Episode Overview

Podcast: Otherworld
Episode: New Recruits [Patreon Preview]
Host: Jack Wagner
Date: August 21, 2025

This preview episode of "Otherworld" delves into paranormal stories from military schools, featuring firsthand accounts that blend the intensity of disciplined environments with eerie, unexplained phenomena. Host Jack Wagner introduces listener-submitted tales from a Marine training facility and a military high school, challenging the notion that such surroundings are only intimidating because of strict regimes—sometimes, it’s what can’t be explained that lingers in the mind.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Military Schools and Fear

• Jack Wagner shares a personal anecdote (00:06) about how, as a child, military school was used as a threat by parents but was not fully understood until older:
  • “I think they were using it when I was a little too young and didn’t even fully understand what it meant. I think that it even sounded kind of fun when I was a 10 year old.” (00:30)
• He points out that while people usually fear military school for its intensity, these stories show a different, paranormal side.

2. Story One: The Haunted Squad Bay

The Setting

• The story teller (Speaker B) describes the environment of the Marine training facility—dim emergency red lights, deserted hallways, and a generally creepy ambiance at night (01:48).
• The location in question is an "S1" building, with an upstairs/downstairs setup and quiet, eerie vibes after dark.

The Dog Sounds Phenomenon

• Initial Experiences:
  • “People started saying that they… heard dogs scratching and whining. That was about the extent of it. People just hear dogs at night.” (02:20)
  • Multiple reports come from the second squad bay, and no dogs are present on site.
• Historical Reveal:
  • It's later discovered that the location was once home to dog kennels, adding an unsettling context to the noises:
    • "When we found this out, we were like, man, what the hell? That's insane. Everyone's saying they're hearing dogs over here. And then we find out later that there were dog kennels on that spot." (03:04)

Ghost Hunts and Escalation

• Motivated by these rumors, the group begins holding informal ghost hunts—often uneventful, but providing a sense of camaraderie and adventure among the otherwise bored trainees.

The Texan’s Terrifying Encounter (04:10)

• A standout incident occurs when a tough, bodybuilder Texan goes to the bathroom and emerges terrified:
  • "He comes out of the bathroom screaming with his, like, pants down around his ankles, tripping." (04:30)
  • He describes hearing gibberish whispering directly into his ear, accompanied by warm breath—so vivid and frightening he refuses to participate in ghost hunts again.
  • The group, initially amused by his fear, continually teases him:
    • “This big, tough bodybuilder guy is, like, terrified… He would freak out. He was terrified after that.” (05:20)

The Joke Turns a Little Dark

• As most members had yet to experience anything themselves, the encounters (especially the “ghost dogs”) become a running joke, with the haunted atmosphere offering entertainment over actual fear:
  • “We live in, like, the haunted squad bay. That’s awesome. That’s kind of how everyone thought about it… trying to scare ourselves or kind of how we’re entertaining ourselves, right?” (06:24)

Changes in Routine and a New Encounter (07:00)

• A new platoon commander encourages everyone to consolidate in one squad bay, turning the second bay into a hangout area.
• One night, the storyteller, unable to sleep due to noise, retreats to the now-abandoned second squad bay and hears random, unpatterned tapping sounds:
  • “At first, I thought it was, like, the ventilation or something, like a fan running and, like, clicking. But then, like, I realized the tapping was… quite random, like, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. And it would stop, and then it would kind of do that again. And so I was able to deduce that it… probably wasn’t a fan, because if it was a fan, it would probably have, like, a steady rhythm to it.” (08:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On discovering the history behind the hauntings:
  "Everyone's saying they're hearing dogs over here. And then we find out later that there were dog kennels on that spot. That kind of, like, freaked us out, but it made us more motivated to ghost hunt." (03:04)
• The big Texan’s terror:
  "He comes out of the bathroom screaming with his, like, pants down around his ankles, tripping... He just heard, like, a whisper of, like, gibberish, like, directly in his ear." (04:30)
• The group's reaction to paranormal rumors:
  “We live in, like, the haunted squad bay. That’s awesome. That’s kind of how everyone thought about it.” (06:24)
• Deduction about the random tapping:
  "It didn't have, like, a rhythm. It felt like it was, like, quite random, like, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. And it would stop, and then it would kind of do that again." (08:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06 – Jack’s introduction, reflection on military schools
• 01:48 – Speaker B details the eerie environment and dog noise rumors at the Marine training facility
• 03:04 – Discovery of historical dog kennels and the group’s ghost hunts
• 04:10 – The Texan’s chilling bathroom encounter
• 06:24 – Group’s general attitude and ways to entertain themselves with ghost stories
• 07:00 – Squad bay reorganization and new mysterious tapping incident
• 08:54 – End of preview; Patreon call to action

Episode Tone

The episode strikes a balance between genuine creeped-out tension and lighthearted camaraderie, with Jack Wagner’s open-minded yet bemused narration setting the stage for guests to share stories in a tone ranging from playful skepticism to unnerved curiosity. The retelling from the Marine facility eyewitness carries an informal, conversational style—grounded in the banter and bravado of young recruits but always shadowed by the chilling presence of something unknown.

Note: This summary covers the Patreon preview, ending before the second story (from the military high school) is introduced. For the full episode, exclusive bonus stories, and ongoing exploration of the paranormal, listeners are encouraged to join the Otherworld Patreon.