WEBVTT 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:08.740 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:17.379 is Veterans Radio. And now, your host for today's 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:26.210 program, Dale Throneberry. And good afternoon 00:00:26.210 --> 00:00:28.890 and welcome to veterans radio. My name is Dale 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:32.289 Thromery I was a cw2 helicopter pilot in Vietnam 00:00:32.289 --> 00:00:36.329 1969 just to establish a little credibility there 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:39.649 here on veterans radio You can listen to us here 00:00:39.649 --> 00:00:41.750 every day every I wish it was every day, but 00:00:41.750 --> 00:00:45.340 every Sunday 5 o 'clock Eastern time here on 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:49.119 WAAM Talk 1600 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You can 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:51.979 also follow us on the web at veteransradio .net. 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:54.340 You've got our archives there. We've got podcasts 00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:57.560 on there. 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Well, today is the 75th anniversary 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:27.540 of the Bataan Death March and I don't know how 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:30.439 many of you are familiar with that, but in the 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:34.280 Philippines at the beginning of World War II 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:36.980 the Philippines were attacked the same day as 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:40.280 Pearl Harbor and in fact the only difference 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:43.420 was that the Philippines also had a land attack 00:01:43.420 --> 00:01:46.620 going on at the same time and so there was many 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:48.500 things that were happening in there and we're 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:50.620 going to get into the whole story of the Bataan 00:01:50.620 --> 00:01:53.900 Death March with our guest John Lucas in just 00:01:53.900 --> 00:01:56.379 a moment but I think it's really important for 00:01:56.379 --> 00:02:01.219 us to Remember that 75 years ago that this occurred. 00:02:01.219 --> 00:02:03.900 In fact, I just got a I got an email just before 00:02:03.900 --> 00:02:06.900 I came over to the studio Announcing again that 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:11.240 this is the 75th anniversary on the 9th of April 00:02:11.240 --> 00:02:15.740 1942 but that there is a celebration I guess 00:02:15.740 --> 00:02:19.580 you could say a commemorative gathering in San 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:22.520 Francisco of the survivors of the baton death 00:02:22.520 --> 00:02:26.599 march and we did a program on this Boy, I'm thinking 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:31.229 probably ten years ago. We talked with a gentleman 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:36.229 down in Detroit who was a survivor and he just 00:02:36.229 --> 00:02:38.669 curled our hair when he was telling his stories 00:02:38.669 --> 00:02:42.610 of this incredible march that these men, Americans 00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:45.449 and Filipinos had to go through to get to the 00:02:45.449 --> 00:02:47.250 prisoner of war camp that they were being kept 00:02:47.250 --> 00:02:49.889 in. As I said, we're going to get into more and 00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:52.349 more of the details of this as we go along So 00:02:52.349 --> 00:02:55.030 I want you to stay tuned Make sure that you you 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:56.689 know, you turn your radios up for those guys 00:02:56.689 --> 00:02:58.949 who need to turn them up If you're listening 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.270 on the internet, we'll be back in just a moment 00:03:01.270 --> 00:03:02.810 We're going to take a quick break and we'll be 00:03:02.810 --> 00:03:06.229 back with our guests for today's program John 00:03:06.229 --> 00:03:09.889 Lucas and his book is escape from Davio and also 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:11.810 he's got a documentary film out there called 00:03:11.810 --> 00:03:16.030 4 -4 -43 We'll explain that when we get back 00:03:16.030 --> 00:03:32.099 you're listening to veterans radio And we're 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:34.199 back on Veterans Radio, and many of you will 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:36.180 recognize that music from our Medal of Honor 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:40.439 series. And I played that because the person 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:43.900 that we're going to be talking about today, after 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:45.479 hearing the story, I think you're going to agree 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:48.060 that he deserves at least one Medal of Honor. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.099 And so we're going to be talking about him with 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.639 our guests, but let me kind of read my little 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.520 promo here. It says on April 4th, 1943, 10 American 00:03:57.520 --> 00:03:59.860 prisoners of war and two Filipino convicts broke 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:02.919 out of the Davao. I know I'm mispronouncing this, 00:04:02.939 --> 00:04:05.750 but the Davao. penal colony and escape proof 00:04:05.750 --> 00:04:09.050 Imperial Japanese Army prison plantation in the 00:04:09.050 --> 00:04:10.949 Philippines called the greatest story of the 00:04:10.949 --> 00:04:13.210 war in the Pacific by the United States War Department 00:04:13.210 --> 00:04:16.990 in 1944. This astonishing yet true action adventure 00:04:16.990 --> 00:04:19.029 tale is told through the eyes of Lieutenant Colonel 00:04:19.029 --> 00:04:22.410 William Edwin Dias, one of World War II's most 00:04:22.410 --> 00:04:26.079 extraordinary yet little known heroes. Well, 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:28.000 we're going to learn all about him today, and 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.339 I think you are going to be amazed at this story. 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:32.660 So what I want to do right now is to welcome 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:34.379 our guest for the week, and that's John Lucas. 00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:37.600 He's the producer of a documentary entitled 4 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.639 -4 -43, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. 00:04:40.939 --> 00:04:44.019 He's also the writer of a book, Escape from Davao, 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:46.920 the forgotten story of the most daring prison 00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:50.319 break in the Pacific War. John, welcome to Veterans 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:56.949 Radio. Well, let's let's just jump right into 00:04:56.949 --> 00:04:59.889 this whole story. How did you learn about Colonel 00:04:59.889 --> 00:05:02.649 Dias? It's you know, it's kind of a long story 00:05:02.649 --> 00:05:04.050 and I think you know, I don't want to I don't 00:05:04.050 --> 00:05:05.689 want to take up a few of your shows here for 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:08.230 the next couple weeks So I'll try to boil it 00:05:08.230 --> 00:05:10.490 down into sort of a you know, a Reader's Digest 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:13.589 condensed version There was an individual that 00:05:13.589 --> 00:05:16.449 I had gotten to know and met he was a football 00:05:16.449 --> 00:05:18.709 player at Notre Dame and I know you're you're 00:05:18.709 --> 00:05:20.810 based up in michigan and there's probably some 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:25.509 rivalry. We've heard of that school. Right, you've 00:05:25.509 --> 00:05:27.810 heard of it down in Indiana, small catholic school. 00:05:28.470 --> 00:05:31.509 He played in Notre Dame in the 1930s, late 30s, 00:05:31.670 --> 00:05:34.389 wasn't a household name, wasn't a famous player, 00:05:34.589 --> 00:05:36.949 a Heisman winner. He had a few all -american 00:05:36.949 --> 00:05:39.910 votes, but nothing that the people would recognize. 