I received this intense letter from a Vietnam Vet. It is on my blog at:
stancourtney.com
Full Version: Nguoi Rung
Wow Stan, thanks for sharing. Damn.
That was very interesting to read. I will ask some of my Vietnamese friends if they know of such creatures or if any of their family members have stories of Sasquatch-like animals roaming the jungle.
QUOTE(fulltimer @ Aug 9 2006, 09:30 PM) 
I would like to talk face on with this person who claims to have been on patrol in North Vietnam.
Ask him about the length of the thumb relative to the fingers. Seriously.
Wow,
That was a chilling story....
That was a chilling story....
A couple of years ago I asked a friend, who was a Recon Marine in Vietnam, if he had encountered anything that could be described ans a sasqautch. He said he hadn't. He claimed that they did encounter, what he called, Rock Apes. He said they were about four or five feet tall and would sometimes through rocks at them.
I may be wrong but I didn't think that Vietnam had any apes. Maybe Apeman could aswer this.
I may be wrong but I didn't think that Vietnam had any apes. Maybe Apeman could aswer this.
QUOTE(Tsiatko @ Aug 14 2006, 05:36 AM)
A couple of years ago I asked a friend, who was a Recon Marine in Vietnam, if he had encountered anything that could be described ans a sasqautch. He said he hadn't. He claimed that they did encounter, what he called, Rock Apes. He said they were about four or five feet tall and would sometimes through rocks at them.
I may be wrong but I didn't think that Vietnam had any apes. Maybe Apeman could aswer this.
I may be wrong but I didn't think that Vietnam had any apes. Maybe Apeman could aswer this.
sd
------------
Vietnam has lesser apes, (Monkeys) and one native great ape, that would be the small gibbon. That country does not have gorillas, orangutans or chimpanzees or any other tail-less great ape....the gibbon has a lengthy tail and is the smallest of the great apes....separating it from the sightings that have been described in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and southern China...by indigenous forest people. "The rock-throwing behavior is not a small monkey trait, they stay high in the trees. Rock throwing is not a great ape behavior either, that I am aware of.....
....and I pulled this from the database:
- ---
Rock Apes
Vietnam: -the ‘Rock Apes’ of Quang Tri, Thua Thien and Quang Nam Provinces, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. A term used by American soldiers during the ’60’s and ‘70’s Vietnam conflict, which described an unknown (to them) creature, about a meter tall, resembling an hair-covered ape with the exception it was larger than an ape and to their great surprised, it walked upright and did so in a unexpected normal way. In an alternate military unit, a former GI wrote using the term Powell’s ape, after one of the creatures wandered into a restricted zone during the middle of the night. “All hell broke loose when the dark figure continued to advance into the far end of the restricted zone, it was fired upon.” (Powell was the name of the platoon leader). “When daylight came, we realized we had blown the living s**t out of a large ape, it was a male with the face of a wildman and not much else left of it to describe of the stinkin’ thing. We poured fuel over the remains and set it afire.” (From the 1995 Nam bulletin board)
Another GI offered this description: ”An oblong head framed the hair-covered face. Dark, deep-set eyes lay beneath a prominent brow, and they did nothing to complement the heavy jowls and angry mouth. As it stepped into a small clearing, Linderer could see that matted reddish-brown hair ran down the creature's neck and covered most of its body. Whatever it was, it stood at least five feet tall, had broad shoulders, long thick muscular arms, and a heavy torso. It walked upright. In the small clearing, it stopped and studied the Americans. "What the hell is that?" someone called out from behind Linderer. "It's a rock ape," said another team member. Another team member disagreed. "No, it ain't," he said. "I've seen rock apes, and that sure as hell isn't a rock ape!" "It's an orangutan, isn't it?" Linderer asked while the others kept their eyes glued on the strange creature. "Well, if it is, then he can't read a map. There are no orangutans in Vietnam." (Jorgenson)
…Orangutans in the wild don’t walk upright as a normal course of behavior and rarely are they terrestrial. At night they nest in trees, they wouldn’t be walking upright about a clearing at night, …too many tigers.
As an aside, there are small tail-less monkeys known as the Barbary Macaques found in Morocco and Algeria, these have at times been called rock apes. Also the apes on Gibraltar are known as rock apes. It is important to note that these Barbary Macaques are too small to fit the description soldiers gave, plus they are quadrupeds, they nest at night and they wouldn’t be walking through a military base at night.
See: nguoi rung, tok and Da nhan
----------------------
QUOTE(fulltimer @ Aug 9 2006, 10:30 PM)
Wow... I'm sure it took a lot for him to come forward like that - It does sound crazy, but I bought it :happy:
I have no doubt in my mind that these creatures are everywhere we are and more...
QUOTE(LAL @ Aug 14 2006, 08:29 AM)
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/gue...kekelley_3.html
http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/pj.htm
http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/pj.htm
from LAL's link
QUOTE
-- Guest Lecture --
Michael Kelley:
The Rock Apes
John Swensson:
I received an inquiry last week from some folks who were using the
wonderful Pamela Sharp Research Portal at
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/ewrt2vn.html:
I am looking for any information regarding a type of monkey or
ape the troops called "Rock Apes" The Rock Apes were known for
hurling stones or other debris including grenades back at troops.
Are you familiar with any stories regarding these?
Never having heard of these, I forwarded the inquiry to Mr. Mike Kelley in
Sacto, great artist and writer who knows most everything. His response was so
interesting I decided to send it to you. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Thank You, Mike
Subject: Re: Question. Re Rock Apes
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000
We ran into them frequently and I have a friend whose Recon position on Dong
Den was overrun one night by hundreds of them.
The made a noise that sounded just like a dog barking. In fact, you'd swear
it was a dog.
One time on a ridge of Nui Mo Tau, about 15 km S of Hue, about eight of them
came walking up a trail and surprised a squad of our platoon while it was
stopped for lunch. All hell broke loose because they looked very much like NVA
soldiers in khaki (same height, size and color) as they came around a bend in
the trail about 10 meters from the unsuspecting GI's.
I was with the other two squads of the platoon eating our lunch on the far side
of a clearing about 50 meters wide that separated the two elements. The trails
wound up the ridge and then through the clearing.
All of a sudden and without any warning, the lone squad opened up with every
thing they had...M-16's, M-79's and hand grenades. I grabbed about 300 rounds
of gun ammo and my M-60, then ran across the clearing with the platoon Sgt.
(everyone else stayed home!) to the cover of a huge, toppled tree that was
lying on the far side and close to the point of contact. The Sgt. and I looked at
one another, nodded and then came up over the top ready to blast away but
what we saw instead blew us away!
The firing had been non-stop and we fully expected to engage a sizeable enemy
force, but instead, we found ourselves looking at our men, some seated, some
standing, some kneeling, and firing at these ghostly images swooshing around
in brush and trees (some off the ground by that point) in all directions. All
except one was light brown to reddish brown in color, and about 3 1/2 four feet
tall. One dark, almost black, male remained fighting to protect the others retreat
and he was flying through the branches and rushing the men with his teeth
bared. He was one very brave animal, I'll tell you that.
Then, as if someone had snapped their fingers, they all just seemed to
disappear. Zip, the male turned and flashed into the trees and was out of site in
a second.
This may sound very strange to you, but although I had no or little concern
about killing the enemy, the killing of innocent animals turned my stomach and
could enrage me if done without being a necessity. But I searched the site and
but found not a drop of blood, which totally amazed me given the amount of
firing that had gone on. I wonder to this day if the men were shooting just to
scare the Rock Apes away or whether they were really just poor marksman!
The men who'd suffered the surprise looked a bit worse for wear, and I'm sure
a few had to wash their shorts out as a result of the unwelcome visit. It really
scared the crap out of them, I kid you not!
We, on the other hand, did suffer one casualty. A trooper had an eardrum
blown out by the muzzle blast of the first shot fired because the trooper who
first saw the apes just picked up his M-16 and fired without saying a word, and
the muzzle was right next to this poor fellow's ear when he did.
