Legacy.com - 7/01/13, Linnea Crowther
He was a WWII ace pilot, honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross for courageous action and an Air Medal for heroism, who continued his military career with the Kentucky Air National Guard. It is believed he was also the first person to die while chasing a UFO.
Mantell was one of four Kentucky Air National Guard pilots already in the air on January 7, 1948, when the men in the base's control tower saw a strange object in the sky. It hovered for a long time, and then quickly climbed to 10,000 feet. Mantell and his fellow pilots were told to follow it. As the object continued to climb, too high for a human without supplementary oxygen, the other pilots called off their pursuit. But Mantell continued on, determined to figure out what he was chasing.
More: Legacy.com
