Fort Ord, Gigling, and Die Glocke

Deep within the confines of Fort Ord, hidden from prying eyes, lies a mysterious facility known as “Gigling.” This secret facility played a pivotal role in the creation of many policies and tactics to control the American people in the event of existential threats. Many martial law strategies, programs such as FEMA, and alien-invasion simulations were invented at this facility. There are even rumors of secret programs and alien technology being revealed by cryptographers. Step into the shadows of Gigling and its origins with Die Glocke and learn about the hidden facility underneath the now-decommissioned base of Fort Ord.

Preface

I’ll tell you flat out, some of the history section only is an AI-assisted rewrite of an existing publication. We interviewed the author using that publication as canon and asked for his notes. The quotes (in white) are not edited or written by AI. This full history is unfortunately not well documented on the web, so I feel it’s pertinent to post it here for the following reasons:

• So that there aren’t complications with plagiarism.
• To provide context so that the author doesn’t have to fill in the blanks.
• To preserve this copy in case the cited publication was ever to go offline.

Also, I’m sure that no matter how much I vet this story or how credible or detailed the author is, many will still state that this is LARP. This is the best that we can do. Be nice in the comments and when sharing. It takes courage and caution for an author to share these stories because if there’s even an ounce of truth disclosing state secrets, then the author shared at great risk.

A preview of things to come. We’re going to make these prettier and add more context. But since we’ve verified the sources, we decided to whip up some pretty crude drawings from notes. We are currently working with legal to determine what hard evidence we can publish and what would put the author at too much risk. Since these are an interpretation of notes, we have been given permission to release them.

From the Author

I started out in the Army and did basic training at Fort Ord. I was quickly assigned to linguistics and cryptography. Within a year I was pulled into a Special Access Project (SAP) but that’s not what we called it. It was a “gigs” and I have no clue if that was to be funny or if it was short for Gigling. I was offered a very interesting career path that would reflect an honorable discharge officially, but I would actually be living out a double life doing work for Gigling which was an intersection between private and public sector allowing it to have access to federal funds with no other government oversight. I am not very special aside from some natural abilities to do math and puzzles well. I’m now retired. That’s all I will say about myself at this time.

I’m choosing to share my story for personal reasons. I have kept a diary since I was 16 and most of the story and details will come from that, which is good because my memory isn’t what it used to be. I don’t view myself as a whistleblower. I am not sharing this for credit, fame, or saving the world. I do think it is all very interesting and I hope others will also. I had a near-death experience recently, so I thought it would be nice to write my stories for my family, who have been kept in the dark all these years. They will know my identity as I will share this story with them. When I am six feet under, they have my permission to reveal my identity or do with my journal whatever they would like.

I want to start by admitting that I actually don’t know much about Die Glocke. Sorry. I don’t know the conspiracy theories, I can’t answer many questions, and I don’t really care to. My story does begin with Nazi secrets from World War I and Die Glocke specifically. That led to a career that would grant me access to reports of technology that was beyond human comprehension. It started with cracking an “unsolvable” cipher that changed my life. I do not believe that die glocke is much of a conspiracy from what I have read, but maybe that is because I have been exposed to this information for so long. I personally think it’s common sense that the U.S. government would reverse engineer enemy technologies and secrets recovered in a time of war. I also think Nazi Germany was one of the most effective organizations in all of history at pursuing innovation and invention at all costs. The trouble they went to in order to protect their secrets was astounding as a single document sometimes took years for us to crack.

I also want to say one thing related to the editor’s comment. I wish that the general public would recognize a simple truth: it is illegal, unethical, and often literally suicidal to take classified information from the walls in which it is shared. I wish I could simply snatch some memos and reports for you but these assets rarely leave conference rooms or offices. Everything is documented and accounted for. The best that I can do is equip you with code names, locations, people, and anecdotes. It is up to YOU to go through proper channels such as submitting FOIA requests and try to uncover the truth piece by piece. This was done with great success to blow the lid off other programs and is the only path that I know of that might yield results.

Aside from the History of Gigling everything in quotes is my own personal story as told to me by others. There are some secrets even I do not dare to share because they would expose my identity, and I apologize for my cowardice in those instances.

I want to thank the author of Santa Cruz Trains for posting history that even I did not know previously about the base and surrounding area. I have added my commentary and notes throughout to the best of my recollection. I also feel the need to say, that while I cannot say for certain that this is all accurate, I can assure you that nothing here is fabricated or exaggerated.

The History of Gigling

Amidst the intriguing history I will tell of Fort Ord, one name stands out and is known well: Gigling. Like symbols used by the Free Masons, this name seems to serve almost like a breadcrumb trail, hidden in plain sight for those that know its call sign to follow. It is the name of the most significant road at Fort Ord and leads to what is now a building occupied by the Department of Defence which manages identity and personnel records at this facility.

