The Great Raid

I watched "The Great Raid" yesterday evening. It told the story of a group of US Army Rangers who raided a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in the Philippines towards the end of WWII. It was not only the story of the brave men who raided the camp and liberated those POWs, it also told some of the story of the brave men and women who were left behind when McArthur was ordered to Australia and participated in the resistance movement against the Japanese. All told it was a great story of people who demonstrated single-mindedness of working against the evil they found themselves in.

At the end of the movie, I found myself asking: "Why haven't I heard this story before?" I am, by no means, an expert on WWII. I have read enough about that era that I know quite a bit of the history and happenings. and I cannot recall ever having heard of this incident. In my opinion, it ranks up there with the other important histories of the War in the Pacific.

This story isn't important because it was about the taking of some strategic piece of ground which help turn the tide of a battle. Like the raid on Japan led by Doolittle, it was a huge symbolic victory showing the tenacity of the American soldier and the willingness to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves.

I hope many people will view this movie and learn about the daring raid, the courage of the US and Philippine soldiers and the brave men and women who resisted the Japanese until the liberation came.