The Military and the Paranormal

I've been meaning to post this for a while, and the ice storm currently affecting my region has granted me some unexpected free time (the American Army's achilles' heel seems to be moderately slippery roads).

In my five years of service, I have been constantly surprised at how readily such a conservative organization accepts the paranormal. Out of everyone I have ever worked with, I can only name a handful that didn't wholeheartedly believe in ghosts. The occult is also largely recognized. Even on an organizational level we recognize the dead's continuing influence by setting a place for them at our formal functions. For the most part, however, these beliefs remain on an unspoken term.

What surprised me more happened when I moved to my current post. I live on one of the oldest continuously operational posts in the United States. Some of the quarters here predate the American Civil War. I live in one of these quarters. When I signed for them, the agent from on post housing said:

"I am obligated to notify you prior to signing that these quarters are reported to be haunted by a spirit appearing as a young girl in a white dress and red hair bow."

While this is probably the least haunted house I have ever lived in, my wife has since started work with the company that runs housing on post. They keep detailed records on reported hauntings, and share this information with prospective tenants. This is the first I have ever heard of such a program, and these records date back several decades, indicating that the Army kept them before turning them over to the private contractors that now run government housing.

While I think this an interesting concept in and of itself, why does the government (and/or a govt contractor) keep and more or less publically disclose this information?

Thoughts?

as far as why they do, it could be because of lawsuits, liablitly, and so forth. yet, i believe, they do not disclose the half of it!

i like to think that this stems from Operation Paperclip when hundreds of Nazi "mind scientists" where brought to America to keep them out of the hands of the Soviets as well has hundreds more "propulsion scientists."

the nazis had very strong ties to the occult whether it be through symbolism or the famed "Spear of Destiny" which was the Roman Spear that pierced Christ through his side delivering a "death" blow.

i believe there are strong ties to the occult all through out government. whether it be signs on the back of the one dollar bill or through the street patterns of Washington D.C.

why this kind of hidden knowledge isn't made public is because it is believed to be for the few as this kind of knowledge brings power with it, like all knowledge does. yet the tree that bears this hidden/supernatural fruit offers knowledge that changes worlds. and is thus deemed too powerful for the common people.

[edit on 10-12-2007 by LooseLipsSinkShips]

While I agree they don't disclose the half of what they know, what do they stand to gain by disclosing such information? I doubt "prior knowledge of paranormal activity" is going to stand up in any American court as a solid prosecutory charge. I don't know of any legal precidence that would make nondisclosure a liability- such a decision would indicate a formal acknowledgment of the legitimacy of paranormal activity and a related danger or depreciation in accepted financial value. It would make a haunting akin to lead paint or asbestos.

Wow. I wouldn’t have any idea that the military would even bother with such details…

Are you sure the information is just not something they are doing out of mate-ship rather then a formal caution from the army?

Were any other details or have you heard any other details given for example “I wouldn’t go into the attic or don’t let your child sleep in this room or this particular ghost has a habit of moving chairs” etc?

Very interesting indeed.


Cheers for your thread.

I wouldn't say it is a formal warning. Keep in mind we're dealing with a private contractor (military housing, along with a lot of other military functions, is going to the civilian sector).

I do however know of high ranking officers (and lesser ranks) that provide the information. I know of a field grade (Major+) that refuses to let his family use the second floor of his three story house due to an alleged haunting.

I'm not making the assertation that the military is hiding knowledge that could bring about any revelations, just that there seems to be a database of events that would suggest the paranormal, kept by local military officials since the 1800s, then turned over to civilians when they took over that protion of military life over.

While I was at Fort Sill, we were staying at the old MP barracks, which was built on top of the hospital where Geronimo died.Yeah, neat story and all.

But while I was on fire gaurd during the nights, I would always see some thing out of the corner of my eye. I would check it out, and find no one there, after several nights of this I mentioned it to the NCOs. Well it seems there is more to the story, evidently every one who is on night fire gaurd sees this shadowy movement.

Also there is an attic, which is chained shut, and paddlelocked. Not just any ole chain and lock, heavy duty stuff is used, and when I aks the NCOs about this locked door, they don't talk about it. Seems old relics are stored up there, rumors of the hospital beds and other articles have been kept.

Nothing is confirmed, but that is the word. Oddly enough though, as uncomfortable I was at the CQ desk, being in the basement, alone at night on the days I wasn't working, didn't bother me a bit.

Strange but it was almost calming being there. others felt the same way, perhaps it was just being away from the CQ desk.

That was some thing I had to share after reading this thread.

In October 1894, Geronimo and 341 Apache prisoners of war went to Fort Sill. They built their own homes at the fort. They grew vegetables and flowers. Many Apaches lived there till they died. Some of them even joined the United States Army. In 1905 Geronimo rode in Theodore Roosevelt's parade. Roosevelt had been elected President of the United States. On February 17, 1909, Geronimo grew very ill. He died of pneumonia. He was 83 years old. He was never able to return home to Arizona. Geronimo was buried in the cemetery at Fort Sill.
Geronimo and the Apaches at Fort Sill

[edit on 16-12-2007 by ADVISOR]

I remember learning this in a college general law course. You have to disclose anything that could have a "psychological defect," such as if a murder or suicide took place. This includes previous owners believing the property was haunted. Such defects don't physically lower the value of the property, but they may to a prosepctive buyer.

Simply put, if the buyer believes in ghosts, he may view a "haunted" property as being of less value. If this isn't disclosed to him, then he could possibly take legel action against the seller.

Covered a bit here

reply to post by Esoterica


Good point, and I would have dismissed it as thus if I wasn't in "Army mode." The problem is, we have no legal claim against the Army or its contractors as soldiers. Unless they violate an enlistment agreement (anything included in our initial contract with the Army) we cannot legally bring suit against the Army or anyone who represents the Army. They can order us to stay in poor conditions, they can order us to certain death, they can order us to stay in a "haunted" house. Given the present circumstances, issuing someone "haunted" quarters seems kind of trivial.

The Army has a lot of better things on its mind, why does it trouble itself with ghosts?