Pacific Nocturne 1944 (Profiles in Murder)

BASED ON A TRUE STORYIn 1946 a letter-to-the-editor appeared in the USMC Leatherneck Magazine asking if other Marines recalled the Mad Ghoul on the island of Pavuvu 65 miles off the coast of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Sea. The subscriber was attacked as were others who responded in later 1946 issues to his query. The attacks were true events holding 16000 Marines of the 1st and 3rd Divisions hostage while resting refitting and recuperating after 10 months fighting for Guadalcanal. The mysterious Ghoul would cut square holes in the tents while the Marines within were sleeping then reach down and fondled their throats. When awakened the Marine would see a huge K-Bar fighting knife in the moonlight about to plunge into his face. Everyone was scared -- there were no Japanese on the island no one was killed and the Ghoul was never found -- the activity started when the Marine divisions arrived and stopped when they left five months later. Leatherneck editors searched the military archives for reports of the incidents -- but no files no records no reports nothing was present except that 6 or 8 Marines wrote in swearing it had happened to them.