I love holiday weekends! I'm so grateful for all our veterans. Yes, I'll be soaking up the sun, barbecuing, and relaxing with my coffee, but I'll also take time to remember all those amazing people who have died serving our country.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!!
What are your plans for the weekend?
I'm taking Monday off, but I'll be back on Wednesday with another "Writer's Life," so be sure to stop by!!
Happy Memorial Day to you too. My plans are simple: catch up on everything I sloughed off during the week. That means: decluttering my bedroom, finishing the laundey, finishing off my weekly cleaning tasks, finishing up the first draft of my WIP, and reading!
That sounds like a great plan! My house desperately needs a deep clean. And I'm reading Becky Wade's latest, so trust me, I won't be cleaning anytime soon! Ha! Have a wonderful weekend!
And please remember, the contractors, both paramilitary and civilian, who gave their lives as well.
On Wilkes Island, a part of the Wake atoll, there is a coral rock inscribed "98 US PW 5-10-43". The man who inscribed it did not outlive his task.
When Wake was captured by the Japanese after its heroic but doomed defense in 1941, a number of Americans employed on contract work by Morrison-Knudsen were taken prisoner as well; knowing the Japanese were unlikely to give quarter, they fought alongside the Marine garrison. The military prisoners were soon shipped to Japan, and then on to horrific camps in China, but 98 civilian workers were kept on Wake.
In May of 1943, US aircraft raided the atoll, and the Japanese commander, fearing a prisoner uprising in the face of a presumed landing, ordered the men killed. They were forced to dig a ditch, bound hand and foot, and shot while sitting at the ditch's edge, facing the sea.
One man escaped the slaughter, and made his way to Wilkes, a small islet extending from the end of the main piece of land. He had nowhere to go, but he did cut the words above into the rock.
Andrew, I've never heard this story, so I'm thankful you shared it with us. It certainly puts perspective on the horrors our brave men and women endured.
Happy Memorial Day to you too. My plans are simple: catch up on everything I sloughed off during the week. That means: decluttering my bedroom, finishing the laundey, finishing off my weekly cleaning tasks, finishing up the first draft of my WIP, and reading!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great plan! My house desperately needs a deep clean. And I'm reading Becky Wade's latest, so trust me, I won't be cleaning anytime soon! Ha! Have a wonderful weekend!
DeleteAnd please remember, the contractors, both paramilitary and civilian, who gave their lives as well.
ReplyDeleteOn Wilkes Island, a part of the Wake atoll, there is a coral rock inscribed "98 US PW 5-10-43". The man who inscribed it did not outlive his task.
When Wake was captured by the Japanese after its heroic but doomed defense in 1941, a number of Americans employed on contract work by Morrison-Knudsen were taken prisoner as well; knowing the Japanese were unlikely to give quarter, they fought alongside the Marine garrison. The military prisoners were soon shipped to Japan, and then on to horrific camps in China, but 98 civilian workers were kept on Wake.
In May of 1943, US aircraft raided the atoll, and the Japanese commander, fearing a prisoner uprising in the face of a presumed landing, ordered the men killed. They were forced to dig a ditch, bound hand and foot, and shot while sitting at the ditch's edge, facing the sea.
One man escaped the slaughter, and made his way to Wilkes, a small islet extending from the end of the main piece of land. He had nowhere to go, but he did cut the words above into the rock.
You can see a picture of it here:
http://www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/98_rock_wilkes_island.htm
He was soon captured, and beheaded.
Whatever you do this weekend, please give these men some thought.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2014/05/your-marriage-and-nasa-part-2-out-of.html
Andrew, I've never heard this story, so I'm thankful you shared it with us. It certainly puts perspective on the horrors our brave men and women endured.
Delete