Apart from that, I have all the same questions your student does and would love
to hear just exactly what sort of apes they were?
M-60 Mike
Cheers,
Michael Kelley
D Co 1st/502d Infantry, 101st Airborne Div 69/70
www.vwam.com/vets/m60mike.htm
Michael Kelley:
The Rock Apes
John Swensson:
I received an inquiry last week from some folks who were using the
wonderful Pamela Sharp Research Portal at
http://www.deanza.edu/faculty/swensson/ewrt2vn.html:
I am looking for any information regarding a type of monkey or
ape the troops called "Rock Apes" The Rock Apes were known for
hurling stones or other debris including grenades back at troops.
Are you familiar with any stories regarding these?
Never having heard of these, I forwarded the inquiry to Mr. Mike Kelley in
Sacto, great artist and writer who knows most everything. His response was so
interesting I decided to send it to you. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Thank You, Mike
Subject: Re: Question. Re Rock Apes
Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2000
We ran into them frequently and I have a friend whose Recon position on Dong
Den was overrun one night by hundreds of them.
The made a noise that sounded just like a dog barking. In fact, you'd swear
it was a dog.
One time on a ridge of Nui Mo Tau, about 15 km S of Hue, about eight of them
came walking up a trail and surprised a squad of our platoon while it was
stopped for lunch. All hell broke loose because they looked very much like NVA
soldiers in khaki (same height, size and color) as they came around a bend in
the trail about 10 meters from the unsuspecting GI's.
I was with the other two squads of the platoon eating our lunch on the far side
of a clearing about 50 meters wide that separated the two elements. The trails
wound up the ridge and then through the clearing.
All of a sudden and without any warning, the lone squad opened up with every
thing they had...M-16's, M-79's and hand grenades. I grabbed about 300 rounds
of gun ammo and my M-60, then ran across the clearing with the platoon Sgt.
(everyone else stayed home!) to the cover of a huge, toppled tree that was
lying on the far side and close to the point of contact. The Sgt. and I looked at
one another, nodded and then came up over the top ready to blast away but
what we saw instead blew us away!
The firing had been non-stop and we fully expected to engage a sizeable enemy
force, but instead, we found ourselves looking at our men, some seated, some
standing, some kneeling, and firing at these ghostly images swooshing around
in brush and trees (some off the ground by that point) in all directions. All
except one was light brown to reddish brown in color, and about 3 1/2 four feet
tall. One dark, almost black, male remained fighting to protect the others retreat
and he was flying through the branches and rushing the men with his teeth
bared. He was one very brave animal, I'll tell you that.
Then, as if someone had snapped their fingers, they all just seemed to
disappear. Zip, the male turned and flashed into the trees and was out of site in
a second.
This may sound very strange to you, but although I had no or little concern
about killing the enemy, the killing of innocent animals turned my stomach and
could enrage me if done without being a necessity. But I searched the site and
but found not a drop of blood, which totally amazed me given the amount of
firing that had gone on. I wonder to this day if the men were shooting just to
scare the Rock Apes away or whether they were really just poor marksman!
The men who'd suffered the surprise looked a bit worse for wear, and I'm sure
a few had to wash their shorts out as a result of the unwelcome visit. It really
scared the crap out of them, I kid you not!
We, on the other hand, did suffer one casualty. A trooper had an eardrum
blown out by the muzzle blast of the first shot fired because the trooper who
first saw the apes just picked up his M-16 and fired without saying a word, and
the muzzle was right next to this poor fellow's ear when he did.
Apart from that, I have all the same questions your student does and would love
to hear just exactly what sort of apes they were?
M-60 Mike
Cheers,
Michael Kelley
D Co 1st/502d Infantry, 101st Airborne Div 69/70
www.vwam.com/vets/m60mike.htm
I'm not too sure about that story.
I highly doubt that the upper command would let them go out in search of some ghost. Why would a group, battalion of troops, risk giving away their position or losing a soldier.
