Monday, August 15, 2011

Bataan Death March Survivor Lives to Age 105

The Washington Post has an article about Dr. Albert Brown, a dentist who survived the inhuman rigors of being a POW of the Japanese in the Philippines and was told by one physician that he wouldn't live to be 50. The abuse he endured caused him to lose 80 pounds and to be unable to resume the practice of dentistry.

...Brown survived and secretly documented it all, using a nub of a pencil to scrawl details into a tiny tablet he concealed in the lining of his canvas bag. He often wondered why captives so much younger and stronger perished, while he went on.

By the time he died Sunday at a nursing home in southern Illinois’ Nashville, Brown’s story was well-chronicled, by one author’s account offering an encouraging road map for veterans recovering from their own wounds in many wars.

“Doc’s story had as much relevance for today’s wounded warriors as it did for the veterans of his own era,” said Kevin Moore, co-author of the recently released “Forsaken Heroes of the Pacific War: One Man’s True Story,” which details Brown’s experience.

“The underlying message for today’s returning veterans is that there’s hope, not to give in no matter how bleak the moment may seem,” added Moore, whose nephew just returned from military duty in Afghanistan. “You will persevere and can find the promise of a new tomorrow, much like Doc had found....”

No comments: