[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

It is said that U.S. soldiers on Iwojima tried in vain to get Nishi to surrender, calling out to him by name: ``Olympic hero Baron Nishi, please turn yourself in. You are too great a man to die.'' But Nishi refused.

Some think this story was made up after the war.

I'm thinking it was made up. No doubt Nishi wouldn't surrender (to have done so would have been considered very dishonorable in his culture), but I think the part about U.S. Marines appealing to his ego is, well, probably something his family conjured up.

Pride was a big thing to them.

[ozzymandus]

Sounds made up to me. Only a few intelligence and commanding officers would have known the bio of the Japanese commander, and they wouldn't have had much reason to capture him.