It Friday… meaning it’s time for yet another Freaky story! Sometimes freaky stories are used to scare people into doing what we want, for example, parents tell children scary stories to deter them from doing stupid things. Today’s story is about the wandering ghosts that helped win a mental war.
Setting: The Vietnam War, 1955-1975
The Vietnamese believe that when one dies, it is important for them to be buried in their home land. Similar to our own local cultures, it is believed that this allows the deceased’s spirit to rest in contentment in the afterlife. When this condition is not met, it is believed that the deceased’s soul will wander aimlessly trying to find its way home.
So during the Vietnam War, American troops decided to use these belief system to their advantage. They knew that the North Vietnamese soldiers were concerned that they would die fighting, far away from their home villages, and end up as wandering souls. They devised an epic psychological scare tactic.
The Americans created a tape of voices that sounded tormented. The voices called out to the Vietnamese fighters, warning them to flee or be damned to die! They would then play the tape on loudspeakers as they flew over the jungle where Vietnamese soldiers hid.
Did it work? Yes, it did! The Vietnamese soldiers were actually so spooked, they would run away from their positions. Even more interesting is the fact that they eventually found out that the recordings were played from the passing American plane, but still found the voices unnerving. They would abandon their posts to get away from the eerie sounds of the wandering ghosts, that would play over and over throughout the night.
Have a freaky story to share? Holla at me on Twitter (@MissOlendi), and your freaky story could be featured here on the website.
