Sasquatch Chronicles

Spoke to the witness and he has agreed to come on the show. A listener writes "I recently attended a meeting of my local Purple Heart chapter for combat wounded veterans. There were six of us in total three from the Global War on Terror and three Vietnam veterans. What stood out was that every Vietnam veteran who had been wounded shared that they had seen what they called a "rock ape."
As they told their stories, the rest of us those from GWOT, myself included remained quiet.  After the meeting, I spoke privately with another GWOT veteran, who admitted he had also witnessed unusual things while serving as an Army instructor on a base.
My own experience happened on the eastern shore of Cougar Reservoir in Oregon. I was camping with my family when, close to midnight, something began approaching our campsite. I first heard heavy footsteps about 100 meters away. As it drew closer, I realized I had to stand my ground. It was moving toward us steadily not sprinting, but deliberately giving my ex-wife time to turn on the SUV's lights and get our two toddlers out of the tent and into the vehicle, about 40 feet away.
I positioned myself between the approaching figure and my family. It came down from a hill toward our campsite by the water, a distance I later confirmed to be about 100 meters. When it got within roughly 40 meters, I fired a couple of warning shots with my 9mm, though it felt completely inadequate. My plan, if it came closer, was to aim for the eye shine to buy my family more time.
At around 20 30 meters, I could feel the vibration of its footsteps through the ground beneath my bare feet. Strangely, it kept its eyes covered as it approached. The SUV's headlights were shining directly at it on high beams, yet I couldn't see any eye reflection. I've never been able to shake the feeling that it understood what I was trying to do.
It stopped about 12 feet in front of me and remained there while we finished loading the car. Once everyone was inside, I slowly backed away, got into the SUV, and drove us out along the narrow road leading from the campsite.
For most of the encounter, I actually thought I was dealing with an elephant something large that could move quietly despite its size. I heard no brush breaking, despite the dense vegetation only the sound of its footsteps. I didn't smell anything, even when it was close. When I finally saw it clearly, my first thought was that it looked almost artificial, like something constructed. It took a while to come to terms with what I saw.
I have no doubt that these creatures exist as living, physical beings. What unsettles me most is the pattern described by the Vietnam veterans each of them had seen one shortly before being wounded in separate incidents. My own encounter came much later, as did the other GWOT veteran's.
Over the years, I've spoken with hundreds of veterans, often asking those with extensive time in the wilderness if they've ever experienced anything unusual. Most say no, or mention only distant, unexplained sounds. But in that room of Purple Heart recipients, only one of the six had not directly described seeing something. The rest of us had encountered what appeared to be a large, upright walking ape. Half of those sightings reportedly occurred just days before being wounded. To be fair, the one individual who didn't share may simply have chosen to remain silent."

Tonight we'll be talking with Jake from Minnesota. Back in the early 1980s, he witnessed something he described as a chimpanzee playing on his tree stand. Then, 30 years later, in the same area, he encountered another creature this time displaying behavior unlike anything he had ever heard or seen before.

John writes "Hey Wes, I'm writing from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. I've been a regular listener for several years.
When I was 14, back in July or August of 1994, I took my small scooter down a rough dirt road used by the local power commission to access power lines. About half a kilometer in, the terrain got too difficult to keep going, steep dips and uneven ground, so I shut the bike off to take a break. It was a warm, sunny day around midday.
Out of nowhere, everything went completely silent. The best way I can describe it is like someone put ear protection over me. I had never experienced anything like that before.
As I looked back down the path I had just come from, I saw something I'll never forget. About 500 feet away was a creature that looked somewhat like an African lion, but… not right. Its eyes were solid black, and it had a full mane around its head. I couldn't see its hindquarters clearly because they were partially obscured by trees and brush. It was on all fours. The closest comparison I can make is that it resembled what some people describe as a Dogman."
At that point in my life, I was a paperboy with excellent eyesight, and I saw all kinds of dogs on my route regularly. This was not a dog. I was absolutely terrified. There was something about it that felt wrong, almost like it didn't belong in this world. I can still remember its mane moving slightly in the breeze and the intense, predatory stare it had locked on me.
After about 10–12 seconds of just staring at each other, I tried revving my little 70cc bike, hoping to scare it off. It didn't react at all.
After another several seconds, it slowly backed into the woods without ever breaking eye contact. That's when it hit me, I had to go back the same way I came. There was no other way out. I was genuinely afraid it might circle around or ambush me if I stayed any longer, so I made the decision to go. I sped past the spot as fast as that little bike would take me, pretty much expecting it to come crashing out of the woods at any moment.
About seven years later, I told a friend who lived in that area about what I saw. He told me his father had reported seeing something very similar around that same time.
For context, I later spent 10 years working as a police officer and have seen a number of unusual things during that time, some of which might be worth sharing as well.
One other detail that's always stuck with me: around that same period in my life, I had also experimented with a Ouija board, and that led to an experience that still bothers me to this day. I'm 45 now, and it's something I've never fully shaken.
If this is something you'd be interested in, I'd be happy to talk more.
Best regards,"

Please welcome my special guest tonight. Twelve-year-old Bentley St John says he's 'pretty mad' about getting hit while crossing at a crosswalk. His family wants the driver to turn themselves in to police.

Mike writes "Wes, I spoke with you a while back about a sighting my buddy had while hunting, and about a non-visual encounter I experienced. My buddy has finally agreed to talk with you about it, and we'd both like to speak with you at the same time. What would be the best way for us to set that up?"
Spoke to both Mike and Joe. Joe's encounter takes place in Colorado back in 2018. Joe describes seeing this creature while hunting. Mike also had a strange encounter in Texas.