00:05:40.149 --> 00:05:42.069 He was from the south side of Chicago, his name 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:45.759 was Mario Tonelli, and he ended up... Pretty 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:47.740 good though. He scored the winning touchdown 00:05:47.740 --> 00:05:52.100 in 1937 to beat Southern Cal and went into, he 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:54.060 was going to play professional football, was 00:05:54.060 --> 00:05:56.660 drafted by the Chicago Cardinals, but he was 00:05:56.660 --> 00:06:00.160 also drafted by Uncle Sam. Okay. And he figured 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:01.899 that he would, you know, at the time there was 00:06:01.899 --> 00:06:04.560 a one -year service commitment right before World 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:06.360 War II with, you know, the Selective Service 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:08.879 Act. And he figured, well, I will get in right 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:11.300 now on the ground floor, put my ear in, get back 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:14.500 home. uh... you know before he any problems break 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:17.680 out and can go into coaching well sure enough 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:19.540 he happened to be stationed in the philippines 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:22.579 on december eight nineteen forty one and that 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:24.819 was you know was caught up in the war over there 00:06:24.819 --> 00:06:27.720 he was in the coast artillery regiment anti -aircraft 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:31.019 unit and participate in the battle for baton 00:06:31.019 --> 00:06:33.259 and ended up finding himself in on the death 00:06:33.259 --> 00:06:37.079 march seventy five years ago today and you know 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:39.839 a fascinating story he had a class ring his letter 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:42.180 dame classroom he got when he graduated in the 00:06:42.180 --> 00:06:44.100 other japanese are going around stealing all 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:46.740 the personal affects and belongings from you 00:06:46.740 --> 00:06:49.240 know from our prisoners and that he had to give 00:06:49.240 --> 00:06:52.000 up the class ring but a few minutes later he's 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.139 that he's marching you know they're there you 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.040 know moving towards the prison camp and then 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.240 the japanese guards sort of pulls his his group 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:01.220 on the out of the line and goes through and starts 00:07:01.220 --> 00:07:03.560 handing back the loop that uh... the guards have 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:06.560 previously taken Sure enough, he comes to Tenelli, 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.279 the Japanese guard, sort of recognizes him. It's 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:12.860 a real awkward, strange situation. And all of 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:14.980 a sudden, this Japanese officer speaks perfect 00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:17.420 English, and he says, you know, where's Mario 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.540 Tenelli? And he has the ring in his hand. And 00:07:20.540 --> 00:07:24.120 so Tenelli goes over, you know, he goes aside 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:26.560 with his Japanese officer, and they have a small 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:31.100 conversation. So now we end up asking, you know, 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:33.160 why are you being so nice to me when these other 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:35.079 guys are being, you know, looted, being killed, 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:38.000 beheaded, tortured on this march? And the Japanese 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:40.180 officer said, I was educated in the States before 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:43.459 the war. He said, I went to school at the University 00:07:43.459 --> 00:07:46.019 of Southern California. I was in the stands the 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:47.579 day you scored the winning touchdown to beat 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:51.439 us in 1937. Luckily, it was a small world for 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.519 him. Exactly. So, you know, I ended up, I got 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:57.000 my start in sports writing and... and yet this 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.259 is a famous sort of campus lore story in nether 00:07:59.259 --> 00:08:01.839 dame and i was able to print and get some get 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:04.160 some attention is a cover story in u .s .a. today 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:07.000 about fifteen years ago around sixtieth anniversary 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.699 of the of the march and it was a big hit and 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:12.600 anyway long story short i got to know mr cannelly 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:15.379 pretty well and we became good friends and he 00:08:15.379 --> 00:08:18.160 told me of the story of these guys who escaped 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:20.060 guys who had been in the death march but they 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:21.920 escaped from a prison camp that he had been in 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.500 and he knew colonel dyer see your reference earlier 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:27.389 in a bunch of these other guys in i was just 00:08:27.389 --> 00:08:29.529 you know floored that i'd never heard of the 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:31.889 story of of guys who escaped from the philippines 00:08:31.889 --> 00:08:34.529 or anywhere in the pacific for that matter in 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:37.830 a large group and as soon as he told me this 00:08:37.830 --> 00:08:40.190 story it was one of those things where it was 00:08:40.190 --> 00:08:42.909 you know you just just take off running and you 00:08:42.909 --> 00:08:45.289 know and next thing i know a book came out and 00:08:45.289 --> 00:08:47.490 you know i did the documentary you know i'm working 00:08:47.490 --> 00:08:49.490 you know for colonel dais to get the you know 00:08:49.490 --> 00:08:51.809 to get the medal of honor so it's kind of strange 00:08:51.809 --> 00:08:54.629 how one story leads to another and it's all you 00:08:54.629 --> 00:08:57.340 know a snowball effect Well, it is true, John. 00:08:57.639 --> 00:08:59.799 We're talking to John Lucas. He's an author, 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:03.580 a producer. He's made a documentary about Colonel 00:09:03.580 --> 00:09:05.460 Dias, and we're going to talk about that a little 00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:09.720 bit later on. But, so, I had never heard of him, 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:11.600 and I thought, you know, wow, I thought I knew 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.139 everything. We've been doing this program for 00:09:13.139 --> 00:09:16.440 13 years, and we've heard a lot of stories about 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:19.320 World War II, and even, you know, and the Bataan 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:22.019 Death March, but I'd never heard of this gentleman, 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:26.490 and the story is so terrifying, but but exciting. 00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:30.830 It's one of these guys and I'll let you fill 00:09:30.830 --> 00:09:33.149 in the blanks. He's from a small town in Texas 00:09:33.149 --> 00:09:36.090 and he's always wanted to be a pilot and go from 00:09:36.090 --> 00:09:40.409 there. Yeah, Carl Dias is one of the most interesting 00:09:40.409 --> 00:09:43.309 figures. I mean, I was in your shoes a few years 00:09:43.309 --> 00:09:45.809 ago too. I'd never heard of the guy and I had, 00:09:45.809 --> 00:09:47.509 you know, I'd grown up. My father was a history 00:09:47.509 --> 00:09:50.720 teacher and, you know, so I had that. sort of 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:53.259 background you know a very inquisitive interested 00:09:53.259 --> 00:09:55.500 in history and obviously you know growing up 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:58.179 around world war two veterans korean vietnam 00:09:58.179 --> 00:10:00.500 war veterans guys you know you you pick up stories 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:02.700 you pick up information and things and obviously 00:10:02.700 --> 00:10:05.299 there's books and movies and and all that but 00:10:05.299 --> 00:10:07.799 this this name never never registered before 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:10.419 with me and once i started being a little bit 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:12.779 more i mean i again i was just shocked that you 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:15.620 know this this type of hero had had walked in 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:18.340 our midst you know albeit seventy years ago and 00:10:18.570 --> 00:10:20.730 and it was kind of sad that nobody had heard 00:10:20.730 --> 00:10:23.610 of him or knew anything about him. So you weren't 00:10:23.610 --> 00:10:25.850 the first and you won't be the last, but hopefully 00:10:25.850 --> 00:10:28.250 sort of my mission here is to educate more people 00:10:28.250 --> 00:10:31.149 about him and get the ball rolling in that regard. 00:10:31.309 --> 00:10:33.309 But yeah, he was a unique individual. He started 00:10:33.309 --> 00:10:36.889 out just taking some flying lessons as a youngster 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:39.070 in a small town in Texas. Barnstormers were coming 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:42.169 through after World War I, the 1920s. It was 00:10:42.169 --> 00:10:45.940 kind of the height of... America's interest in 00:10:45.940 --> 00:10:49.779 airplanes at that time, Charles Lindbergh's crossing 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:53.980 the Atlantic really got him started in terms 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:57.159 of wanting a career as a pilot. But back then 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:58.919 there wasn't commercial flying schools, there 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:01.279 wasn't anything like that, so the next step was 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.100 if you wanted to fly the fastest planes going, 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.539 you joined the United States Army, which had 00:11:05.539 --> 00:11:08.899 an air branch. And so he ended up going there. 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:10.740 Before there was the U .S. Air Force Academy, 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:14.379 the elite. flyers were sent to Randolph and Kelly 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:17.179 Field down in San Antonio, which later became 00:11:17.179 --> 00:11:20.980 Randolph Air Force Base, which is our joint base, 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:24.559 you know, San Antonio, Randolph. And that's where 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:26.860 he flourished and graduated, went near the top 00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:29.659 of his class, and ended up being put in charge 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:32.100 of a fighter squadron that was deployed to the 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:34.320 Philippines just barely a few weeks before the 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:37.360 war started. Well, I was reading the article 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:40.100 that you sent me about, because he's in the Texas 00:11:40.100 --> 00:11:42.179 Hall of Fame, I guess, or he received a Texas 00:11:42.179 --> 00:11:44.620 Medal of Honor. Correct. Their version of it. 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:46.740 And I just thought it was really interesting 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:51.120 for our listeners to know that this kid, this 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.279 guy went to a small high school, Albany High 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:55.200 School. I don't even know where Albany, Texas 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.019 is. I've heard of Shackleford County, I think. 00:11:57.220 --> 00:11:58.879 Okay. Because I went to flight school out in 00:11:58.879 --> 00:12:02.639 Mineral Wells, Texas. Okay. And but anyhow, so 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:04.820 he... He learned how to fly, as you mentioned, 00:12:05.159 --> 00:12:06.840 because of the barnstormers going around and 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:08.580 he actually saw Charles Lindbergh when he was 00:12:08.580 --> 00:12:11.460 about, looks like he's about 11 or so. Correct. 00:12:11.720 --> 00:12:15.120 And I can understand why that would fascinate 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:17.679 him. But it seems like, you know, you mentioned 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.860 or the article talks about him once he got his 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:24.240 wings that he really kind of took it to the extreme. 00:12:24.340 --> 00:12:26.220 He was the guy in the class who could do the 00:12:26.220 --> 00:12:29.590 barrel rolls while he's in a formation. And I 00:12:29.590 --> 00:12:31.750 know when I just flew a helicopter, so I can't 00:12:31.750 --> 00:12:33.429 imagine that. But when people get their rotor 00:12:33.429 --> 00:12:36.629 blades close to me, I always got nervous. And 00:12:36.629 --> 00:12:39.830 so, you know, it sounded like he was such a talented 00:12:39.830 --> 00:12:41.990 pilot that he was willing to try and do anything. 00:12:42.590 --> 00:12:44.090 I think he was testing to see what the plane 00:12:44.090 --> 00:12:47.149 would do. Right. I mean, he was he fits the mold 00:12:47.149 --> 00:12:50.470 of a daredevil. I obviously made several trips 00:12:50.470 --> 00:12:53.870 to his hometown in Albany, which is it's located 00:12:53.870 --> 00:12:57.590 about about 20 minutes. 20 -30 minutes from Abilene, 00:12:57.610 --> 00:12:59.570 Texas, which is you know a bigger town, but that's 00:12:59.570 --> 00:13:02.269 where Dias Air Force Base is located So that 00:13:02.269 --> 00:13:04.470 might give you a little bit more of a geographic 00:13:04.470 --> 00:13:07.250 frame of reference point But yeah, he was he 00:13:07.250 --> 00:13:09.129 was always he would be flying, you know back, 00:13:09.289 --> 00:13:11.389 you know And he had a chance to sort of get back 00:13:11.389 --> 00:13:13.950 to his his home neck of the woods the old timers 00:13:13.950 --> 00:13:15.769 in Albany would tell stories that he would come 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:17.970 down and he'd almost be hitting the telephone 00:13:17.970 --> 00:13:20.769 wires he would be would buzz the town and you 00:13:20.769 --> 00:13:22.330 know, they all thought it was the you know, the 00:13:22.330 --> 00:13:24.889 craziest thing in the world and But his mother 00:13:24.889 --> 00:13:28.389 really had no interest in his career choice. 00:13:28.649 --> 00:13:31.929 She wasn't very happy. Again, in the article 00:13:31.929 --> 00:13:34.029 it talked about him possibly going to law school, 00:13:34.029 --> 00:13:36.370 but he decided he didn't want to do that. Right. 00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:39.169 He was hitchhiking, summer job. He had graduated 00:13:39.169 --> 00:13:42.950 from John Tarleton College in Texas in Stephenville, 00:13:43.070 --> 00:13:45.750 which is fairly close to his home and was heading 00:13:45.750 --> 00:13:48.049 to Austin. He was going to become a lawyer if 00:13:48.049 --> 00:13:51.809 his father was a judge. A great, you know, respectable 00:13:51.809 --> 00:13:54.269 career and but he had, I guess, great fortune 00:13:54.269 --> 00:13:56.889 or if you know his mother always called it misfortune 00:13:56.889 --> 00:13:59.049 of being picked up while he was hitchhiking by 00:13:59.049 --> 00:14:01.970 a washout from Randolph and who was just telling 00:14:01.970 --> 00:14:04.330 him about how, you know, he I wished he could 00:14:04.330 --> 00:14:06.110 have, you know, made it to made it through flight 00:14:06.110 --> 00:14:08.490 school and Dias was just was just hooked from 00:14:08.490 --> 00:14:10.529 there. I think it had always been, you know, 00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:12.169 sort of, you know, seed that had been planted 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:13.909 when he was young and, you know, even though 00:14:13.909 --> 00:14:15.909 he was considering going into law and everything, 00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:18.169 it was just one of those things that he, you 00:14:18.169 --> 00:14:19.830 know, an itch he had to scratch and he was never 00:14:19.830 --> 00:14:21.919 gonna never going to do anything else let's just 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:26.139 say that right so he's he he graduated from flight 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:28.320 school and then the first place he sent to is 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.720 the philippines as a pilot right and he arrived 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:34.940 he arrives when did he arrive in the philippines 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:39.700 he arrived in the philippines day 1941 and you 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:42.379 know as we know that december 7th december 8th 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:44.320 in the philippines was when the japanese decided 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:48.440 to attack so he had Shown up there he was already 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.299 short half of his squadron in terms of personnel 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:54.080 and when he got there the planes were still being 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.720 uncrated and none of the guns had been bore sighted. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:58.879 So he was he was really behind the eight ball 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.559 from the day he got there and he was I guess 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:03.519 you could say the tip of the spear because you 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.500 know we really had nothing else you know fortifying 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:08.460 some of these distant outposts at the time but 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:11.240 he was he was one of the individuals earmarked 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.470 you know to do that and you know BR. Be our military 00:15:14.470 --> 00:15:16.950 presence overseas as a deterrent, you know to 00:15:16.950 --> 00:15:18.889 the Japanese, right? That sounds like he got 00:15:18.889 --> 00:15:21.970 into action right away They they won as soon 00:15:21.970 --> 00:15:23.809 as the Japanese attack, you know, there's there's 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:25.470 there's obviously the time difference from the 00:15:25.470 --> 00:15:27.649 international dateline You know the attack on 00:15:27.649 --> 00:15:29.610 Pearl Harbor, which you know, we just celebrated 00:15:29.610 --> 00:15:32.429 the 75th anniversary marked that You know last 00:15:32.429 --> 00:15:34.730 December 8th and in this December 7th and then 00:15:34.730 --> 00:15:37.389 December 8th and the Philippines they struck 00:15:37.389 --> 00:15:39.809 You know probably about eight to nine hours later 00:15:40.259 --> 00:15:42.139 And I think that the thing that always sort of 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:44.100 gets me and I remind people is, you know, I mean, 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:46.000 the attack on Pearl Harbor is the one that's 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:50.320 really etched into America's memory. But the 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.100 Japanese came back to the Philippines, and they 00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:55.240 kept coming back day after day, week after week, 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.019 until, you know, until they were able to knock 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:00.039 out pretty much all of our air power, despite 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:02.679 what guys like Dias were trying to do. I mean, 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:05.940 they were completely outnumbered and outgunned 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:08.100 and out -personeled from, you know, from the 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:11.279 very beginning. Well, we should point out to 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:13.120 our audience, we're talking about the Bataan 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:16.720 death march, and how did this occur? And we've 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.200 always seen the pictures of Governor or Governor 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:22.379 General MacArthur, you know, leaving and, you 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:25.460 know, I shall return and so on with that story. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:28.960 But these guys were fighting the Japanese, you 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.320 know, in the jungles and everything else. And 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.279 in fact, you know, your book talks about this 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:37.259 is that he lost, you know, They ran out of airplanes, 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:39.799 and they ran out of parts, and they ran out of 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:42.620 everything else. So the next thing is that Colonel 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:45.659 Dias, well now he's probably a captain at this 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:48.340 point, or a first lieutenant. Right. And now 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:50.759 they've determined that he's going to be an infantry 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:55.120 guy. Yeah, it wasn't by choice. I didn't think 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:57.240 so. He wasn't happy with it. His famous line 00:16:57.240 --> 00:16:59.899 that some of his men had repeated was when he 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:01.940 was out training, you know, they had some of 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:04.319 the army guys were, you know, training in infantry 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.880 tactics. And Dias always said, I would rather 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.980 be home in Texas staring at the southbound end 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:13.220 of a northbound mule. He wanted to be in a cockpit. 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:17.640 He had no interest in messing around the jungle 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:22.059 and carrying a rifle. But his sort of frontier 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:25.039 West Texas upbringing prepared him better for 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:27.059 that more than probably any of the other his 00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:29.960 contemporary squadron leaders or any other pilots 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:33.240 out there. He took to it naturally. I mean, the 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:35.440 guy knew how to shoot. He was a hell of a leader. 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:39.779 And he was able to sort of communicate his skills 00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:42.779 as an infantry leader to his men, and they were 00:17:42.779 --> 00:17:45.539 among some of the most successful units. Despite 00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:47.559 their lack of training, despite their familiarity 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:51.480 with firearms and anything else, they were able 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.200 to really turn the situation into gold, which 00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:58.180 otherwise had been a miserable failure. Well, 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:01.799 it sounds like they fought quite a number of 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:03.900 battles while they were there, and I'm trying 00:18:03.900 --> 00:18:06.839 to read this as we're going along. Where did 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.640 that go? I don't know if I can pronounce it. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:16.519 Aglaloma Bay? Yeah, Aglaloma. Okay, that's right. 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:20.539 Go ahead. What was that one about? Yeah, there 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:24.279 was a, again, the sort of, you know... cram things 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:26.900 into it as few words as possible. The Japanese, 00:18:26.900 --> 00:18:28.339 you know, they had attacked in the Philippines 00:18:28.339 --> 00:18:30.680 and after, like you said, we ran out of planes, 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.539 we started running out of food, medicine, supplies. 