I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge my Grandpa's (deceased) service in World War Two in the Philippines and the hell he went through with everything from hand-to-hand combat with Japanese soldiers to being captured to taking a long, brutal and deadly walk to a POW camp where he spent almost four years before being liberated by General Douglas MacArthur (whom he actually was captured on video shaking hands with after liberation and, subsequently, was in a documentary on the war; my Grandpa looked like a stick he was so thin). He was originally a sailor aboard a ship but was forced ashore at a place called Monkey Point on the Island of Corregidor where they tried to defend it from a Japanese invasion. How he survived all that I'll never know but I was always in awe of him and his sacrifices. Never did actually talk to him about any of it as he didn't talk about it that I can recall. Everything I learned was from news clippings and from family. He was also a boxer on his ship as they used to have boxing matches on board. I think he enjoyed that a lot. My Grandpa was also very good with the sock puppet. When I was a kid, he used to talk to me with the sock puppet and it was the funniest thing. Thank you, Grandpa, and thank you to all Veterans for your sacrifices in defending our country.
That is a great story. It sounds like he was also in the Bataan Death March. A lot of respect for surviving
Veterans Day was originally Armistice day for the end of WWI and is still called that or Rememberance Day in some countries. A friend from New Zealand posted this scene from the ending of Black Adder. For a comedy show this scene really sums up the futility and absurdity of war. Especially in a war that was called “The War to end all wars”. More than 100 years later soldiers are still dying in muddy fields.
Funny you bring that up as it has been a source of confusion in the past when discussing his story. But, I recall reading a news clipping that said he was in a different march. The facts appear to be that the Bataan Death March occurred before Corregidor surrendered. American soldiers were used as human shields during the march as Corregidor's guns were trained and firing on the Japanese in Bataan. I didn't really understand these exact details until just now when you got me looking around the Internet. I found this:
Thanks for the clarification. That is some interesting history. Even if he wasn’t in the Bataan March fighting at Corregidor and four years in a Japanese PoW camp is still very impressive.
