diff --git a/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/glf/GLFRecord.java b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/glf/GLFRecord.java
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..bacfb65c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/src/org/broadinstitute/sting/utils/glf/GLFRecord.java
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+package org.broadinstitute.sting.utils.glf;
+
+import net.sf.samtools.util.BinaryCodec;
+
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ *
+ * User: aaron
+ * Date: May 13, 2009
+ * Time: 3:36:18 PM
+ *
+ * The Broad Institute
+ * SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AGREEMENT 
+ * This software and its documentation are copyright 2009 by the
+ * Broad Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All rights are reserved.
+ *
+ * This software is supplied without any warranty or guaranteed support whatsoever. Neither
+ * the Broad Institute nor MIT can be responsible for its use, misuse, or functionality.
+ *
+ */
+
+
+/**
+ * @author aaron
+ * @version 1.0
+ * @date May 13, 2009
+ * <p/>
+ * Class GLFRecord
+ * <p/>
+ * The base record that's stored in the GLF format.
+ */
+public class GLFRecord {
+    // our record list
+    private final List<RecordType> records = new ArrayList<RecordType>();
+
+    public static final byte[] glfMagic = {'G','L','F','\3'};
+    private String headerText = "";
+    private String referenceSequenceName = "";
+    private long referenceSequenceLength = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * The public constructor for creating a GLF object
+     * @param headerText the header text (currently unclear what the contents are)
+     * @param referenceSequenceName the reference sequence name
+     */
+    public GLFRecord(String headerText, String referenceSequenceName) {
+        this.headerText = headerText;
+        this.referenceSequenceName = referenceSequenceName;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write out the record to a binary codec object
+     *
+     * @param out
+     */
+    public void write(BinaryCodec out) {
+        out.writeBytes(glfMagic);
+        out.writeString(headerText,true,true);
+        out.writeString(referenceSequenceName,true,true);
+        out.writeUInt(referenceSequenceLength);
+        for (RecordType rec: records) {
+            out.writeUByte(rec.getRecordType().getFieldValue());
+            rec.write(out);
+        }
+        out.writeByte((byte)0);
+    }
+
+}
+
+
+interface RecordType {
+    
+    enum RECORD_TYPE {
+        VARIABLE((short)2),
+        SINGLE((short)1);
+        private final short fieldValue;   // in kilograms
+        RECORD_TYPE(short value) {
+            fieldValue = value;
+        }
+        public short getFieldValue() {
+            return fieldValue;
+        }
+    };
+
+    public void write(BinaryCodec out);
+
+    public RECORD_TYPE getRecordType();
+
+}
+
+// the second record type
+class VariableLengthGenotype implements RecordType {
+    public int offset;
+    public int min_depth;
+    public byte rmsMapQ;
+    public byte lkHom1;
+    public byte lkHom2;
+    public byte lkHet;
+    public short indelLen1;
+    public short indelLen2;
+    public final byte indelSeq1[];
+    public final byte indelSeq2[];
+
+    // our size, we're immutable (at least the size is)
+    private final int size; // in bytes
+
+    /**
+     * the BinaryCodec constructor
+     *
+     * @param in the binary codec to get data from
+     */
+    VariableLengthGenotype(BinaryCodec in) {
+        offset = in.readInt();
+        min_depth = in.readInt();
+        rmsMapQ = in.readByte();
+        lkHom1 = in.readByte();
+        lkHom2 = in.readByte();
+        lkHet = in.readByte();
+        indelLen1 = in.readShort();
+        indelLen2 = in.readShort();
+        indelSeq1 = new byte[indelLen1];
+        indelSeq2 = new byte[indelLen2];
+        this.size = 16 + indelLen1 + indelLen2; 
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write out the record to a binary codec
+     *
+     * @param out
+     */
+    public void write(BinaryCodec out) {
+        out.writeInt(offset);
+        out.writeInt(min_depth);
+        out.writeByte(rmsMapQ);
+        out.writeByte(lkHom1);
+        out.writeByte(lkHom2);
+        out.writeByte(lkHet);
+        out.writeShort(indelLen1);
+        out.writeShort(indelLen2);
+        out.writeBytes(indelSeq1);
+        out.writeBytes(indelSeq2);
+    }
+
+    public RECORD_TYPE getRecordType() {
+        return RECORD_TYPE.VARIABLE;
+    }
+}
+
+
+// the first record type
+class SinglePointGenotype implements RecordType {
+    // our likelyhood array size
+    public static final int LIKELYHOOD_SIZE = 10;
+
+    // class fields
+    public int offset;
+    public int min_depth;
+    public byte rmsMapQ;
+    public final byte lk[] = new byte[LIKELYHOOD_SIZE];
+
+    // our size, we're immutable (the size at least)
+    private final int byteSize; // in bytes
+
+    /**
+     * The parameter constructor
+     *
+     * @param offset
+     * @param min_depth
+     * @param rmsMapQ
+     * @param lk
+     */
+    SinglePointGenotype(int offset, int min_depth, byte rmsMapQ, byte[] lk) {
+        if (lk.length != LIKELYHOOD_SIZE) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("SinglePointGenotype: passed in likelyhood array size != LIKELYHOOD_SIZE");
+        }
+        this.offset = offset;
+        this.min_depth = min_depth;
+        this.rmsMapQ = rmsMapQ;
+        System.arraycopy(lk, 0, this.lk, 0, LIKELYHOOD_SIZE);
+        byteSize = 9 + lk.length;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * the BinaryCodec constructor
+     *
+     * @param in the binary codec to get data from
+     */
+    SinglePointGenotype(BinaryCodec in) {
+        offset = in.readInt();
+        min_depth = in.readInt();
+        rmsMapQ = in.readByte();
+        in.readBytes(lk);
+        byteSize = 9 + lk.length;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write out the record to a binary codec
+     *
+     * @param out
+     */
+    public void write(BinaryCodec out) {
+        out.writeInt(offset);
+        out.writeInt(min_depth);
+        out.writeByte(rmsMapQ);
+        out.writeBytes(lk);
+    }
+
+    public RECORD_TYPE getRecordType() {
+        return RECORD_TYPE.SINGLE;
+    }
+
+}
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