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:36.539 The siege started basically right around late 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:39.720 January 1942, so you figure about six weeks after 00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:42.940 the initial attacks. And these guys, again, they 00:18:42.940 --> 00:18:46.819 had proven themselves capable warriors and had 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:50.160 stopped the Japanese advance into Bataan. So 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.180 the Japanese General, General Home, decided to 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:54.380 try, you know, an end run, a flanking maneuver, 00:18:54.920 --> 00:18:56.960 and landed some troops, you know, in the rear 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:00.940 echelon area of the Bataan forces. And we didn't 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.339 really have enough guys to release from the main 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:05.980 line of resistance, so we sent a bunch of these, 00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:08.880 you know, inexperienced, ill -prepared airmen 00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:11.240 to sort of root these guys out in the jungle. 00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:13.119 And, you know, it took several weeks. It was 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.039 called the Battle of the Points, but Dias and 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:19.230 his airmen were successful. sort of pushing the 00:19:19.230 --> 00:19:21.690 Japanese to the, you know, to the cliffs, to 00:19:21.690 --> 00:19:25.250 the shoreline in Western Bataan. But as the Japanese, 00:19:25.369 --> 00:19:27.369 I mean, I think everyone is kind of familiar 00:19:27.369 --> 00:19:29.950 with their way of fighting war. You know, in 00:19:29.950 --> 00:19:32.390 the latter part of the war, you know, as it became 00:19:32.390 --> 00:19:35.210 an island -hopping campaign, and, you know, you're 00:19:35.210 --> 00:19:37.329 fighting the Japanese position to position, cave 00:19:37.329 --> 00:19:40.430 to cave, bunker to bunker. It was a similar situation 00:19:40.430 --> 00:19:42.690 on Bataan, whereas they had landed behind our 00:19:42.690 --> 00:19:44.990 lines, and now we had to root them out, but they 00:19:44.990 --> 00:19:47.920 weren't going to surrender. No way, no how. So 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:51.380 then it became Dias' problem to get these guys 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:55.700 out of their fortified caves and positions down 00:19:55.700 --> 00:19:58.440 by the shoreline. Interestingly enough, despite 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.220 the fact that here's a guy who had predominantly 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:04.700 air training and had made his living in a cockpit, 00:20:05.160 --> 00:20:08.700 was ordered to lead an amphibious landing in 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:11.799 his own territory, which is technically behind... 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:14.319 Japanese had landed behind their lines to root 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:17.440 these guys out. he went from in a matter of probably 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:19.940 about six weeks being a pilot to an infantryman 00:20:19.940 --> 00:20:24.579 to a marine to a marine as well right okay well 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:26.279 the other thing we want to point out is that 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:29.200 during this this this battle that he was involved 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.559 in he received his first distinguished service 00:20:31.559 --> 00:20:34.559 cross correct yes it was you know when i was 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:36.500 doing the research several years ago before the 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:39.819 book you know it occurred to me and i was Again, 00:20:39.980 --> 00:20:42.240 shocked to realize it, but this was America's 00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:45.240 first amphibious invasion, first amphibious operation 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:48.700 of World War II. And it was led, you know, not 00:20:48.700 --> 00:20:51.259 by, you know, any famous Marines or, you know, 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:53.220 in some of the places where you, you know, you 00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:55.240 would think from a frame of reference standpoint, 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:57.559 Guadalcanal or, you know, somewhere else. It 00:20:57.559 --> 00:20:59.599 was, no, it was against an armed enemy. It was 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.640 in the Philippines, you know, led by a bunch 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:04.960 of airmen and a pilot from Texas. I just think 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:08.319 it's a great story, and I encourage everybody 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:13.539 to check out this story of William Dias Edwin, 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:17.299 because in this article it talks about that he 00:21:17.299 --> 00:21:20.079 was a hero, and he made heroes, and he got these 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:22.099 men to follow him. I can't imagine my flight 00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:26.799 class being infantry guys on such short notice. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.619 I'm sure that they could do it, but the idea 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:32.619 of going from being a pilot to being in the infantry 00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:36.519 suddenly and actually participating in battles 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:40.019 and, you know, doing what you were supposed to 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:42.359 do. I just, I can't help but admire this man 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:45.579 and all the people of that, you know, of his 00:21:45.579 --> 00:21:47.839 platoons and companies and stuff. I think it's 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:50.680 a great story. It really is. I mean, you think 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:52.980 about, you know, what our troops had to sort 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:55.619 of endure and, you know, the odds that they were 00:21:55.619 --> 00:21:58.700 facing over there. yeah and i would tell people 00:21:58.700 --> 00:22:02.420 to it if it's not to take away from the experiences 00:22:02.420 --> 00:22:06.500 of the heroism the exploits of of our our troops 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:09.839 in in any other theater of world war two but 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:12.119 uh... you know these guys diet his men they were 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:14.259 doing it on empty stomachs and then they were 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:17.420 all caring between one and four tropical diseases 00:22:17.420 --> 00:22:19.559 that was one of the word certain you know it's 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:21.759 a return to hold the armed forces reports after 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:25.200 the war so these guys were sick hungry And, you 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.900 know, there was no R &R for them. There were 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:31.759 no USO shows. I mean, the Japanese jammed the 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:34.160 radios. There was very little, you know, you 00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:36.059 were really fighting in an information vacuum. 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:39.559 No letters from home. And to keep withstanding. 