One of the coolest things about wartime stories is getting to connect with veterans and servicemen from different nations.

I have received so many emails from people all over the Americas, as well as Europe, Asia, the Middle East, even some African militaries.

Despite any differences in race, creed, or nationality,

soldiers are pretty similar wherever you go. Put a bunch of us together in a room and we would have

plenty to talk about. Not the least of which would be the weird stories. One that always stuck

with me is the one sent by a Filipino scout ranger. This was my

first introduction to a creature called the Asoang. It falls somewhat in line with descriptions of

an American skinwalker or possibly even a Slavic vampire, humanoid but also animal. In Filipino

folklore, the Asawang isn't one specific monster,

but a broader term used for beings thought to conceal themselves as human by day

and who prey on others at night, often associated with missing blood, organs, and strange deaths,

that couldn't easily be explained.

It's also a term generally used for ghosts or ghouls.

After producing an episode about Asowong stories, my army friend Nick over at Tales from the

Grid Square emailed me another account he had in his files.

It of course takes place in the jungles of the Philippines and follows a small unit of artillerymen

as they conduct what was supposed to be a normal field training exercise.

The men are accused of stealing from a local village and the thefts escalate to missing children.

What the men that encounter is terrifying beyond what any of us might want to believe.

This is their story, the artillerymen, and the Oswang.

I'm Luke Lamanah, and this is wartime stories.

So, David, your cousin tells us you were in Iraq, yes?

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