Sasquatch Chronicles – SC EP:1174 "The Vagrant" (July 26, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Wes Germer welcomes Chad, a Special Forces veteran, to recount his extraordinary Bigfoot encounter at Fort Lewis in 1992. The discussion explores the incident itself, the military’s collective experience and folklore around Sasquatch sightings, related mysterious phenomena (including anomalous “lights” and paranormal activity), and reflections on the ongoing mystery of Sasquatch—especially on military bases.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chad’s 1992 Encounter at Fort Lewis ([03:17]–[30:53])

• Background
  • Chad served in the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis.
  • During a night training exercise to defend a simulated SAM site, Chad and another team member ("Guy") were patrolling in pairs along a ridge trail under heavy moonlight.
• The Sighting and Pursuit
  • After a “sniper check” (lighting a cigarette while crouched in tactical concealment), they were startled by a “very loud scream” from atop the ridge:

    “It screamed, and at some point it switched … like a male tone, a human male tone. And then it went to a male kind of gargly babble and then into a cackle, like a coyote.” —Chad [09:43]

  • They spotted a silhouette:

    “This big dude was just standing there … If I knew who Shaquille O’Neal was back then, I would have said, he’s about the same size.” —Chad [11:20]

  • The creature walked across the ridge at a pace that forced Chad and his partner (jogging) to keep up for almost a kilometer.
  • It suddenly switched direction, barreling downhill toward them, breaking limbs and sounding like a “bipedal rhinoceros.”
  • An overwhelming stench (“dirty wet dog with decay, then fecal matter/infection/urine, very pungent… like a wall of stench”) provoked what Chad described as an instinctive fear reaction:

    “I think there was like, some kind of pheromone in it, because instantly … it was instant. I was like, this is a bad … we’re in a bad situation.” —Chad [18:50]

  • They retreated silently, both appearing shaken. Time seemed distorted: what should have been a short pursuit felt like a “time warp.”
• Aftermath and Base Reaction
  • Upon debrief, their commanding officer radios higher-ups to check if other teams were in their sector; the answer:

    “No, the closest [other Special Forces team] was 10 kilometers [~6 miles].” —Chad [25:01]

  • To Chad’s surprise, seasoned soldiers had a nickname—“the Vagrant” or “the Vagrant Man”—for such encounters, regarding the creature with a mix of secrecy, inevitability, and avoidance.

    “No, it’s a guy. He just lives out in the woods. Just leave him alone.” —Unnamed team member [26:30]

2. Other Military Sasquatch Lore ([25:00]–[30:53])

• Chad heard similar stories from both Rangers and Special Forces, including accounts of whole squads pursuing a creature but unable to catch up.
• The “Vagrant” was treated as folklore and a known part of the regional training experience.

3. Why Don’t Military Authorities Investigate? ([30:53]–[34:26])

• Wes and Chad discuss the persistent lack of institutional interest, despite repeated credible reports:

  “If I ran a military base … and was getting these reports from enlisted men … I would kinda want to look into it … but it never gets looked into. Why is that?” —Wes [30:53]

  • Chad speculates it’s a mix of career concerns (“… your opinions are irrelevant, you want your career to move forward, you keep your mouth shut and just do your job.” —Wes recalling a colonel’s advice [33:04]), and a belief that unless there are injuries, upper command doesn’t care.

4. Further Details: The Creature’s Abilities & Characteristics ([35:43]–[44:06])

• Described as towering, powerful, and exceedingly fast (“…even at that distance I could tell it was a big guy … It was very loud, way louder than, you know, I think any human can, you know, sustain…” —Chad [35:43])
• The vocalizations matched famous “Sierra Sounds” and the Puyallup Screamer:

  “Yeah, very close … that Sierra babble right into this really clever cackle…” —Chad [36:46]

• Chad compares its stoic “warning” and subsequent stalking to diversion tactics familiar to Special Forces.
• He is convinced (with hindsight) that the creature could have attacked but chose only to intimidate them.

5. The Enigma of Sasquatch—What Is It? ([44:06]–[47:06])

• Chad’s take:

  “That was a living creature … I can’t say it was a primate, but I know it wasn’t human. It functioned human, by the way it moved … I think definitely it’s an animal … It’s like the apex of the forest. It’s very smart. But, you know what, so are orcas and gorillas.” —Chad [44:06]

  • He believes it’s not supernatural but highly elusive and a master of its environment.

