War

I read an article about a Japanese soldier that was ordered to never surrender without permission from his commander. He was to lead the Lubang Garrison in guerrilla warfare. His commander said "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." The soldier was very good at following orders, because he did not disobey this for 29 years. When the army was on the island of Lubang, and there was an invasion, four men ran into the jungle and went into hiding. Throughout the time the men were hiding, they would kill anyone that came along to tell them the war was over ebcause they believed they were spies. They ignored any messages or newpapers dropped telling them it was okay to come out because the war had ended. Eventually, 2 men died and one man ran away out of the forest back into society. The soldier that was forbidden to surrender never did surrender. A college student found him, when he had been living in the jungle all alone, and told him to meet him in a prearranged meeting spot in two weeks. The student went back and got the commander, who had retired from the army and became a bookseller, and the commander gave the soldier permission to surrender. The solider came back into society and could not adapt to modern life. He lived in Brazil raising cattle. He was in hiding for a total of 29 years.
I think this is an interesting story and it shows how much Japanese soldiers obey and how well they follow direction. The Japanese culture seems to have much more high standards of respect and it is an important thing to follow direction and obey what your leaders tell you.

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