I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.

Hiroo Onoda died today at the age of 91.

For 30 years 2nd Lt Onoda hid in the mountains of Lubang Island in the Philippines, burning crops, attacking police and doing all he could to resist the invasion. He refused to believe the 'Allied Propaganda' that the war was over until 1974 when the Japanese government found his old commander (now a bookseller) and sent him to Lubang with new orders to issue to Onoda:

1. In accordance with the Imperial command, the Fourteenth Area Army has ceased all combat activity.
2. In accordance with military Headquarters Command No. A-2003, the Special Squadron of Staff's Headquarters is relieved of all military duties.
3. Units and individuals under the command of Special Squadron are to cease military activities and operations immediately and place themselves under the command of the nearest superior officer. When no officer can be found, they are to communicate with the American or Philippine forces and follow their directives.

After 4 days his old commander found Onoda and gave him the new orders. Properly relieved, 2nd Lt Onoda put on his uniform and surrendered to President Marcos of the Philippines:

He only surrendered because his used schoolgirl panties vending machine was broken....and thus his fighting spirit.

A noble, if rather stubborn, enemy.

It's a pretty incredible feat. But I don't think that brainwashing to that level is in any way noble or laudable.

He was clearly suffering from some kind of mental disorder. I don't think it's honorable to just fight and fight for 30 years without hearing from anyone else on your side. At a certain point it's time to move on with your life.

Sounds like he was really stupid and rather pig headed.

I know that story but I didn't know it was only one man. Makes it more understandable. I mean come on, the guy must have been seriously mentally deranged. For 30 years he didn't notice the war was over? That no new orders came in? That's not a sense of duty, that's craziness.

I was under the impression that there were more guys like this on various islands throughout the Pacific. We're talking about a military force that glorified suicide attacks. Is it any wonder that somebody might fight on for a few extra decades?

I thought most of them were discovered in the 60s.

That's not racist at all. Nope, not one bit.

This^. There were several, IIRC.

I can respect that crazy fool.

Damn it! I just made a thread on this topic.

Yup. You're too busy talking, and not listening enough.

You'd never last 30 years on an island.

Hell, I'm willing to bet you'd piss your pants if you ever found yourself in a war zone.

You know who ends up pissing their pants in a war zone? Someone who can't hold it until you can get a piss break.
Seriously when you're in a convoy you have certain assigned/chosen by the leader rest places and you can't piss until you get there.

And I bet you would die on Gilligans Island.

This is been a 100% serious post.

OK, champ.

If I were on Gilligans Island the population would be trimmed down to three including myself, then 9 months or so later it would likely start increasing again.

That's what old water bottles are for.

Dad's encounter with a holdout was very shortly after the war had ended. He was walking on the beach on either Okinawa or Ie Shima with a buddy, when his buddy yelled "look out!" Dad turned and saw a Jap officer had snuck up behind them and was about to cleave Dad in twain with a sword. Dad emptied his .45 into said officer.

They found the cave the guy was living in, and found a Luger (yes, Luger) and a wooden case of Czech-made 9mm.
He carried the Luger for the rest of his time in service, and used it in lethal self-defense twice that he told me about - once against an American who'd gone nuts and was shooting randomly at people with a carbine (and hit the motorcycle Dad was driving), and once against a Jap POW who was trying to kill an American soldier ("Shot him in the ear. Boy did he look surprised!"). Brought the gun home with him too. Bore was rusty, but it shot straight.

Best I could figure from the serial numbers and proof marks, it's a Mauser-built 1939 P.08, one of 3000 made for the Dutch East Indies Army - that would explain how it ended up with a Japanese officer.

Funny you should mention that. I'm reading now about the absolute failure of the ABDA Command and the resulting actions. When the Americans, British, and Australians bailed, they left the Dutch holding the bag. But, the Dutch government in exile refused to retreat from Java because it was the last truly "Dutch" holding. It was the last thing they could call "home."

The general consensus is that the Dutch fought amazingly bravely and aggressively, but their tactics were weak and their men and equipment were even weaker. They were simply no match for the Japanese and they were quickly overwhelmed.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, And guess that misses how is not included
and guess that Mrs. Howell is not included.

She had no tits, you know.

Unless you have good aim or a needle dick, you have to cut the top of that bottle down to a big enough diameter. Once in Germany I had to piss in my canteen. I was sick with a high fever and on medication which required constantly drinking water. Of course that makes you pee, but our rest stops were pretty far apart. That whole field exercise really sucked.

Errr. You aren't fucking it, you're peeing in it. It doesn't have to go in, just line up the hole with the hole.

When the truck is bouncing around or changing lanes quickly or whatever? That wasn't one of our tasks in Basic Training, but it should be.

Not being a REMF ( ) I never had to do it in the cab of a deuce and a half but in Stryker it wasn't that bad. Maybe the 8 wheels helped stabilize it. Only issue I had was early on whiping my dick out and peeing when I could reach out and touch 9 other dudes. But that cherry got popped pretty quick and next then you know your leaned back against the ramp shitting in an MRE bag with each leg pressed up against two other dudes' legs.

Oh, and FYI, for the bottle I got to where I could do it one handed. Pinky and Ring finger around the shaft, Middle finger kinda mashing the head in, Thumb and Fore make a vise around the neck of the bottle at the narrow part before the end (can't try and pinch hold it, it'll slip out and get piss all over everyone), other hand against the wall of the Stryker to keep you from bashing your head in.

I can remember some surrendering in the late '70s, but apparently, the last ones to do so were in 2005!!!!!