00:22:41.079 --> 00:22:47.230 You still there? I think I just lost John. I 00:22:47.230 --> 00:22:48.950 might have. Well, I'll kind of try and finish 00:22:48.950 --> 00:22:50.950 this story while we make re -contact with him. 00:22:51.069 --> 00:22:53.269 And we're going to be coming up on a break here 00:22:53.269 --> 00:22:55.630 at the bottom of the hour. But we were talking 00:22:55.630 --> 00:23:00.089 to John Lucas, who is the author of a book about 00:23:00.089 --> 00:23:05.329 Lieutenant Colonel William Edwin Dias. And his 00:23:05.329 --> 00:23:09.690 book is called Escape from Davao. And he's also 00:23:09.690 --> 00:23:13.210 got a documentary about this exciting guy that's 00:23:13.210 --> 00:23:17.170 called 4 -4 -43. And we're going to talk about 00:23:17.170 --> 00:23:19.789 that. This is the breakout from that prison, 00:23:20.329 --> 00:23:22.569 the Japanese prisoner of war camp that he was 00:23:22.569 --> 00:23:25.369 in. And you can find more information about this 00:23:25.369 --> 00:23:28.529 by just going to Amazon or going, you know, Googling 00:23:28.529 --> 00:23:31.089 John's name in there. It's John Lucas, Lucas. 00:23:31.309 --> 00:23:36.230 It's L -U -K -A -C -S. L -U -K -A -C -S. He went 00:23:36.230 --> 00:23:39.039 to Notre Dame, which is okay. And put these, 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.680 he put together this story. And so when we come 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:43.819 back after the news, which I think I've got about 00:23:43.819 --> 00:23:47.440 a minute to go before we, we get to that. Is 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:51.140 that we will go back to the story of when the 00:23:51.140 --> 00:23:53.680 Colonel broke out of the Japanese prisoner of 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:56.140 war camp. Cause this again, it's a, it's a frightening 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:58.160 story. Okay. I guess we have John back on the 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:02.589 line. I don't know if the Japanese army had jammed 00:24:02.589 --> 00:24:04.109 the signals there or what the situation was. 00:24:04.109 --> 00:24:07.789 I think so. I was saving this till the second 00:24:07.789 --> 00:24:09.430 half, but we know that the American government 00:24:09.430 --> 00:24:13.369 tried to jam his story, so we figure maybe they 00:24:13.369 --> 00:24:17.450 were doing that again. I got about 30 seconds, 00:24:17.589 --> 00:24:19.170 John. We're going to take a break at the news, 00:24:19.549 --> 00:24:21.230 and then when we come back, we're going to talk 00:24:21.230 --> 00:24:24.069 about him getting back in the air again. Great. 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:26.779 so hold on we'll be right back about about two 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:29.220 minutes you're listening to veterans radio we'll 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:32.420 be right back after the news and we're back on 00:24:32.420 --> 00:24:34.839 veterans radio and we're talking with john lucas 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:37.500 who's the producer of a documentary four dash 00:24:37.500 --> 00:24:39.480 four dash forty three which will explain in a 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:42.140 little bit and also the author of the book escaped 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:45.279 from it how do i pronounce this is that i will 00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:49.259 deval Davao, okay. Davao, the forgotten story 00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:51.859 of the most daring prison break of the Pacific 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:54.819 War. And we are talking specifically about William 00:24:54.819 --> 00:24:58.539 Edward Dias, who was a captain at the time. Actually, 00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:00.259 he ended up being a lieutenant colonel by the 00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:06.319 time he was 27. And so he's been fighting against 00:25:06.319 --> 00:25:08.279 the Japanese because, you know, they invaded 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:09.960 the Philippines the same time that they dropped 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.259 the bombs on Pearl Harbor. And he's gone from 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:15.740 being a pilot to being an infantry guy and now 00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:17.640 he gets to go back to be a pilot for a little 00:25:17.640 --> 00:25:21.319 while. Yes, that was probably the highlight of 00:25:21.319 --> 00:25:24.400 the war for him personally was his return to 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:28.339 flight status. And unfortunately it was one of 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:31.720 those difficult promotions because he was in 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:34.180 charge of what was called the bamboo fleet or 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:37.019 the bamboo air force. It was just a small handful 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:39.779 of planes. It was basically whatever. whatever 00:25:39.779 --> 00:25:42.400 could be cobbled together by the mechanics left 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:45.099 on baton, basically a bunch of planes. There 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:48.059 were a small handful of P -40 Warhawks, a few 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:49.859 fighter planes, but most of them were, you know, 00:25:49.980 --> 00:25:53.079 unarmed civilian planes that had been commandeered 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:55.920 and cobbled together. And they used those basically, 00:25:55.920 --> 00:25:58.099 you know, for reconnaissance missions and some 00:25:58.099 --> 00:26:00.279 flights south into the Philippines, to the Visayan 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:02.819 Islands, to Mindanao for, you know, for supply 00:26:02.819 --> 00:26:06.019 runs. So there wasn't a lot of actual combat. 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:08.700 Air -to -air, you know combat going on and that 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:10.779 was what you basically diets had trained for 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:12.640 that is You know what he had rehearsed for in 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:15.359 preparation for this, you know for this big show 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:17.579 So it was it was kind of tough in the beginning 00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:20.740 But he ended up end up convincing his his superiors 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:23.700 to let him take a crack at the Japanese Yeah, 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:26.559 and it talks about that these these these airplanes 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:29.859 as you mentioned that were kind of You know, 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:31.900 you kind of put together with pieces of other 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:33.759 airplanes really the only thing they could do 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:37.029 is drop bombs and not a whole lot of them. It 00:26:37.029 --> 00:26:38.630 seemed like they would take one bomb out, drop 00:26:38.630 --> 00:26:40.390 it, and come back and get another one. Yeah, 00:26:40.430 --> 00:26:44.609 it was a very frustrating, painstaking method 00:26:44.609 --> 00:26:47.950 of waging war, but these guys had really little 00:26:47.950 --> 00:26:51.410 choice. One of the individuals who was Dias' 00:26:51.809 --> 00:26:55.269 chief engineer at the airfields on Bataan was 00:26:55.269 --> 00:26:58.369 a really intelligent, great guy, Leo Bolans, 00:26:58.470 --> 00:27:00.730 from a small town in Wyoming, just one of those 00:27:00.730 --> 00:27:03.910 mechanical geniuses who could do anything with 00:27:03.910 --> 00:27:08.119 a wrench. you know some bailing wire and he actually 00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:10.279 built a plane they call it the P -40 something 00:27:10.279 --> 00:27:12.500 because there's so many different parts of from 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:16.259 different models from from from B's from C's 00:27:16.259 --> 00:27:19.099 from E's that they just call it the P -40 something 00:27:19.099 --> 00:27:21.319 and but it was liable and it worked and they 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:23.319 were able to use it you know on strafing attacks 00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:26.140 and They also figured out a way to rig these 00:27:26.140 --> 00:27:28.880 P -40s up with 500 -pound general -purpose bombs, 00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:31.660 which was against the original design specifications. 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:34.299 They were never designed to be a dive bomber 00:27:34.299 --> 00:27:36.539 with that type of load. But they know something 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:40.619 they worked on, and they built some contraptions 00:27:40.619 --> 00:27:42.900 that would enable them to release these bombs. