in an area with sparse air traffic. While the encounter (nowadays known as the Cape Fear or Fayetteville Incident) occurred in a wooded area, it did not happen in the middle of nowhere, more in the suburbs of Fayetteville. With Harp’s book fresh in my mind, Bledsoe’s spiritual awakening happening in an area scarred by extracurricular JSOC activity is not something to brush aside.

Much of my research into Chris Bledsoe has concerned itself with the vast array of military and intelligence personnel that interact with him, validating his experiences to the broader public. These figures also have connections to JSOC, one of the most prominent being John B. Alexander, explored in depth in Part 7. While Alexander was involved in the military exploration of New Age ideas and topics, his resume also includes stints as an Army Special Forces Commander.⁴ Closer to the present day, he regularly penned publications for the Joint Special Operations University’s press, including titles such as The Changing Nature of Warfare, the Factors Mediating Future Conflict, and Implications for SOF and Africa: Irregular Warfare on the Dark Continent. While he advocates for non-lethal weapons as a method to avoid civilian casualties, one can note from these two publications that he is most concerned with dealing blows to Islamic extremists and quelling Chinese investment in areas of Africa not occupied by U.S. forces.⁵ The Changing Nature of Warfare argues for non-violent tactics simply because that is the way tactical plans are evolving, towards information warfare and economic warfare. No mention is given to JSOC’s historically widespread targeting of innocents or civilians. Harp writes that in operations conducted in Afghanistan: “More than half the Afghans killed or abducted by JSOC operators were targeted by mistake. The error rate was around 50%.”⁶ But I digress.

Others who link up with Bledsoe also purport to be involved in operations of this stripe. Jim Semivan claims a CV with over 25 years of service in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Clandestine Services and as a government consultant. While details of Semivan’s service are noticeably sparse, Bryan Bender writes that Semivan “helped spy on adversaries such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.”⁷ Through Semivan, a more interesting Bledsoe contact comes to light: Michael Morrell, who at different points of his career was the Director and Deputy Director of the CIA.⁸ Morrell was specifically involved in counterterrorism efforts, penning the book The Great War of Our Time wherein he went over his tenure leading the CIA through the Global War on Terror. Along the way, defends questionable torture programs and drone strikes, calling civilian casualties “highly exaggerated.”⁹ While Bledsoe tends to imply validation from Morrell, their relationship appears to be nothing more than crossing paths at a bar mitzvah. Nevertheless, it provides key insight into the specific subset of the intelligence community that Bledsoe was adopted by—one not far removed from the units trained and housed in Bledsoe’s hometown.

Clearly holding great respect for intelligence and special operations groups, it then makes sense that Bledsoe would appear on the Shawn Ryan Show, hosted by the titular Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor.¹⁰ Ryan is also notorious for defending accused war criminals like Eddie Gallagher, the podcast sidestepping the more serious allegations of misconduct in the Special Operations community by instead focusing on specific strain deep state paranoia that makes Special Forces personnel the victims.¹¹ With Harp’s book in mind, it’s strange that Bledsoe aligns with these factions of SpecOps influencers and personalities given the damage these organizations have done in Fayetteville. There may be more to these operators giving him so much attention, perhaps even altering the tenor of his experiences to more closely align with the pro-military, evangelical message favored by figures like Ryan. It is a thread worth pulling on a little more, how the forces at work in Bledsoe’s hometown may have influenced his experience and perceptions—perhaps figuratively or literally—and how they continue to play an active role in his promotion as the era’s premiere UFO experiencer.

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As always, thank you for reading Getting Spooked. I am a reader-supported publication, so if you enjoy this research and commentary on the paranormal and the parapolitical, consider subscribing, sharing articles with others, or upgrading to a paid subscription.

I also started a referral program that rewards archive access to those who share the newsletter with others, so be sure to tell any friends who might find this work interesting. The leaderboard tab is public if you want the bragging rights of your referral numbers.

Thanks to The Anomalist and The Daily Grail for linking to my article “Holding Out for a UFO Hero, No Matter the Cost.” Email me at gettingspooked@protonmail.com with any questions, comments, recommendations, leads, or paranormal stories. You can find me on Twitter at @TannerFBoyle1, on Bluesky at @tannerfboyle.bsky.social, or on Instagram at @gettingspooked. Until next time, stay spooked.

1. Always my favorite character in old school ufology, Davidson addressed a letter directly to CIA Director Allen Dulles in 1959 which listed the chapters of this work, to be released as a monthly newsletter-type publication. (Davidson, Leon to Allen W. Dulles. “To All Flying Saucer Researchers.” 26 October 1959. CIA Reading Room. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80B01676R004000110003-5.pdf.) I spied a copy of this announcement in Gray Barker’s archive and have been looking for it ever since. If anyone has a copy or info, I’ll be your best friend for the rest of your life. (Barker, Gray. “Chasing the Flying Saucers.” Flying Saucers: The Magazine of Space Conquest. June 1960. https://iapsop.com/archive/materials/flying_saucers_palmer/flying_saucers_n47_june_1960.pdf.)

2. Harp, Seth. The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces. New York: Viking, 2025. Page 48.

3. Ibid., page 14.

4. “Col. John Alexander: How the war on terrorism will be fought.” CNN. 3 October 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20030412233324/https://www.cnn.com/2001/COMMUNITY/10/03/alexander.cnna/index.html.

5. Alexander, John B. The Changing Nature of Warfare, the Factors Mediating Future Conflict, and Implications for SOF. Hurlburt Field: JSOU Report 06-1. April 2006. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA495541.pdf. Page 29, 36.

6. Harp, Seth. The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces. New York: Viking, 2025. Page 73.

7. Bender, Bryan. “How Harry Reid, a Terrorist Interrogator and the Singer From Blink-182 Took UFOs Mainstream.” Politico. 28 May 2021. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/28/ufos-secret-history-government-washington-dc-487900.

8. Bledsoe, Chris. UFO of God: The Extraordinary True Story of Chris Bledsoe. Self-published, 2023. Page 293.

9. Ackerman, Spencer, Erin Banco, Sam Stein, and Hanna Trudo. “Biden Weighs Mike Morell as His CIA Chief. A Key Dem Senator Says Don’t Bother.” The Daily Beast. 24 November 2020. https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-weighs-mike-morell-as-his-cia-chief-a-key-dem-senator-says-dont-bother/.

10. “Chris Bledsoe - The Episode We Never Censored | SRS #165.” YouTube, uploaded by Shawn Ryan Show, 3 February 2025. Link.

11. Fedorov, Andrew. “Pod of War: How MAGA’s favorite military influencer weaponizes vulnerability.” Mother Jones. 22 July 2025. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/shawn-ryan-profile-podcast-maga-trump-military-influencer-ufos-livelsberger/.