In the brutal war years, some people were honored for their courage in killing the enemy, but in today's pacifist values, is such killing and faith still worth promoting? This issue has always been full of controversy, however, in the long course of history, there is such a Japanese soldier who has become the epitome of the contradiction under this value. In order to absolutely obey his superiors and military discipline, he fought alone on a desert island for 30 years. Even though Japan had surrendered for many years, he remained true to his military identity.
This Japanese soldier is Hiroro Onoda, whose life is like a magnificent epic, but full of unimaginable tenacity and determination. In 1922, Onoda was born in an ordinary family in Hainan City, Wakayama, Japan. Like his young contemporaries, after completing his secondary education, he entered a leading trading company. However, Japan was in the whirlpool of militarism at that time, and a war of aggression was on the verge of breaking out.
Influenced by militarism and bushido, Onoda firmly believed that war was an inevitable choice for national development, and he believed that war could bring prosperity and prosperity to Japan. He underwent rigorous military training and became a member of the Japanese army. After graduating, he was sent to the front in the Philippines as a guerrilla instructor.
However, a dramatic twist of fate occurred on the Philippine island of Lubang. Onoda was tasked with directing the local garrison in guerrilla warfare, but the situation on Lubang Island was far more difficult than he expected. The US military has already built a radar station and an airfield on the island, and the terrain is dangerous, which poses a great challenge to guerrilla warfare.
Despite the stubborn resistance of the Japanese on the island, Onoda's unit was soon forced to retreat into the mountains and forests under the strong force of the American forces. However, Onoda did not give up, and he continued to conduct guerrilla warfare on the island, looking for opportunities to sabotage the facilities of the American army, firmly believing in the final victory of Japan.
However, as the situation worsened, Onoda's troops gradually became isolated, and the ** of food and ammunition became more and more difficult. They were forced to survive in the mountains and forests, fighting against the search and strikes of the US military. Even after Japan's formal surrender in 1945, Onoda did not believe this fact and insisted on continuing to resist.
After years of living on an isolated island, it was not until 1974 that Onoda was finally discovered by a Japanese explorer and learned that the war was over. However, the news was still so unbelievable to him. He demanded that he must have an order from his superiors to put down the ** in his hand and return the saber he had kept for a long time to the emperor.
Upon his return to Japan, Onoda's fate did not stop with the end of the war. He caused great controversy in society, with some seeing him as a symbol of Japan's "hero" and believing that he should be widely publicized; Others accused him of being a criminal and advocated for him to be brought to justice.
However, the Philippines personally pardoned him, and he was also forgiven and accepted by some of the islanders. He eventually returned to Lubang Island, opened a summer camp, and worked as a lecturer at several universities, telling about his experience of resistance and survival skills in the wilderness.
Onoda's life was full of contradictions and struggles, and the tenacity and loyalty he showed during the war years clashed with peacetime values. However, his story also makes people reflect on the cruelty of war and the complexity of human nature, and his fate has become a part of history and an object of reflection.