Mysterious knocking. Ghostly encounters. Doors opening on their own. Unexplained shadows. We've all heard ghost stories, but what happens when you're the one experiencing something you can't explain?

This Halloween, Master Wings Publishing is diving into the supernatural with military veterans and authors Lita Tomas and Jean Marie McNamara, the mother-daughter duo behind the award-winning memoir Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women.

While their memoir is filled with stories of courage, sacrifice, and perseverance, it also includes a handful of intriguing experiences that neither woman has ever been able to fully explain. In the spirit of Halloween, we're sharing a few of those eerie encounters here.

Something Strange at Fort Riley

While stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, in the late 1970s, Lita rented a mobile home with a fellow servicewoman. What began as an ordinary living arrangement soon took an unexpected turn.

Strange noises, unexplained movements, and mysterious knocking left two women wondering whether they were truly alone.

In their memoir, Lita recalls one particularly unusual night:

“It was just my roommate and me. When the cabinet doors started opening and closing on their own, we both began thinking out loud, “Is this place haunted?” One night, my roommate ran out of her bedroom soaked in sweat, yelling that she felt a cold, heavy presence. She insisted that it was a ghost and that it had settled on her chest as she was lying in bed. I tried everything to calm her down. I told her, “Ghosts do not exist. You were probably dreaming. You’re catching a cold.” Nothing I said would convince her to stay. She was already packing her clothes into her car and had moved out in less than an hour.”

— Excerpt from Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women

The knocking was only the beginning. As the unexplained activity continued, Lita began questioning what, or who, might be responsible. Even her young daughters had their own experiences that added to the mystery.

Was it an elaborate prank, an overactive imagination, or something supernatural?

A Backyard with a Mysterious Past

Years later, the family's experiences with the unexplained continued in Oak Brook, Illinois.

While preparing to plant a vegetable garden, Lita and Jean received an unexpected warning from their neighbors about a section of their property.

The reason? Their backyard had once been part of a cemetery.

What initially sounded like a neighborhood joke turned into a surprising discovery about the property's history. And when a young relative began reporting sightings of a mysterious woman inside the house, the family had even more questions.

Not Every Encounter Is a Ghost Story

Some of life's greatest mysteries don't involve haunted houses or strange noises.

For Lita and Jean, certain experiences involving life, death, and loved ones have been just as difficult to explain.

From an unforgettable moment during Lita's father's heart surgery to Jean's own brush with death, their stories explore the unknown in ways that are both eerie and deeply personal.

Hear the Stories That Will Give You Goosebumps

If you enjoyed this blog and are ready for more spooky tales, listen to the latest Halloween episode of Beyond the Page, where Lita and Jean share their supernatural experiences in their own words. Also, pick up a copy of Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women to discover more of their extraordinary stories Open to chapter 9 for the full tale of Lita’s ghostly encounter!

Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, one thing is certain: some stories stay with you long after the lights go out.

Happy Halloween from Master Wings Publishing!