Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission
Sides, Hampton. 2002. Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission. Anchor.
Rating:
8
Summary:
Moving account of military heroism
The book is primarily a historical account of the rescue of roughly 500 P.O.W.s in the Philippines during WW2. The rescue is performed by about 120 Rangers, who were apparently a new addition to the military at that point in time. The Rangers are assisted in the raid by several hundred Philippine guerillas and numerous Philippine people living near the camp. I have to admit I was amazed that in the entire rescue, only two rangers died and two P.O.W.s (the P.O.W.s died because they were too frail to escape) while casualties among the Japanese were estimated to be close to 1,000 dead. Incredible!
Additionally, the book summarizes some of the events that took place in the Pacific Theatre during WW2, focusing primarily on the treatment of P.O.W.s and the fall of the Philippines at the beginning of the war, including the Batan (sic?) death march on which thousands of U.S. soldiers died just getting to the P.O.W. camps.
Review:
There two problems with this book. First, it occasionally lost me as it jumped back and forth between the primary story (the rescue attempt) and the other historical events that are recounted. The second problem is that the book tends to demonize the Japanese. While I would never condone the Japanese treatment of P.O.W.s during WW2, I also felt the author could have done more to be objective about both the events that took place and the motivations he attributes to the Japanese for their actions. A more thorough discussion of the cultural influences affecting the Japanese – without demonizing their culture as well – would have led to a better understanding of why they were as harsh as they were and were even as willing as they were to slaughter P.O.W.s.
With the criticisms out of the way, let me talk about some of the good aspects of the book. First, it is very engaging; it sucked me right in and I didn’t want to turn it off (I was listening to it on CD). Second, it is very well-written (with the exception of the bias); the descriptions and writing style are both exemplary.
The book also presents information I didn’t know. Belying my ignorance of WW2, I wasn’t even aware that the Philippines fell at the beginning of the war, so that was informative. But I also didn’t realize just how willing the Japanese were to let their P.O.W.s die or kill them. One fourth of the P.O.W.s in Japanese custody were killed or died during WW2, as opposed to 4% of P.O.W.s in Germany and Italy. That’s a huge difference.While I wouldn’t consider myself a strict pacifist (I do believe in defending myself and intervening when humanitarian), I have to admit that this book brought me close to tears several times. The willingness of the Rangers to risk their lives and the ability of the P.O.W.s just to survive is moving. War sucks… but it also creates the conditions to turn ordinary men into heroes. And, as is the case with the current war (Iraq), I don’t support the war as it was based on a web of lies, but I’ll always support our soldiers. They don’t really have much say in where they go or whom they fight and I wouldn’t want to do what they do. I respect them for their bravery and willingness to do what they are instructed to do, even if it isn’t a popular or just war.
Finally, this book does illustrate perhaps the only redeeming aspect of United Statesians (who are so often jerks to one another) – they take care of their own. While I wish this sense of unity could be expanded to the world as a whole, it was a powerful scene when the author described the reception the P.O.W.s received when they returned to the U.S. There’s nothing like an external threat to muster social solidarity.
Overall, despite its problems, this is a very engaging and well-written book with a powerful message about unity. It left me with the feeling that while war isn’t pleasant, soldiers are often heroes, and meek heroes at that. I recommend this book for aficionados of the military or wars. The book isn’t perfect, but it combines history with engaging story telling to present a powerfully moving story.
