In 1971 a Marine on guard duty at the base in Twentynine Palms was found the morning after his shift with his rifle bent in half. Although he was barely coherent, the Marine managed to convey that a huge man had come out of the dark toward him. As the man drew closer, the Marine realized he was very hairy. He lifted his rifle and ordered the figure to halt, but the figure took his rifle from him, bent it in half and knocked the Marine unconscious.
Reportedly, both the FBI and the CIA were brought in on the investigation. There were at least two other sightings of similar figures that night. One report described one as being about 12 feet tall with a smaller figure accompanying it.