Posted on 05/27/2010 6:59:22 AM PDT by naturalman1975
A British former prisoner of war has been telling of the enduring friendship he built up with his Japanese guard after corresponding with him for 64 years.
John Baxter, 91, regularly exchanged birthday and Christmas cards with Hayato Hirano after the time they spent at a camp in the town of Inatsuki, Fukuoka Prefecture, during World War II.
Despite their two countries being former bitter enemies, the two men were anxious to heal the wounds of war through their exchanges.
This act of reconciliation contrasted starkly with the views of many former POWs who were virulently anti-Japanese due to the ill treatment they suffered during their incarceration.
Baxter first came across Hirano in 1943 and soon realized this guard was much more charitable than others, who could be particularly vicious with their prisoners.
Baxter, now putting the finishing touches on a book about his wartime experiences, recently said, "We struck up a rapport with him when we knew he wasn't going to be any trouble to us.
"He showed us kindness and would smuggle in extra food for us. On a cold day, he came in with pasties and other small foodstuffs which his wife had made."
After Japan surrendered in 1945, Baxter and his fellow POWs traveled to Hirano's home and gave the family air-dropped food parcels as a way of thanking him for his kindness.
The British POWs realized that Hirano had put himself and his family at great personal risk through his actions.
(Excerpt) Read more at search.japantimes.co.jp ...
amazing story..thanks for sharing...
Nice story to be sure. I remember reading that Pappy Boyington credited a Japanese Officer who gave him advice which saved his life. Yes, there were some guards who practiced the beliefs of their faith and did not go out of their way to be cruel.
????
I guess he was "different" from the other guards . . .
LOL! Nice typo!
Thanks, awesome!
Too bad Jimmy Carter was also in the link!
The article at the link refers to Boyington hoping to figure out who shot him down. IIRC, that actually happened.
What surprises me is how pacifist & laid back they are; their society is much more cohesive than ours; must be in the genetics.
Contrast that with how militaristic they were in WWII. I believe it all has something to do with government & leadership. When you look at how the German People rushed to Hitler's promises and the few couldn't stand up against his abuses you've got to wonder if that same type Nationalism could happen right here in America; of course it could too. Why we need to remain a Nation of laws & rights. That bothers me more about Obama than anything.
It wasn't a typo.
A pastie is a type of pastry dish, a bit like a pie (different shape).
It’s only human to hate those who torture and harass you. Our Leftist overlords wish it were not so for obvious reasons.
Few people on Earth were crueler than your typical Japanese WWII prison “guard”. McArthur was too kind, IMO.
He was too concerned with allowing the Japanese imperial family to save face .we made a mistake in not making the japanese confront their war crimes as we did the germans
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