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The military is built on discipline, sacrifice, and stories. Some of those stories can’t be explained. Across centuries and continents, troops have whispered about haunted bases, cursed lands, and spirits that never stood down.
Fort Monroe, VA
One of the oldest military installations in America, Fort Monroe of Hampton, Virginia is home to several historical haunts. After the Union won the American Civil War in 1865, Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was imprisoned at the fort. His apparition is reported to walk the ramparts at night. Some have reported cold spots, feelings of being watched, and unexplained noises while in his former cell. His wife is also alleged to haunt the area, her presence being felt by an odd vibrating sensation. Some have also reported seeing the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
During his brief military stint, Edgar Allen Poe, the father of dark literature, was stationed at Fort Monroe. It is there that he produced some of his earlier works. His ghost is reported to haunt the premise. Other ghoulish figures of Fort Monroe include a woman in white, Civil War soldiers, and a little girl with a cat named Greta.
F.E. Warren Air Force Base
Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, F.E. Warren Air Force Base was originally built to help protect railroad workers from nearby Native American tribes. Troops ended up slaughtering Crow Creek Tribe members in droves. For the past century, there have been reports of ghostly cavalry soldiers patrolling the grounds on guard against Native Americans.
Warren AFB is also haunted by homewrecker Gus Quarters. As legend tells, Gus was caught in bed with an officer’s wife. Rather than face the angry husband, Gus jumped out of a window. Rather than a successful escape, he accidentally hung himself on a clothesline. Troops have reported both doors and cupboards opening and closing by themselves. Perhaps Gus is looking for his clothes.
Afghanistan
Unsurprisingly, a country known as the “Graveyard of Empires” comes with its own fair share of ghost stories. There are many reports of paranormal or other terrifying happenings, many in the Helmand Province– a region with a Taliban stronghold where the highest number of American and allied deaths have occurred. One Marine tells a jarring story of Observation Point Rock in Helmand: “As we were digging, we started to find bones. Not one bone, not two bones, tons of bones, there were bones for days…We could have built our whole Observation Point out of bones.” Locals claim the area was a centuries-old gravesite that was also where several massacres took place during the Soviet-Afghan war. Some have also reported extreme temperature drops, whispers in Russian, bright lights, and shadowy figures.
Locals believe that this area is home to a shrine and the presence of US and Coalition-led forces in this holy area set off a curse. Now djinn, supernatural beings from Islamic tradition haunt the place.
Encounters with giants are another repeated phenomenon among Afghanistan lore. One night in the late 2000s, an infantry leader peered through his thermal scope to see a large heat signature believed to be a group of Taliban fighters. “All of the sudden, the heat signature stood up as one being”. This being was reported to be 10-12 feet tall that moved in a manner which was “slow and relaxed, yet it moved with incredible speed.” Other servicemembers reported seeing giants of a similar stature interacting with villagers.
Most famous among these giants is the “Giant of Kandahar”, believed to be a fallen angel. Spotted by special operations members, this creature stood 13 feet tall with flaming red hair and beard, six fingers and toes, and two rows of teeth. He killed one ODA member with his spear before the other soldiers killed him with approximately 30 seconds of gunfire. His body was then loaded into a Chinook, never to be seen again. All team members were sworn to secrecy. The Pentagon has no record of such an incident.
Fort Leavenworth
Home to a maximum-security military prison, Fort Leavenworth is purported to be the most haunted military installation in America. In one tower, a servicemember who killed himself with his service weapon can still be heard calling out. During World War Two, German POWs were imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth. Guards executed one of the 14 involved every hour. After running out of room in the gallows, they used an elevator shaft. Soldiers report screams coming from said elevator.
One the base commander’s headquarters, the Rookery at Fort Leavenworth is also home to numerous ghosts. The “Lady in White– a woman believed to have been tortured and killed by local tribes when the soldiers were off post will regularly scream at and chase people. Major Edmund Ogden, a young girl named Rose, her nanny, and a man named Robert are other resident spooks.
Whether these tales are the echoes of restless spirits or the weight of history playing tricks on tired minds, one thing is certain: the past never really leaves military ground. Every base carries the memory of those who served, fought, and fell there. Maybe the shadows that linger are just history’s way of refusing to be forgotten.
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