The Kandahar Giant: A Psychological Lens on an Enigmatic Military Encounter

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to our podcast on special Forces. Before we
get started, I just wanted to promote my new book,
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(00:21):
kind of interesting as I look around at some of
the stories that are out there in regards to special forces.
And I do specialize in trauma. I work with a
lot of clients that suffer from trauma. I teach trauma,
so I've been long fascinated by the narratives that emerge
from the world of special operations. Now, I lack the

(00:42):
first hand experience of elite forces because I'm not one.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
However, my work with veterans has goodly.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Given me insight on what the psychological toll can be.
And it was interesting that I was doing research and
I found this account and called the candahart Giant.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
So we'll take a look at the story.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Of the Candahar Giant in two thousand and two and
we'll see what it really means psychologically. Besides obviously whether
it was really true or not. The incident reportedly unfolded
in the rugged Hindukush mountains near Kandahar. A US Special
Forces Operational Detachment Alpha ODA taskman investigating a missing patrol.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
Stumbled on the extraordinary site.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
It was a towering humanoid looking figure estimated at twelve
to fifteen so kind of like the sasquatch, the Yeti
and now I guess you have your Candahar giant version
had reddish for six digits per hand, some kind of
weird acrid odor. According to anonymous accounts from the team,
the entity of dubbed a giant in retellings lunged with

(01:48):
ferocious strength, wounded one operator, oddly enough, culminating in a
fifty caliber round to the cranium. The remains were allegedly
extracted by a black Cock helicopter and sequester under classify protocols.
From a psychological standpoint, such a narrative invite scrutiny, of course,

(02:09):
without dismissal. Elite operators endure what we call extreme isolation,
right sleep, deprivation and hypervigilance, and these are all conditions
ripe for perceptual distortions. Even research and combat psychology, including
studies on sensory gating, under cortisol surges suggest that hallucinations
or misidentifications, perhaps of a man nourished local or costumed insurgent,

(02:34):
or even a large ersine predator like a Hmelian brown bear,
could coalesce into a unified recollection. The six fingered detail
echoes polydactyl myths, while the biblical residents of Nephilm like
may reflect cultural priming in a region steeped in patch
tuned lore. For the Special Forces teams, where trust and

(02:56):
debriefing are key, voicing such experience as risk sigmazation, yet
suppressing them can exacerbate post traumatic stress, manifesting as intrusive
memories or hyper arousal. This story underscores the resilience demanded
of Special Forces operators confronting the unknown while maintaining mission focused.

(03:16):
So as psychologists, we must advocate for destigmatized forums, framing
these unexplainable events to evidence based lenses like cognitive behavioral therapy.
The Candor Heart Giant reminds us that in the fog
of war, the minds fortifications. Fortifications are critical for anyone.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Now.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
Whether or not this tale is true is debated as
folklore or exaggeration. It stems from an anonymous soldier report
and has persisted in military circles as an encounter with
an unidentified entity beyond conventional threats. We also had a podcast,
it was actually one of our most popular, which was
the Green Berets against Aliens.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
I think it was an area of fifty one.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
So why don't know if this is a deep desire
for people just to be able to engage with these
above human creatures or entities whatever you want to call them,
such as superhero comics and movies, and we superimpose this
to these superhero Special Forces operators, why society could keep

(04:22):
these stories alive. This isn't a very popular story outside
the circles of the military or special forces, but within
I do hear it quite a bit. So the Candahart
Giant encounter more than likely it was some kind of
psychological representation or hallucination due to high levels of stress,
lack of sleep, and so forth.