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Ghost Soldiers

SpiritOneSpiritOne MagnetoABQ NM
There is a movie coming out on the 12th of August I think some of you should see, its called The Great Raid. What looks like another obscure war epic is the story of how the US Army Rangers came to be what they are, and the rescue of 513 Prisoners of War in a Japanese camp on the Philipines.

A little background here, in 1942 when it became apparent that without US Navy support America could not hold onto the Philipine Islands, MacArthur and his command staff pulled out vowing he would return. They left several thousand US and Philipino Troops in the hopes that they could hold out until help arrived. They didnt, they were forced to surrender. The Japanese Army was an institution that didnt understand or respect surrender. They were also ill equipped to handle the amount of prisoners they had captured.

The result was the Bataan Death March. The Japanese Army forced the American POW's to march to the northern part of the Island to the camps they had created. Thousands died in the March of over 100 miles, thousands more died in captivity. When it became obvious that the Japanese could no longer hold the island aganist the advancing American forces they killed many of the POW's.

This movie depicts the rescue of 513 Prisoners from a camp before the Japanese could murder them. It was the first major action the units now known as Army Rangers performed. There is a book available called Ghost Soldiers that depicts this event with more detail on the Prisoners themselves.

Now, this is of course a Hollywood movie, so Im sure there is a love interest and some other crap story in there somewhere. But this true history, and an important part of it at that.

The actions that the Japanese took twords POW's was the driving force to create the Geneva Convention, governing a POW's rights. They may be soldiers of the enemy, but you still have give them proper respect as a human being, food, medicine and shelter.

Im hopefull that this movie follows the book and shows us what these men had to go through. Its graphic and violent, but again an important part of history and not to be forgotten.

Comments

  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    One of my dad's brothers died in the Death March...

    Yeah, the movie looks interesting anyway...

    :)
  • CurZCurZ Resident Hippy
    I've been watching a documentary about the japanese treatment of people in the occupied territories during WW1 and WW2, it's stunning what a great difference there was in the way they treated their prisoners during the two periods. It really tears the heart to pieces to see the way people were brutalized during those times.
  • FreejackFreejack Jake the Not-so-Wise
    My wife's grandfather fought in the South Pacific, I know some of what he saw messed him up pretty good, he was a alcholic for the rest of his life.

    Jake
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