When I'm out in rugged terrain rogaining - mountain biking - or off road Tri-ing - I, myself, rarely like for a group to separate; much more if I were a plattoon leader.
You risk land mines, loss of limbs, enemy fire, etc...
Anyone with military experience here?
I highly doubt that the upper command would let them go out in search of some ghost. Why would a group, battalion of troops, risk giving away their position or losing a soldier.
When I'm out in rugged terrain rogaining - mountain biking - or off road Tri-ing - I, myself, rarely like for a group to separate; much more if I were a plattoon leader.
You risk land mines, loss of limbs, enemy fire, etc...
Anyone with military experience here?
The last half of this report is about Rock Apes.
Report # 445 (Class A)
Submitted by witness B.D. on Thursday, October 12, 2000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boy Scouts have sighting while camping at Quednau Ranch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Show Printer-friendly Version)
YEAR: 1962
SEASON: Summer
MONTH: August
DATE: 15
STATE: Florida
COUNTY: Charlotte County
LOCATION DETAILS: Quednau Ranch in the early 1960's
About a few miles south of the Creek that the cattle watered at. Inside the pines area-Not in the North end of Ranch where we tented .
NEAREST TOWN: Murdoch , FL
NEAREST ROAD: Now is I-75
OBSERVED: lived all my life with the
Tampa Area as home, still do. While on a boy-Scout campout with Troop 232 of the Good Luthern church on Dale Mabry hwy. in Tampa , at Murdoch area , the strangest smell and other non-visual clues were attributed to Sulpher
Water. When out the second night, in the distance , during initiation , R. E. and I saw something really big , really quick moving ,and emitting a high pitched scream , almost a shreak . It was running into the woods on two legs, and moving very fast. It was after mid - night , we had been taken out from camp by the Troop as New to the Scouts.As cubscouts we were somewhat prepared. As Tampa Bay Westshore residents , we were little woodsmen already , and whatever that object
was we chalked up to the bigger Scouts .
The Troopmaster worked at the Budwiser Brewery , lived near Chamberlain
We never returned to the 'Glades area to innitiate troops , nor to even camp.
OTHER WITNESSES: one other boy scout--R.E.
OTHER STORIES: Stationed in Vietnam. Encountered apes, about the size of the N. Vietnamise. We called them "Rock Apes". An ape that threw rocks and would sneak around the camp at night. Walked around on two legs.
former Marine can tell the ape of the woods truth better. It was at a different time for him , near area , in Cambodia/Laos region.
ENVIRONMENT: It was dark , we were afraid , which was unusual
for us. Pine woods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-up investigation report:
Primary BFRO Investigator--Linda Jacobson
The Witness made reference in correspondence to periodic attacks on troops in Laos and Cambodia by Rock ApesHe says he has begun to search for a few more (people) who know/knew of the Strange Jungle People {Rock-Apes).
A Capt. F. had more close encounters with the Rock-Apes. It is my (the witnesses) suspicion these creatures are what we encountered (in Tampa). Capt. F. had a longer lasting and more intense experiences with them over the border (Laos and Cambodia).
The encounters the witness had with the Rock Apes overseas caused him to remember his encounter while growing up in the States (Tampa, 1962).
My research into the Rock Apes are inconclusive and ongoing. While Rock Apeis the common name of a tail-less monkey known as the Barbary Macaques a monkey that is found wild in Morocco and Algeria, it is not the same creature known to have pelted and surprised troops in Laos and Cambodia while dug in under cover. Vets write me:
Rock apes were just that, apes of some sort. They were rarely seen, but the evidence of them
could confuse the casual observer. Every morning for two or three days me and my bud would wake up and find that someone had taken a dump on the roof f our outpost bunker. We were very secluded in the deepest jungle so when e saw this we simply accused each other of the crime. Very disharmonious or sure. A few days later, at our base camp, we were harassing each other
about it when someone overheard us and concluded that the actual culprit must have been a Rock Ape. It took us more than a few minutes to believe him. I've never seen one, but I know they're mischievous critters...and they must be pretty big.
