Duty and Perseverance
By Albert B. Kelly
Recently, the Japanese
government announced the news that Hiroo Onoda died in Tokyo at the age of 91. If
the name draws a blank you’re certainly not alone. I note his passing here because
in the world of 2014 in which we live-and in which he died-virtues such as
duty, sacrifice, and perseverance are mostly a “take-it-or-leave-it” proposition,
but they weren’t for Mr. Onoda. To my
way of thinking, he embodied these rare virtues in a remarkable way, though many
called him a fool.
Before I share a little of
his story, I would only say that the question of virtue is no small thing these
days. We don’t hear too much in our culture about doing one’s duty, sacrificing
in service to some higher purpose, or perseverance. Instead, we see people from
all walks of life shirking duty, sometimes for personal gain, looking out for
their own narrow self-interests, often at the expense of others, and generally
taking the easy way out no matter what the circumstance.
That said, I find his
story inspiring but as I suggested, some people will simply conclude that he
was a sucker; you will have to decide that for yourself. Mr. Onoda’s story
started out like so many of his generation in that he fought in World War II.
That’s not the remarkable part; it’s everything that came after Japan
surrendered in 1945.
A second lieutenant, an
Imperial Japanese Army Officer stationed in the Philippines, Onoda was one of
thousands of Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific that by 1945, was preparing
for a defense of the homeland. When Japan ultimately surrendered in September
of that year, some remaining soldiers were captured, some committed suicide, while
most simply left and found their way home; not Hiroo Onoda.
The last orders Onoda
received in 1945 from his commander, Major Yoshimi Taniguichi, were to stay and
fight, with the promise that he (Taniguichi) would return for him. Onoda stayed
and Onoda fought; World War II did not end for him until 1974. By now you’re
wondering why he didn’t just leave and go home. It wasn’t that simple.
While Onoda found leaflets
proclaiming Japan’s surrender and the end of the war, being trained in
intelligence and guerrilla warfare, he couldn’t know if it was enemy propaganda
and lacking orders, he continued to believe his country was at war. Beyond
that, he was schooled in a strict military code that believed an honorable
death was better than surrender.
Surviving as a guerrilla
fighter, Onoda lived in the jungles and mountains of the Philippines; building makeshift
huts, killing animals for food, stealing rice and other supplies from villages.
He kept his rifle in good working order and mended his uniforms while managing
to elude search parties, which he mistook for enemy guerilla fighters.
Mr. Onoda was declared
dead by authorities in 1959 and we only know about his story because a student
researcher made it his mission to find Onoda in 1974. At first, Onoda refused
to believe the researcher, Norio Suzuki, who did his best to convince him that
the war was over and it was time to return home. Onoda refused, he was still
awaiting orders.
This led to Suzuki coming
back to the Philippines with a Japanese delegation that included Onoda’s
brother and his former commanding officer Major Taniguchi. And so it was, 29
years after issuing that fateful last order to stay and fight, that Major
Taniguichi stood face-to-face with Lieutenant Onoda to inform him that Japan
had lost the war and he was formally relieved of duty. With that, Hiroo Onoda saluted
and then broke down and wept.
So what’s the “take away”
on Hiroo Onoda? There’s a lot. On his time in the jungle for all of those years
Onoda said “I was fortunate that I could devote myself to my duty in my young
and vigorous years” When asked what occupied his thoughts he said; “nothing but
accomplishing my duty”.
Today, as we face so many
challenges in our lives, individually, as families, and as a community;
dedication to duty, like sacrifice, can serve as an anchor and a motivating
force toward achieving success. Dedication to one’s duty is built on
perseverance and it’s a personal thing, coming from within and not dependent on
our circumstances.
I’d like to think such
dedication is the thing that allows us to lose weight even though it’s hard,
finish school even though it’s boring, parent our children even though we have
no personal life, complete our projects even though they’re not fun anymore, find
new solutions even though past attempts failed, care for the needy even though
they don’t seem deserving, volunteer to improve our neighborhoods even though
we’re really busy, and get involved in the community even though it’s not yet
what we want it to be.
If all we gain from Hiroo
Oroda is an appreciation for the idea of being dedicated to one’s duty, to
something larger than our own selves, then his 29 years in the jungles and
mountains of the Philippines will not have been in vain.