My Dad never finished high school. His father was a drunkard and a wife beater. Dad quit school to go to work, as he was the oldest of four children. Someone had to help put food on the table. Not long after that he joined the Army during WWII. Not sure exactly when he went in, but I don’t believe he was 18 yet. Not sure if he lied about his age, or got his Mom to give permission. He continued to support the family while in the service.
By February 1945, as the war was winding down, Dad drove an amphibious tractor in the 672nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion. He fought in the Philippine Islands; nasty jungle warfare. He was involved in the Los Banos prisoner of war internment camp rescue. Dad drove one of the Amphibious Tractors under cover of darkness with nothing but a hand held compass all night to get to the camp simultaneously with the paratroopers dropping from the sky at dawn while Filipino guerillas were sneaking into the camp and slitting the throats of the few Japanese guards still on duty in the camp. The bulk of the guards were in a field adjacent to the camp doing morning calisthenics, so they were easy pickins.
They rescued over 2300 men women and children, all civilians, who were slated for execution THAT DAY. The mass grave had already been dug. Colin Powell said, among other things, that this was the greatest military rescue in American History.
Dad was 19 years old. He never considered himself a hero. I only remember him talking about this ONE time when I as five of six years old. All he talked about was the suffering those starving prisoners had endured.
Here is a link to a little blip written in the late 90’s by a fellow who was a young boy in that camp.
http://www.axpow.org/angelsatdawn.htm
There are at least three books written about the rescue. The best one is Rescue at Los Banos by Bruce Henderson. Here is a pic of the jacket for that book. It is an easy read, and will make you cry, even if your Dad wasn’t there.
The story didn't get much press because on the same day, February 23, 1945, an iconic photo hit the wires: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima made most of the front pages.
My youngest son retired in May after 20 years in the military. He spent 15 months as a foot soldier in Bagdad in 2003-2004. Worst 15 months of my life. Thank God he made it home in one piece. I often feel guilty because of the sacrifices my Dad and my son both made. I never served in the military.
Thank God for our Veterans.