A Marine said:
My name is J., I was with the Marine Corps in 68, with Mike Company 3rd Bn. 5th Marines, the term Rock Ape, well its not human for sure, it's a Monkey the was in the area of Monkey Mountain, just outside of Da Nang, whenever we were in the mountains this ape would somehow
get above us and throw rocks at us as we sat in an ambush, they are a strong creature,and many a Marine got his butt kicked by one. Hope this has helped you, if I find a picture of one I'll be sure to get it off to you
Another Marine wrote:
Not sure if you got your answer but a Rock Ape is an animal. It was rumored that they would throw rocks and that's how they got their name. They lived in the mountainous areas that were heavily jungled and would move around in the trees at night scaring the hell out of you.
One story I have is of a marine in his foxhole when all of a sudden a rock ape stuck his head up over the berm of the hole. The Marine screamed of course scaring everyone in camp and the rock ape away.
Another:
Although I am not sure of their exact genus, the Rock Ape was very similar to a Chimp. They were rather small, but very powerful animals. The nickname comes from their habitat (and some say from their ability to use rocks as projectile weapons, ie throwing them).
Report # 445 (Class A)
Submitted by witness B.D. on Thursday, October 12, 2000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boy Scouts have sighting while camping at Quednau Ranch
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Show Printer-friendly Version)
YEAR: 1962
SEASON: Summer
MONTH: August
DATE: 15
STATE: Florida
COUNTY: Charlotte County
LOCATION DETAILS: Quednau Ranch in the early 1960's
About a few miles south of the Creek that the cattle watered at. Inside the pines area-Not in the North end of Ranch where we tented .
NEAREST TOWN: Murdoch , FL
NEAREST ROAD: Now is I-75
OBSERVED: lived all my life with the
Tampa Area as home, still do. While on a boy-Scout campout with Troop 232 of the Good Luthern church on Dale Mabry hwy. in Tampa , at Murdoch area , the strangest smell and other non-visual clues were attributed to Sulpher
Water. When out the second night, in the distance , during initiation , R. E. and I saw something really big , really quick moving ,and emitting a high pitched scream , almost a shreak . It was running into the woods on two legs, and moving very fast. It was after mid - night , we had been taken out from camp by the Troop as New to the Scouts.As cubscouts we were somewhat prepared. As Tampa Bay Westshore residents , we were little woodsmen already , and whatever that object
was we chalked up to the bigger Scouts .
The Troopmaster worked at the Budwiser Brewery , lived near Chamberlain
We never returned to the 'Glades area to innitiate troops , nor to even camp.
OTHER WITNESSES: one other boy scout--R.E.
OTHER STORIES: Stationed in Vietnam. Encountered apes, about the size of the N. Vietnamise. We called them "Rock Apes". An ape that threw rocks and would sneak around the camp at night. Walked around on two legs.
former Marine can tell the ape of the woods truth better. It was at a different time for him , near area , in Cambodia/Laos region.
ENVIRONMENT: It was dark , we were afraid , which was unusual
for us. Pine woods
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow-up investigation report:
Primary BFRO Investigator--Linda Jacobson
The Witness made reference in correspondence to periodic attacks on troops in Laos and Cambodia by Rock ApesHe says he has begun to search for a few more (people) who know/knew of the Strange Jungle People {Rock-Apes).
A Capt. F. had more close encounters with the Rock-Apes. It is my (the witnesses) suspicion these creatures are what we encountered (in Tampa). Capt. F. had a longer lasting and more intense experiences with them over the border (Laos and Cambodia).
The encounters the witness had with the Rock Apes overseas caused him to remember his encounter while growing up in the States (Tampa, 1962).
