Stories from those in uniform

[jackball74]

I've always been interested in unusual stories from those in the armed forces and law enforcement. Since individuals in these lines of work are often trained to observe things very carefully, it can lend a good deal of credibility to an experience. Anyone have any good tales?

[rampaging redneck]

Not a ghost story, but a cryptozoological type story from a military excersise if you're interested .

[White Crane Feather]

I've always been interested in unusual stories from those in the armed forces and law enforcement. Since individuals in these lines of work are often trained to observe things very carefully, it can lend a good deal of credibility to an experience. Anyone have any good tales?

I have always wondered what this military training in observation was? Does anyone know? I keep hearing it, buy I'm trying to imagine a class on observation.

[Rafterman]

I've always been interested in unusual stories from those in the armed forces and law enforcement. Since individuals in these lines of work are often trained to observe things very carefully, it can lend a good deal of credibility to an experience. Anyone have any good tales?

Except when those in uniform come and say something is a bunch of bunk - then they are thrown under the bus so fast by the "community" that it would make your head spin.

[Merc14]

I have always wondered what this military training in observation was? Does anyone know? I keep hearing it, buy I'm trying to imagine a class on observation.

It depends on what your line of work is. I used to fly fighters off carriers and we were trained to, obviously, search the skies both electronically and visually, for threats and/or other aircraft. On reconnaissance missions at high speeds over ground targets you had to observe, at very high speeds. what was happening on the ground and in my case, photograph it with a TARPS Pod. Flying strike you needed to determine what a guy on the ground was seeing from his perspective and relaying to you from ground level while you were at 10K looking to roll in at 400KIAS to drop a bomb on a target.

Guys in the infantry have to observe what is going on around them if they want to survive in an urban combat zone like they have been dealing with the last ten years or so. They have to sense changes in the activity around them to survive attacks.

A guy on a ship or an aviator in a helicopter has to observe his operating space in a certain way as well. You learn to discern movement and changes in the environment that others may not even be aware of. That is not to say that others can't do this or aren't already, just that front line military has to do it for a living.

Hope that helps.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Merc14

[rampaging redneck]

I'm a currently serving infantryman, and the training in observation and attention to detail starts in basic training, especially in the army. Its all done in more or less an incidental fashion as opposed to structured lessons, from day one in basic training, your bed has to be made to a certain standard, uniforms ironed flawlessly, and even things which most civilians would consider ridiculous, for example, socks must be rolled up in a particular way and placed x distance from the edge of the shelf etc... and if any of it was incorrect, boy did it hit the fan! The logic behind it all is to teach attention to detail, because when you're out under fire, the slightest detail missed could result in the death of your battle buddies or yourself.

Sorry for the long winded reply but there's your answer from the infantry perspective

[Simbi Laveau]

Not everyone in a uniform is law enforcement .

What kind of stories you looking for ?

[Merc14]

I have a couple of stories that might be of interest.

1. Back when I was a cigar smoker (early - mid 90's) I stepped outside the Fighter Wing building to get a smoke and looked up in the sky, as aviators are wont to do and saw a strange thing about 30 degress off the approach end of the runway and maybe 5 miles from the field at 5k' or so. There was a lightly scattered layer of clouds between 3K and maybe 8K feet made up of big puffy clouds. The rest of the sky was a bright blue and visibility was unrestricted. I saw this black object floating back and forth from behind one of those puffies and it went on for a good 3-4 minutes,. It would kind of float to the east of the cloud for 10-15 seconds and then float back behind the cloud for 10-20 seconds just to reappear again. It was just a black speck that I thought may be a turkey vulture at first but it stuck around so long and the movement wasn't quite llike a buzzard ciircling so I pretty much dismissed that. No blinking lights or anything and no one else saw it. I have no idea what it was and since it was small and far away I wouldn't hazard a guess.

2. I was flying an exercise out in the desert in the early 90's in the mountains. We were doing a west to east 4 plane fighter sweep in front of the package and I was wingman (backseater to a nugget pilot) in the northenmost position. We were probably at 5k' AGL above a ridge line with the rest of the flight spread out to the south and down in the valley. I looked to my left ,as we were well within indian country and hadn't picked up any targets (a bad thing) and caught site of this big silver aircraft flying at what looked like just tens of feet off the deck (shadow was directly under the thing) with two pointy noses flying off the wingtips but at a higher altitude. I almost called the flight over to attack that target but realized they were in a different restricted area and definitley not part of our exercise. Probably 6 miles north of us and right in the deck. I called my pilot's eyes over but he couldn't see them and then the whole flight dropped over a ridgeline and out of sight.

The whole flight was moving at the speed of heat and the big boogie was right in the deck, i mean huggng the rocks. It was strange because it was bright silver and had no tail fins and no real fuselage. Not many silver aircraft in the military. I think the escorts were F-111's and years later I am thinking the big guy was an unpainted B-2 but I have no idea if those things are silver underneath that paint or if they fly that low. No smoke from any of them but that is normal with modern engines. Anyways, once again I am the only one who saw them and remember it because of their speed and altitude, the silver coloring and stange configuration. Radar saw nothing and these wee military grade search radars with trained techs but that isn't unusual in the mountains.

[kirp_7]

Not sure if this is a dead thread or not? But I am a Corrections Officer working in a prison. We get ALL KINDS of ghost sightings and demon spirits etc etc... Now Im not one to say im a true believer. But its hard to argue with first hand experiences! Inmates getting pushed or pulled when no one around. A freezing paralysis where inmates cant move for a short period of time. You hear ALOT of whispers. You always assume its inmates at night but even in older unmanned areas you hear them. We have an intake officer supervisor that died a few years ago now. But he still roams the intake. Turning things on and off and unplugging things. Even opening cell doors to unpopulated cells.

The worst experience Ive had was just recently. We had an inmate, we will call him Shawn. Shawn was a kid, only 20 years old. I was on night shift and all inmates are locked down. I entered A-POD to completed my rounds and saw him. Inmate jump suit and all! It was him. I yelled out to lockdown and radioed for assistance which is our SOP. He was startled. Looked at me. And ran into his cell. But the Door closed. Ran through the door.... I told the other officers when they arrived and they told me that Shawn had been released that day. The next day we found out he was in a car accident 3 hours after his release and was thrown 20 feet from the car and died instantly.

Creepy...but i could just have been tired and seeing things... who knows

[Merc14]

Not sure if this is a dead thread or not? But I am a Corrections Officer working in a prison. We get ALL KINDS of ghost sightings and demon spirits etc etc... Now Im not one to say im a true believer. But its hard to argue with first hand experiences! Inmates getting pushed or pulled when no one around. A freezing paralysis where inmates cant move for a short period of time. You hear ALOT of whispers. You always assume its inmates at night but even in older unmanned areas you hear them. We have an intake officer supervisor that died a few years ago now. But he still roams the intake. Turning things on and off and unplugging things. Even opening cell doors to unpopulated cells.

The worst experience Ive had was just recently. We had an inmate, we will call him Shawn. Shawn was a kid, only 20 years old. I was on night shift and all inmates are locked down. I entered A-POD to completed my rounds and saw him. Inmate jump suit and all! It was him. I yelled out to lockdown and radioed for assistance which is our SOP. He was startled. Looked at me. And ran into his cell. But the Door closed. Ran through the door.... I told the other officers when they arrived and they told me that Shawn had been released that day. The next day we found out he was in a car accident 3 hours after his release and was thrown 20 feet from the car and died instantly.

Creepy...but i could just have been tired and seeing things... who knows

That is bizarre.

[rampaging redneck]

Would have rustled my jimmies, that's for sure.