Bataan POWs

[Racerbvd]

[Wetwork]

Pretty brutal...read up on the "Rape of Nanking in 1937" during the Japanese occupation of China just before WW2. It always saddens me knowing at times entire societies just seem to loose their ever loving minds. Just plain scary how someone could just follow along, like all kindness was just replaced with a murder, hurt brutality.-WW

[GH85Carrera]

One of my friends was a career Navy man. He was in a support ship off the coast of of Utah beach on D-day. He thought that was intense at the time. He talked very little about Okinawa except to say it was a brutal time and made D-day look calm and organized. He was terrified of the prospect of the upcoming invasion of the main islands of Japan. He knew a lot of the Americans were going to die and even more Japanese. He said the news of the two bombs was something no one around him really understood at first. When they heard about the unconditional surrender many very hardened combat veterans cried with relief at not having to face the homeland invasion.
No doubt the men were tough and seasoned but there were many men shipped home on what we now know as PTSD. It happened back then, it was just not talked about much.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The Nazis were brutal but the Japanese took it to a new level of horror.

Pretty sure US POW's held by NAZI's had a very high survival rate. Over 95%.

US held by Japan survival rates were maybe 60%.

POWs of the Japanese

Just a single data point.

Also saw Germans held by England had a 99.7% survival rate.

[Rickysa]

When they heard about the unconditional surrender many very hardened combat veterans cried with relief at not having to face the homeland invasion.

Truman made the right decision...

I hope this won't be seen as a hijack of the original post, but it touches on a number of comments made in the thread:

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Rickysa

I hope this won't be seen as a hijack of the original post, but it touches on a number of comments made in the thread

Watched it all and happy I did.

The John Stewart belittlement is secondary to this information. I knew some (and aside, I did watch the OP's vid on Youtube last year) but not this much. They were hell bent.

[Racerbvd]

Seems like a good time to bump this, we are still working on the project,

[Danimal16]

James Brady's book, "Flyboys". Very comprehensive discussion of US/Japan relations prior to the war. But the discussion of the atrocities of those captured at Chi Chi Jima are shocking, like eating livers. The part about Bush Senior's near death in the lagoon is moving.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Rickysa

I hope this won't be seen as a hijack of the original post, but it touches on a number of comments made in the thread:

This should be required in every high school. Oh wait, they don't teach history in many schools anymore. Facts and reality are uncomfortable sometimes.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

One of my friends was there. To the day he died he refused to buy anything "Jap" made and positively refused to say the word Japanese, he called them all Jap. He watched many of his friends brutalized and starved to death. The Nazis were brutal but the Japanese took it to a new level of horror.

I often wonder wonder why this isn't talked about in schools or the public?

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by look 171

I often wonder wonder why this isn't talked about in schools or the public?

Look into things that happened with the Roosevelt administration in the 1930's and you'll start to find a part of the answer.

Specifically controls on the entertainment and news industries and what changed.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Tervuren

Look into things that happened with the Roosevelt administration in the 1930's and you'll start to find a part of the answer.

Specifically controls on the entertainment and news industries and what changed.

Yeah, but in today's day and age? There are many young Japanese still do not know or do not believe the Rape of Nanking actually happened

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Willem Fick

Years ago I came across an old book in our local library called "the Knights of Bushido". It was a compilation of eyewitness accounts detailing the death march and Japanese atrocities in general. It left me shaken to the core. I only later came to know of Unit 731. Personally I cannot for a moment reconcile myself with the fact that more Japanese personnel were not brought before court (and executed).

Beause we made a deal with the devil and let tm' off the hook. We wanted all that info from the hospital or unit 731

[Evans, Marv]

There have been 6K+ service men & women killed since 9/11. Lots don't realize during WWII, the death toll in one month could be 10K.

[sammyg2]

My grandfather's 1st cousin, killed on the Bataan death march.




Name: Oliver A Gore
Branch of Service: Coast Artillery Corps
Rank: Private
Service Number: 20843811
Sub Unit: F Battery
Assigned Unit: 200th Coast Artillery Regiment (AntiAircraft)
Source: Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico Inc.

The Bataan Death March had a large impact on the U.S. state of New Mexico,[43] given that many of the U.S. soldiers in Bataan were from New Mexico, specifically from the 200th/515th Coast Artillery of the National Guard.[44] The New Mexico National Guard Bataan Memorial Museum is located in the Armory where the soldiers of the 200th and 515th were processed before their deployment to the Philippines in 1941.[45]

Out of all the veterans from New Mexico that survived the Bataan Death March, only four are still alive today.[48]

[Racerbvd]

My buddy whom I helped with this project passed a few days ago.

[Geronimo '74]

Video doesn’t work anymore.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Geronimo '74

Video doesn’t work anymore.

Fortunately I have it on a drive, no warning, youtube removed it

[petrolhead611]

My uncle was a medical orderly, a prisoner working on the Burma railway.
Prewar he had been a rugby player. Died aged 43 as a result of his treatment by the Japanese

[Rtrorkt]

Found this on my dad's workbench after he passed. Never told many stories. Do know he led the engineers as the Marines took Guam to repair and lengthen the runway for our bombers. Apparently during the first moments of the battle.