War stories<\/p>\n
A nephew of mine, born in the former Dutch East Indies,
\nreturned, to Japanese-occupied Taiwan with his Taiwanese parents
\njust before the Pacific War broke out in 1941.<\/p>\n
When my nephew arrived in Taiwan the country was feverishly
\npreparing for war and all healthy young males were immediately
\nconscripted into the Japanese army. The Japanese army was very
\nharsh. The drills included combat training.<\/p>\n
My nephew was soon sent to Southeast Asia. Crack Japanese
\ntroops, the Kantoo gun veterans of the Manchu and China wars,
\nconquered a city a pillaged it for three days. There was
\nvirtually no law until the city came under the jurisdiction of
\nthe city civil administration.<\/p>\n
A friend of mine saw action in the Philippines. Six months of
\nendless marching without pulling off his army boots resulted in
\nan incurable eczema on his feet. The young soldiers did not lose
\ntheir libido and the Japanese high command of the army provided a
\ngroup of \"comfort women\".<\/p>\n
The men lined up in front of the barracks and harassed anyone
\nwho took too long. Many a Kamikaze pilot's last wish was a night
\nwith a comfort woman.<\/p>\n
My nephew recalled that while living in the jungle he would
\ncatch fish by throwing hand grenades into rivers and then eat the
\nstunned fish raw. He also ate available fruit to keep alive.<\/p>\n
I was on the same ship with soldiers being repatriated from
\nthe Pacific Islands. Their tales made my flesh creep. Platoons
\nmarching through the dense jungles of New Guinea and the Hebrides
\nIslands had to war against malarial mosquitoes, snakes and
\nassorted of insects. They had to march day in and day out with
\nsweat-drenched shirts, when humidity was at its highest. Only the
\nfittest among them survived.<\/p>\n
A. DJUANA<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/war-stories-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }