The Ghost of Cam Ranh Bay AB
The Hand
(Part II)
by Steve Gattis
1968-1969
The
Ghost of Cam Ranh Bay Air Base:
The version of The Hand that I heard was slightly different from Ken Boyer's story....
When they were building the base at Cam Ranh Bay AB, the engineers had to
excavate what had been an old burial area. I heard that it was for
the Vietnamese because Cam Ranh was supposed to mean "No Return."
It could have been for any body that had to be buried because when they
dug up the body, a
hand was missing. If you believed the legend, the hand would
protect you.
The hand would wake you if someone
approached your post and the save you from a sapper attack. If you
did not believe the legend, the hand would torment you by moving things
in your bunker. If you dozed, the hand might move your M16 or knock
it over. Your helmet might be missing or your food
would be tampered with.
A lot of guys really got spooked
over this in the middle of the night when there was no moon. It
got so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Many guys swore that they hand had messed with them and that they were
true believers. There were some shots fired and there were some
really bad jokes played on guys who were gullible. One SAT Team
left a rubber glove filled with sand in the bunker between two sand bags
while the airman was having a cup of coffee. They left the area
and within a minute he opened up with his M16. Just about AP/SP
I knew at Cam Ranh Bay AB had heard the legend.
Brian Thorne and Glenn Wilson ( our sergeant) all know the story.
Steve
