Rock Ape Attacks in Vietnam: Encounters by United States, Allied Forces, and Special Forces

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Today. Another strange Special forces story rock ape attacks in Vietnam.
During the Vietnam War nineteen fifty five and nineteen seventy five,
the US and allied forces, including special Forces units, reported
to unsettling encounters with unidentified primeate like eight creatures known
as rock apes in the dense jungles and rugged mountains

(00:21):
of Vietnam, particularly during the nineteen sixties nineteen seventies. These incidents,
often occurring in the central highlands, added a layer of
mystery to this environment faced by troops navigating hostile terrain.
Soldiers described the rock apes as bipedal, robust primates roughly
about six feet tall, with reddish brown or black fur,

(00:42):
piercing yellow eyes, and elongated limbs. Unlike Vietnam's known primates
such as the Languors or the Gibbons, these creatures displayed
human like behaviors and gutturble vocalizations. Encounters frequently occurred during
night patrols or reconnaissance missions. A notable incident in nineteen
seventy of All Team Rock Matt, a US Special Forces

(01:02):
recon unit, which allegedly endured a chaotic assault attributed to
rock apes during an enemy engagement resulting in casualties. Similarly,
in nineteen sixty eight, on Hill eight sixty eight, Marines
discovered several deceased rock apes scattered across the battlefield. Special
forces such as the Green Berets and macv SAG were
particularly affected due to their deep jungle operations. Operating in

(01:25):
small covert teams, these elite soldiers frequently ventured into remote areas.
Their reports often described the creatures as a tactical concern
capable of disrupting missions. These encounters compacted the psychological strain
of covert operations. North Vietnamese and Via Kong forces also
reported similar sightings. Allied outposts like Monkey Mountain recorded aggressive

(01:47):
pursuits that blurred the line between wildlife and enemy tactics. However,
skeptics suggest these accounts stamp from misidentified primates combat stress
or sleep deprivation as Vietnam lax native great apes, but
the consistency of the reports across diverse units fuels the
speculation of an undiscovered species or amplified folklore. The rock

(02:07):
A phenomenon remains a haunting footnote in Vietnam history, symbolizing
the convergence of human endurance and elite military operations, So
did it happen or not. Hopefully I'll be able to
bring back a mc V SAG to talk about this
and see what they say.