Hiroo Onoda

   You've probably never heard of Hiroo Onoda, but he made the history books. He was one of the last Japanese Imperial Soldier to surrender in the Second World War. He was posted to the Philippines in 1944, and died at age 91 this week. What sets Onoda-san apart from all other veterans is when he surrendered. It wasn't in 1945 after the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Armed Forces. It was in 1974.
   He somehow hid in the jungle for 29 years, undetected with 3 other soldiers. During that time, they did several guerrilla raids, killed some 30 Filipino's and even had a shootout with police.
   It wasn't until he met with a former commander who rescinded an order given in 1945 to stay put and spy on American troops did he surrender.
   Surprisingly, he still had his uniform, a functioning rifle with 500 rounds of ammunition, several hand grenades, a sword and a dagger. And apparently, all were in good shape.
   Despite the fact he took part in raids that killed people, and engaged in shootouts with police, Onoda never served jail time. In fact, he was pardoned by then Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos.
   An interesting historical sideline.

TTFN