Colonel Robert Burton Willingham was a distinguished officer in the United States Air Force Reserve, serving his country with dedication across multiple conflicts, including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Born on August 15, 1926, in Holliday, Texas, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 8, 1945, and later transitioned to the U.S. Air Force. Throughout his military career, he held various positions, including piloting fighter jets, and was actively involved in the Civil Air Patrol. His service was recognized with numerous awards, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, reflecting his commitment and bravery.

Colonel Willingham is notably associated with a reported UFO incident that occurred around 1955. While piloting an F-86 Sabre jet escorting a B-47 Stratojet Bomber over West Texas during a simulated bombing run, he claimed to have witnessed an unidentified flying object. This experience was later documented in the book The Other Roswell: UFO Crash on the Texas-Mexico Border, co-authored by Noe Torres and Ruben Uriarte. In the account, Willingham described observing a metallic, saucer-shaped craft that had crashed near the Texas-Mexico border, leading him to recover a piece of unusual metal debris from the site.