--- title: "US troops pretended to be vampires and ghosts to scare the hell out of communists" description: "Sometimes, troops go full \"spook\" and complete crazy missions—like when they became vampires and ghosts to scare America's enemies." date: "2021-02-05" modified: "2025-10-02" authors: - name: "Logan Nye" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/logan-nye.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/soldiers-vampires-ghosts/" categories: - "History" - "Vietnam War" - "War History" tags: - "Cold War" - "Halloween" - "Military History" - "Vietnam War" --- # US troops pretended to be vampires and ghosts to scare the hell out of communists ![aswang philippines]() *Even Spanish colonists knew the Aswang was the most feared creature in the Philippines. (History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)* Psychological operations are known for ads, leaflets, and and other campaigns designed to demoralize the enemy or persuade local populations to stay away from combat areas. But sometimes, those troops go full spook and come up with seemingly crazy ideas—like when they decided vampires and ghosts would scare America's enemies. **Also Read:** [**The story of US troops who think they saw Bigfoot in Vietnam**]() The vampire mission was led by Air Force Lt. Col. Edward G. Lansdale, who was then working for the CIA. He was sent to the Philippines in September 1950 to help dislodge communist rebels on Luzon. The rebels, known as Huks, were known to be superstitious, so Lansdale had his men study their local legends. The earliest mission was a bit of a success. Using their folklore, they locals they would be cursed if they supported the communists, which helped force the surrender of some Huk units. Lansdale took it as a good omen. He figured if a few Huks were convinced, he was in business, so he then turned his attention to a local vampire legend: the *Asuang*. The *asuang* of Filipino lore is basically a shape-shifting, malevolent monster that combines the traits of vampires, ghoulish flesh-eaters, and witches. They can appear as a beautiful woman to lure men, but most legends don't portray the *asuang* as a "bait and see" type. They're evil spirits, after all. Instead of a beautiful woman, they're more likely to transform into animals like pigs, dogs, or bats to prey on their victims by sucking blood with a proboscis-like tongue. Some stories even featured them devouring fetuses. ![An artist rendition of a vampire]() *Artist's rendition of an asuang. No thanks.* Lansdale and his men circulated a rumor in a village that an asuang vampire lived in the hills nearby. They waited for the rumor to make its way up the hill, and then swooped into action. A covert team snuck into the hills and waited for a patrol. When it was nearly past them, they snatched up the last man, [poked two holes in his neck, and drained him of his blood](). Seriously. They then put the body back on the trail. When the Huks found it, they really did believe the rumors of the *asuang* and fled from the area, allowing government forces to retake the region. Soldiers tried a similar trick during the Vietnam War by capitalizing on the belief that the souls of dead people who are not buried are forced to wander the world in the afterlife. U.S. Army psychological operations created a series of "Ghost Tapes" as part of an operation called Wandering Soul. The audio tapes began with Buddhist funeral music followed by a girl's cries for her father. A wandering ghost then responds, crying with regret that he chose to die on a far-off battlefield rather than staying with his family. The most popular one still survives on the internet to this day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9H_1ygEv8 Soldiers with backpacks, ships, and aircraft all broadcast the message at different times. Unlike the Huks in the Philippines, there is little evidence that anyone in the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese Army believed they were hearing actual ghosts, and the tapes had mixed results, at best. While there were reports of communist forces surrendering or deserting after hearing the tapes, sailors and soldiers who broadcast the messages reported coming under increased fire when they started playing the tapes. But that doesn't mean it was a total loss. Friendly forces used this to their advantage. After a C-47 came under extreme fire while broadcasting the tape, the commanding officer of the plane swore he'd never play it again. He was sent back the next night to play it anyway, but [this time with an AC-130 flying in support](), targeting everything that fired at the C-47. **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **• [5 Military solutions to horror movie villains]()** **• [6 urban legends about Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]()** **• **[4 more military solutions to horror film villains]()**** ## Author Logan was an Army journalist and paratrooper in the 82nd. Now, he's a freelance writer covering military history, culture, and technology. He has two upcoming podcasts and a Twitch channel focused on basic military literacy. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Facebook]() ## More - [4 Revolutionary War ghosts that refuse to die]() - [The ‘Gray Ghosts’ of the Cuban Missile Crisis]() - [Inside Operation Frequent Wind and the scramble to get US military out of Vietnam]() - [How to see if you would have been drafted to fight in Vietnam]() - [The tragedy and controversy surrounding Operation Babylift]() - [A Medal of Honor recipient explains what being an American means]() - [‘The Iron Major’: James Capers Jr.’s long road to the Medal of Honor]() - [The Vietnam tank driver who ran into a burning tank to pull his friends out]()