I have known three hold outs on the island of Mindanao. The truest one never left the jungle, period, til his death in the summer of 2004, he was shot in the neck by Muslims. He was the most honorable one in the true sense of a warrior. The next one came and went, Lt. Ohata, he died of brain cancer in the summer of 2010. The third still remains in central Mindanao. We talked to him in February of this year, he is in good health but very old. Absolutely will not allow any photographs, period, is hard to get to meet with us but will discuss the past. Wears a long sleeve shirt to cover up his body and arms, even in the heat. I had planned on getting him on video interview this summer but other problems and my currently screwed up health prevents that. Maybe in January.
As for the rank of General, several IJA were field promoted to Major General or even Lieutenant General. These kind of promotions were not recorded in normal channels. Here are three pictures taken at an IJA base camp known as Camp Alex by the locals. The history is, a Japanese national came to the area and built a coconut plantation before WW2. When the war started and the IJA came they established a base camp at this plantation. Come the end of the war the USA came into the area, ran a gun battle with the small camp detachment, most all were killed but the command officer and another man retreated in the opposite direction and hid in the hills behind the base camp. While the locals knew the old jap was hold out in the mountains no one pursued him. In I recall 2002 the Japanese government sent a team in and found him, sent in a private helicopter and snatched him out, not wanting to disclose what was going on. Camp Alex had some gold deposits. One picture is of the high mountain, the others are of the base area of Camp Alex which the locals have kept cleared of brush so the grass will grow and the cows and graze on the grass. Until a few years ago the camp metal flag pole still stood in the camp. One day after the old jap was removed, some Japs came and said they wanted to put up a memorial to the old IJA. They first cut off the flag pole and then dug out the base of the flag pole. First was concrete. As soon as they finished digging they disappeared and left a hole in the ground. Also included is a picture of a Floating Rock on the river edge at Camp Alex. Note the color of the water at the base of the rock, it's pale blue green. That's because the rock protrudes out over the water, its a ledge, there is a small tunnel or hole up into the bank on the underside of this rock ledge, one must dive under the rock to find it.
Z