My research into the Rock Apes are inconclusive and ongoing. While Rock Apeis the common name of a tail-less monkey known as the Barbary Macaques a monkey that is found wild in Morocco and Algeria, it is not the same creature known to have pelted and surprised troops in Laos and Cambodia while dug in under cover. Vets write me:
Rock apes were just that, apes of some sort. They were rarely seen, but the evidence of them
could confuse the casual observer. Every morning for two or three days me and my bud would wake up and find that someone had taken a dump on the roof f our outpost bunker. We were very secluded in the deepest jungle so when e saw this we simply accused each other of the crime. Very disharmonious or sure. A few days later, at our base camp, we were harassing each other
about it when someone overheard us and concluded that the actual culprit must have been a Rock Ape. It took us more than a few minutes to believe him. I've never seen one, but I know they're mischievous critters...and they must be pretty big.
A Marine said:
My name is J., I was with the Marine Corps in 68, with Mike Company 3rd Bn. 5th Marines, the term Rock Ape, well its not human for sure, it's a Monkey the was in the area of Monkey Mountain, just outside of Da Nang, whenever we were in the mountains this ape would somehow
get above us and throw rocks at us as we sat in an ambush, they are a strong creature,and many a Marine got his butt kicked by one. Hope this has helped you, if I find a picture of one I'll be sure to get it off to you
Another Marine wrote:
Not sure if you got your answer but a Rock Ape is an animal. It was rumored that they would throw rocks and that's how they got their name. They lived in the mountainous areas that were heavily jungled and would move around in the trees at night scaring the hell out of you.
One story I have is of a marine in his foxhole when all of a sudden a rock ape stuck his head up over the berm of the hole. The Marine screamed of course scaring everyone in camp and the rock ape away.
Another:
Although I am not sure of their exact genus, the Rock Ape was very similar to a Chimp. They were rather small, but very powerful animals. The nickname comes from their habitat (and some say from their ability to use rocks as projectile weapons, ie throwing them).
Pardon me, but...
So do rock apes exist...? matter of time before I Wiki pedia the Rock Ape...
Also, are we saying that they are capable - like Chimpanzees, to rip apart an Asian soldier?
So do rock apes exist...? matter of time before I Wiki pedia the Rock Ape...
Also, are we saying that they are capable - like Chimpanzees, to rip apart an Asian soldier?
QUOTE
Vietnam has lesser apes, (Monkeys) and one native great ape, that would be the small gibbon. That country does not have gorillas, orangutans or chimpanzees or any other tail-less great ape....the gibbon has a lengthy tail and is the smallest of the great apes....separating it from the sightings that have been described in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and southern China...by indigenous forest people. "The rock-throwing behavior is not a small monkey trait, they stay high in the trees. Rock throwing is not a great ape behavior either, that I am aware of.....
I'm sure Apeman or somebody would get to this eventually, but gibbons don't have tails.
Check here for pictures of each of the 12 accepted species. (Wikipedia lists an extra species of Hoolock for some reason) They're also noted for bipelism, in fact the above site lists them as the most bipedal of all non-human apes. They also have a wide color variation within and between species like that described in the reports, including a cream-khaki. Sanderson even speculated if some of the east Asian reports might not be an unknown species of large Simang.
Oniomancer got there before I did - Gibbons do NOT have tails.
Also, from the very brief research I carried out this morning, it would seem that other great apes such as chimps are very poor shots when it comes to throwing stones - I can find no information about gibbons with stone-throwing abilities.
Also, from the very brief research I carried out this morning, it would seem that other great apes such as chimps are very poor shots when it comes to throwing stones - I can find no information about gibbons with stone-throwing abilities.
QUOTE
Also, from the very brief research I carried out this morning, it would seem that other great apes such as chimps are very poor shots when it comes to throwing stones
But they are fairly acurate with crap... :icon_really_happy_guy: :icon_really_happy_guy:
TKD
QUOTE(TKD @ Aug 18 2006, 09:49 PM)
But they are fairly acurate with crap... :icon_really_happy_guy: :icon_really_happy_guy:
TKD
TKD
This is VERY true!
http://www.pbase.com/ipenning/image/34076044
A "rock ape" eating a cornetto? This is in Gibraltar
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