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:46.160 And again, Dias had finally convinced his superiors 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:48.259 that they needed to start hitting the Japanese, 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:50.539 both for morale purposes, but... You know, in 00:27:50.539 --> 00:27:52.079 terms of strategy, if they were just going to 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:53.660 sit there and take it all the time, it would 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:56.000 be only a matter of time until the, you know, 00:27:56.460 --> 00:27:58.720 the eventual end would come. So finally he was 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:01.859 able to launch an attack on a Japanese supply 00:28:01.859 --> 00:28:03.940 depot in Subic Bay, which is, you know, a little 00:28:03.940 --> 00:28:06.400 bit north of Bataan. And when he did it, it was 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:08.539 again with a small handful of these really beat 00:28:08.539 --> 00:28:11.779 up battered warplanes, but he had extraordinary 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:14.809 results. Well, it sounds like, you know, just 00:28:14.809 --> 00:28:17.109 a great pilot as well, just kind of to back up 00:28:17.109 --> 00:28:19.470 a little bit, let our audience know that he, 00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:21.869 in today's world or even in World War II, he 00:28:21.869 --> 00:28:24.730 would have been considered an ace in the first 00:28:24.730 --> 00:28:27.369 couple of days after the Philippines were invaded, 00:28:27.609 --> 00:28:29.990 but they didn't have the nose cameras and so 00:28:29.990 --> 00:28:33.849 forth at the time. Exactly, that was the case, 00:28:34.009 --> 00:28:35.599 you know, and there wasn't... you'd have that 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:38.400 new the corroborative evidence and i think it 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:40.240 it's one of those deals you know we go back to 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:42.039 the beginning you know of the show and you're 00:28:42.039 --> 00:28:43.460 talking about you didn't know anything about 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:45.480 dies and you know i've sort of stumbled upon 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:48.220 his story it's just a shame that you know he 00:28:48.220 --> 00:28:51.299 he had all these extraordinary adventures and 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:53.559 exploits but he did it during a part of the war 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:56.299 where we were losing and a part of the world 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:58.579 of what the other record -keeping the documentation 00:28:58.579 --> 00:29:01.099 wasn't wasn't up to the standards of later war 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.700 and and they're only a small handful of reporters 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:05.839 embedded with these troops there were no news 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:08.359 with there was no newsreel footage you know no 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:11.500 radio reports and the u .s. it really his story 00:29:11.500 --> 00:29:13.960 didn't didn't get out there and it was it's a 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:15.859 shame because they're there just really isn't 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:18.220 that paper trail where you have for you know 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:19.920 later in the war where we have you know this 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:22.380 huge news gathering operation with all branches 00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:24.839 of the service in the you know the integration 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:27.220 with different media outlets and you know so 00:29:27.220 --> 00:29:29.880 there was just Nobody really knew about what 00:29:29.880 --> 00:29:32.200 what this guy had done and he had done some of 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:35.400 the most extraordinary things of any of you know 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:38.240 US soldier Airman sailor throughout the the course 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:42.099 of the entire war. Well, I Totally agree with 00:29:42.099 --> 00:29:44.380 you on that and you know We want to make sure 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:46.500 that diet his name gets out there and and that 00:29:46.500 --> 00:29:49.220 people find out more and more about him Because 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:52.759 as the American kind of went to this Europe first 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:56.940 before the war in the Pacific. And as you mentioned, 00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:00.660 all the attention was on Europe and not necessarily 00:30:00.660 --> 00:30:03.460 on the Pacific. All right. So eventually we know 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:07.960 that the American troops in the Philippines were 00:30:07.960 --> 00:30:11.279 captured. Those that didn't escape weren't evacuated. 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:13.539 And he chose not to be evacuated also. That's 00:30:13.539 --> 00:30:15.140 another thing that I think is important to point 00:30:15.140 --> 00:30:18.619 out to people. Definitely. I think, Dale, you 00:30:18.619 --> 00:30:21.579 look at this and you call somebody a hero. and 00:30:21.579 --> 00:30:25.279 i think it's true he does have these these extraordinary 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:28.339 moments where he's you know uh... you know that 00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:30.039 i was listening to uh... between the commercial 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:32.039 there that the medal of honor segment that you 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:34.460 had you know and i think he had those moments 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:36.440 he's on the ground leading amphibious landing 00:30:36.440 --> 00:30:39.099 he was the first man at the beach bullets flying 00:30:39.099 --> 00:30:42.180 everywhere exposing himself to enemy fire trying 00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:44.960 to rally his troops here he is you know dive 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:46.859 bombing with a plane that shouldn't be prides 00:30:46.859 --> 00:30:48.400 probably would he be airworthy they wouldn't 00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:51.140 even as a trainer in the states at this time 00:30:51.140 --> 00:30:54.440 and here he is attacking engaging japanese cruisers 00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:57.079 you know anti -aircraft fire so he had the sort 00:30:57.079 --> 00:30:59.859 of you know for lack of a better word rambo moments 00:30:59.859 --> 00:31:01.839 where it's him against the entire imperial japanese 00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:04.220 army but then i think the other part of it is 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:06.680 what makes him really special is the fact that 00:31:06.680 --> 00:31:08.640 you know while these guys are starving and running 00:31:08.640 --> 00:31:10.420 out of medicine on baton there was there was 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:13.019 an incident where he the you know the higher 00:31:13.019 --> 00:31:16.900 -ups uh... provided or you know provided additional 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:19.660 rations for the pilots to be able to get these 00:31:19.660 --> 00:31:21.640 these guys couldn't couldn't call in another 00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:24.900 cockpit they were so second in such bad shape 00:31:24.900 --> 00:31:27.880 and but that's true to form you know he he he 00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:29.440 understood that there was a lot of resentment 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:31.980 among among enlisted men between the officers 00:31:31.980 --> 00:31:34.519 guys we thought you know had more marks and and 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:37.599 things like that and in the before he even any 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:40.339 additional rations or vitamin pills he went and 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.759 cleared it you know with his credit gathered 00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:44.900 