WWII Japanese Solider who Surrendered in 1974 Dies at 91

[unokitty]

Hiroo Onoda, Soldier Who Hid in Jungle for Decades

Hiroo Onoda, an Imperial Japanese Army officer who remained at his jungle post on an island in the Philippines for 29 years, refusing to believe that World War II was over, and returned to a hero’s welcome in the all but unrecognizable Japan of 1974, died Thursday at a Tokyo hospital...

Orders:

You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens, we'll come back for you. Until then, so long as you have one soldier, you are to continue to lead him. You may have to live on coconuts. If that's the case, live on coconuts! Under no circumstances are you to give up your life voluntarily.

Life is not fair and people are not equal. Some people eat better than others. At our nature school, children participate in survival games. For example, they must prepare their own dinner from ingredients they find. Bartering is allowed but still some children will have a feast compared to others.

RIP Hiroo San
Uno

 

[AViking]

RIP dumb idiot. You made us proud.

 

[AdamantC]

Japanese crazy is a very special kind of crazy.

 

[Mursilis]

My first thought, on seeing this story, was also along the "dumb idiot" or "crazy" lines, but then I thought more about it. What if he just decided to heck with returning to Japan and the mundane life of a fisherman/farmer/whatever? He was in the tropics, not answering to any authority figures, living his life on his terms. I've got to admire that. Or maybe he was just crazy. I have no idea.

 

[Oyeve]

Japanese crazy is a very special kind of crazy.

Yep. tentacle pron.

 

[stlc8tr]

It's interesting that Onoda got all the glory though Nakamura was the last verified holdout. The Wikipedia entry covers some of the reasons why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teruo_Nakamura

 

[yllus]

It's interesting that Onoda got all the glory though Nakamura was the last verified holdout. The Wikipedia entry covers some of the reasons why.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teruo_Nakamura

I'd guess it was because of his rank (officer, not enlisted) and that the method of his return - his commanding officer making good on a promise from decades back to come for him - that makes it a much more alluring human story.