6. Anomalous “Lights” and Other Mysteries ([47:16]–[56:29])

• Chad recounts three separate “mystery light” experiences—associated with backcountry settings in Michigan:
  • Paulding Lights: Observed color-shifting lights in a known local hotspot ([47:16])
  • Manistee National Forest: Witnessed a soft, dull light in the woods at night, which didn’t illuminate its surroundings.
  • Another time, he saw “headlamp-sized” lights moving, accompanied by loud, inexplicable noises, but found no campers or evidence the next day.

    “I could hear sticks being moved, things being dropped … This went on for maybe a, I don’t know, half hour. A lot of ruckus over there … The next morning, I get up … there was nobody there.” —Chad [51:10]

• Both Chad and Wes note the lights are “weird but not scary” and often coincident with strange sounds, sometimes reported alongside Bigfoot activity.

7. Paranormal Activity at a Juvenile Detention Center ([56:29]–[71:17])

• Chad, who’s worked 23 years in juvenile corrections, describes repeated unexplained phenomena in a now-defunct, historic facility:
  • Objects (including computers) flying off tables
  • Doors slamming, opening/closing without cause
  • Audible voices and poltergeist-type interactions (“Hey, you!”—disembodied voice, [64:32])
  • Staff and residents reporting apparitions, cold spots, and inexplicable occurrences, many linked to tragic events in the building’s past.

    “I got so many accounts. I have pictures. There was … video of things that we can’t explain. Doors shutting, slamming, things like that.” —Chad [56:29]

  • Facility folklore includes a named entity (“Danny”). Staff occasionally quit or requested reassignment due to the atmosphere.

    “She was, she was spooked … she did quit, but I don’t think it was necessarily for that.” —Chad [68:39]

8. Reflections and Closing ([72:00]–end)

• Chad expresses gratitude for the show:

  “The people that you have on have really kind of enlightened me … it just makes it a little bit more comfortable to come forward and say, yep, this has happened … I kind of love that mystery about it.” —Chad [72:00]

• Wes affirms the importance of sharing and encourages others with encounters to reach out.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Encounter with the Creature

  “It was almost as if it was gliding across the beach. I’ve never seen anything move like that in my life … They don’t make people that big.” —Chad [00:24]

• On the Stench

  “It was kind of like a fecal matter, a really bad infection, and urine mixture, and it was very pungent, very strong. And that is when … it was instant. I was like, this is a bad … we’re in a bad situation.” —Chad [18:50]

• On Military Culture and Sasquatch

  “There was a ... Another team that was there, ... they actually had a name for it … the vagrant or the vagrant man.” —Chad [26:30] “It was almost like a rites of passage, like a lot of these guys had had experiences … but that didn’t solidify it for me.” —Chad [27:05]

• Wes on Official Responses

  “It’s my main argument why I believe the government is covering it up because it’s happening in their home, and yet they have no interest. No one really seems to care.” —Wes [32:53]

• The “Puyallup Screamer” Audio

  “Oh, my God.” —Chad, reacting live [43:48]

• Paranormal Events

  “The computer flies off the desk, hits the wall and smashes on the floor …” —Chad [58:00] “I heard, 'Hey, you.' … I just kept on walking. I was like, 'No, I’m not messing with that.'” —Chad [64:32]

• Closing Thought

  “I really don’t know if I ever really want to know what it was. I kind of love that mystery about it.” —Chad [72:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Chad’s Fort Lewis Encounter & Pursuit – [03:17]–[30:53]
• Military Lore and the "Vagrant" – [25:00]–[30:53]
• Institutional Attitudes Toward Sasquatch Reports – [30:53]–[34:26]
• Creature Details & Notorious Sounds – [35:43]–[44:06]
• Chad’s Perspective on Sasquatch’s Nature – [44:06]–[47:06]
• Mysterious Lights Experiences – [47:16]–[56:29]
• Paranormal Experiences at Detention Center – [56:29]–[71:17]
• Reflections & Closing – [72:00]–[73:05]

Tone & Takeaways

• Conversational, pragmatic, and respectful—Chad speaks as a seasoned observer, aware of skepticism but matter-of-fact about what he witnessed.
• Wes consistently affirms the importance and prevalence of such encounters among military personnel, hinting at systemic disinterest or possible cover-up.
• The episode marries a classic military Bigfoot encounter account with broader high strangeness elements: lights in the woods and poltergeist phenomena.
• The ethos: The unknown remains an integral and respected part of military and wilderness experience—and perhaps, it’s better that way.

For more episodes or to share your own encounter, visit sasquatchchronicles.com.