During my time at Fort Irwin, California, in 2016, I encountered something I still can't explain. We were conducting desert training exercises late one evening, and I was on watch duty. As the sun set, casting long shadows across the barren landscape, I noticed a dark figure standing on a distant ridge.
At first, I thought it was one of our own, so I radioed in to check if anyone was out there. No one responded, and all personnel were accounted for back at camp. I continued to observe the figure, which seemed to shift and move without any discernible pattern. It wasn't long before others on watch noticed it too. We decided to investigate, and a small team was sent to the ridge.
As we approached, the figure disappeared before our eyes, vanishing into thin air. We searched the area thoroughly but found no tracks or any evidence of someone having been there. That night, as we discussed the incident, several of us experienced unsettling feelings and saw fleeting shadows moving at the edge of our vision.
The figure never appeared again, but the memory of that night remains vivid. Many believe it was a mirage or a trick of the desert light, but those of us who were there know it was something far stranger.