The name was first associated with a family of German immigrants who were cattle and sheep ranchers. The Gigling family owned a ranch located at the boundary between Ranchos El Toro and El Chamisal and the Pueblo of Monterey in the 1850s. When the Southern Pacific Railroad was established in 1874, the family’s land became a flag-stop known as “Gigling’s,” facilitating the shipment of goods for local ranchers like the Henneken family.

The stories told to me were that “Gigling” was a fake surname given to a Nazi-era scientist who was captured by US troops in Germany during WW1 and relocated to a remote area east of Monterey. He was allegedly a POI involved with “Die Glocke” and the recovery of Nazi research and materials related to advanced aircraft. I am aware that this directly contradicts others. I can’t really confirm or deny either side, but I welcome comments supporting either argument. Still, this history was stated as matter-of-fact to me by others connected with the facility.

In 1904, the Presidio of Monterey began using the vicinity of the Gigling farm for training exercises. Eventually, on August 4, 1917, the US Army acquired 15,610 acres of land from the David Jacks Corporation and designated it as the “Gigling Reservation.” This reservation initially comprised only a caretaker’s house, an old well, and a few semi-permanent bivouac sites. Over time, the reservation transformed into Camp Gigling, supporting various military units and primarily serving as a field artillery training site.

I was told there once was a mine in this area which was initially used as an entrence to the underground base. It was located near where Trail 91 and 93 intersected. I would love to hear from someone with a sharper memory or maps of Fort Ord to comment on what this area was used for when the base was active. I don’t remember exactly but I think it was a firing range up through the 80’s. What I do know is that years later, that location was an emergency escape route for the Gigling facility, and I only know this because staff had to use it once when a fire broke out in the facility in ’87.

Gigling was most active during times of war. Many assets were brought to our facility for research. These facilities were focused on code-breaking or code writing. Most referred to the facility as a think tank. Nazi secrets and really anything that had a cipher was brought to us for examination. Many of these documents were mundane but we did end up cracking many scientific papers and state secrets. All of these projects were brought to the think tanks because they required a sophisticated understanding of both linguistics and cryptography and it was the combination of those two skills that Gigling specialized in.

During the Great Depression, the base underwent significant changes. In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps established an outpost at Camp Gigling, and the entire facility was subsequently renamed “Camp Ord” in response to its growth. Additional land was acquired, and permanent facilities began to emerge, relegating the former Camp Gigling area to the status of “East Garrison.” In the lead-up to World War II, the base expanded further, erecting over a thousand buildings and evolving into “Fort Ord” in 1940. From World War II until the end of the Vietnam War, Fort Ord served as a training facility for soldiers, particularly those of the 7th Light Infantry Division.

The presence of the railroad at Fort Ord played a crucial role during these times of conflict. The short siding, initially measuring around 18 car lengths, transformed into a multi-siding holding yard with a turn-around loop, allowing trains to change direction without the need for a turntable. The tracks accommodated up to 97 passenger cars and facilitated troop deployments. However, with the decline of Fort Ord as an army facility after 1975, the railroad service diminished, and the tracks eventually fell into disuse.

I do know that Fort Ord was a gem of the military through to the 80’s. To this day even though the base has been decommissioned it still has many linguistics, cryptography, and top government facilities in the vicinity.

Looking back, it was such an obvious stategic location with its access to the sea and railroads while remaining remote and mostly undeveloped.

In 1990, the US Department of Defense announced the closure of Fort Ord, marking the end of its active military role. The base officially shut its doors in September 1994, with portions of the land repurposed for various uses such as California State University in Monterey Bay. Today, the legacy of Fort Ord lives on as a national monument, and efforts have been made to preserve its historical significance, including the conversion of parts of the land for public access and the creation of the Monterey Bay Rail Trail.

The location of the secret Gigling facility is marked as a hazardous material site so most of this area is probably well protected.

But if a brave soul was theorhetically going to explore, they woud be looking for a hidden manhole cover in a flat about 100′ from the walls of a depression. It would probably have loose soil on top but still be easy to spot.

Editor’s Note: this is Federal trespass, we do not encourage you to explore!

I don’t know how secure the site is, but I do have word that the Gigling facility, or at least the underground portion, was partially decomissioned. On my last visit to the area there were kids around there, so I don’t think it is being actively monitored or maintained. I could be wrong, so don’t go rushing on my word.

Amidst the tales of Gigling’s past, the secrets it holds are yet to be fully unraveled. Now that I’ve shared some of the history we can get to my stories of clandestine operations, martial law, think tanks, and potential encounters with unknown beings. We have only just begun revealing the intriguing fragments of hidden history. As we unpack Gigling, the veil of secrecy surrounding Fort Ord will slowly lift giving way to echoes of a bygone era.

Stay Tuned for Part 2, which is currently being thoroughly vetted and will be released within a week!

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