sergeants together so i want to talk to the man 00:31:44.900 --> 00:31:47.579 if it's okay with them get back to me in you 00:31:47.579 --> 00:31:49.980 know and they were just it you know they understood 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:51.859 that they knew they got it they they all said 00:31:51.859 --> 00:31:53.640 they would follow him anywhere you know in the 00:31:53.640 --> 00:31:56.319 hell and back whatever we do but you know that 00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:58.380 just shows you what the type of guy he was for 00:31:58.380 --> 00:32:00.440 other people would you know would take advantage 00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:02.940 of those opportunities but yet he he you know 00:32:02.940 --> 00:32:06.220 he he felt guilty and then that same same attitude 00:32:06.220 --> 00:32:08.980 in the same unselfishness manifested itself a 00:32:08.980 --> 00:32:11.259 few weeks later when baton fell and he had been 00:32:11.259 --> 00:32:13.079 ordered out the other i mean there was there 00:32:13.079 --> 00:32:16.039 was no value for any of us talented squadron 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:18.960 leader, daredevil pilot behind barbed wire. So, 00:32:18.980 --> 00:32:21.779 you know, MacArthur wanted all these guys evacuated 00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:24.359 so they could, you know, reconstitute their units 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.900 and then be flying again against the enemy, you 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:29.640 know, elsewhere. But Dias, he probably in subordination. 00:32:29.779 --> 00:32:31.740 He didn't want to follow orders, but he felt 00:32:31.740 --> 00:32:34.200 his men were family. And there was no way he 00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:37.220 was going to, he was going to evacuate. He wasn't 00:32:37.220 --> 00:32:39.779 going to leave them behind. So he sort of went 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:42.420 on his own mission, you know, sending out everybody 00:32:42.420 --> 00:32:45.160 but himself. on all these last planes that were 00:32:45.160 --> 00:32:48.180 leaving the Philippines before the eventual surrender. 00:32:49.619 --> 00:32:53.519 Eventually they did surrender and they were captured 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:55.740 and they were forced to go on this march. How 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:59.259 long was the Bataan Death March? It really depends 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:02.319 on where you surrendered, where you were captured, 00:33:02.740 --> 00:33:05.119 where you started. From beginning to end, the 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:07.660 average length of the Death March was about 60 00:33:07.660 --> 00:33:11.799 to 70 miles. And again, depending on all those 00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:14.880 different circumstances and your geographic position, 00:33:15.420 --> 00:33:18.400 the march could have taken anywhere from three 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:21.720 or four days to about two weeks. It depends on 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:24.240 you. Some guys had the great fortune to be picked 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:26.799 up and thrown in the trucks and driven half the 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:29.819 duration of the march. Other guys walked from 00:33:29.819 --> 00:33:34.009 beginning to end probably 80, 90 miles. And so, 00:33:34.029 --> 00:33:36.730 you know, it really, it's hard to pinpoint the 00:33:36.730 --> 00:33:38.390 number of troops that were on it, the distance 00:33:38.390 --> 00:33:40.630 and things like that, but there are some sort 00:33:40.630 --> 00:33:44.549 of generic averages and values you can put towards 00:33:44.549 --> 00:33:47.869 it. Well, we know that there were many, many 00:33:47.869 --> 00:33:50.329 atrocities that were committed during that march 00:33:50.329 --> 00:33:53.929 against the American and the Philippine. Soldiers 00:33:53.929 --> 00:33:56.170 that were forced to do that March and the stories 00:33:56.170 --> 00:33:59.789 are just so graphic and just so disturbing When 00:33:59.789 --> 00:34:02.170 when you get a chance to read them, I don't necessarily 00:34:02.170 --> 00:34:04.390 we don't need to necessarily go into detail about 00:34:04.390 --> 00:34:07.750 those right today suffices to say though is that 00:34:07.750 --> 00:34:11.269 that he made it and And then he was in the prisoner 00:34:11.269 --> 00:34:13.250 of war camp How long was he in the prisoner of 00:34:13.250 --> 00:34:15.369 war camp before he attempted his escape? Well, 00:34:15.389 --> 00:34:18.119 he was actually in there were three camps that 00:34:18.119 --> 00:34:20.619 he had sort of transited through at the conclusion 00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:22.780 of the march until he made his eventual escape 00:34:22.780 --> 00:34:25.579 and he was so he was he spent exactly three hundred 00:34:25.579 --> 00:34:28.360 sixty one days in captivity surrendered on april 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:31.719 ninth seventy five years ago today and then went 00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:34.780 to camp o'donnell which was on louis on cabanichuan 00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:37.559 prison camp which was a few miles away similarly 00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:40.340 located in louis on north of manila and then 00:34:40.340 --> 00:34:43.380 was sent to to the daval penal colony which is 00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:45.280 located in the island of mindanao which is about 00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:48.900 six hundred miles of baton and corrugador in 00:34:48.900 --> 00:34:51.260 the manila bay area and it's it's kind of interesting 00:34:51.260 --> 00:34:53.480 because you know these guys you talk about the 00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:55.599 death march and it's hard to believe you know 00:34:55.599 --> 00:34:58.900 it was 75 years ago a lot of these guys thought 00:34:58.900 --> 00:35:00.460 that the death march was the worst part of the 00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:02.599 whole ordeal they figure okay once we get through 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:05.300 this you know we'll get to a camp you know the 00:35:05.300 --> 00:35:07.380 geneva convention will take over the japanese 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:09.780 they have to feed us they have to give us water 00:35:09.780 --> 00:35:12.219 medicine that wasn't the case they were they 00:35:12.219 --> 00:35:13.920 were in for a shock that the japanese in all 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:16.469 these camps we're going to just let them die 00:35:16.469 --> 00:35:20.289 or as in the case of diets he was with a group 00:35:20.289 --> 00:35:22.989 of guys who were sent to the southern camp but 00:35:22.989 --> 00:35:25.269 was called the alcatraz the philippines is basically 00:35:25.269 --> 00:35:28.150 a work plantation the japanese and no attention 00:35:28.150 --> 00:35:30.429 just letting these guys sit around and you know 00:35:30.429 --> 00:35:32.250 sort of while away the rest of the war they were 00:35:32.250 --> 00:35:35.510 going to put them to work as slave laborers and 00:35:35.510 --> 00:35:37.829 kills many as they could in the process so you 00:35:37.829 --> 00:35:39.710 know whatever whatever they were able to do in 00:35:39.710 --> 00:35:41.590 the battlefields of baton they would they would 00:35:41.590 --> 00:35:45.019 do it to the prisoner's award is through this 00:35:45.019 --> 00:35:47.579 ridiculous, extremely demanding work schedule. 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:52.380 Well, okay, so tell us about his escape. Well, 00:35:52.760 --> 00:35:56.260 I think we discussed his personality a few times. 00:35:56.500 --> 00:35:59.219 This guy was really, he was one of those never 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:02.639 give up type individuals. And I think he'd always 00:36:02.639 --> 00:36:04.860 been thinking about escaping in all the camps 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:06.760 he'd been to, even though the conditions were 00:36:06.760 --> 00:36:09.500 just, the right opportunity never really presented 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:12.619 itself. until he got to deval because he realized 00:36:12.619 --> 00:36:15.059 that the japanese there they had been so confident 00:36:15.059 --> 00:36:16.840 in the fact that they were going to win the war 00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:19.500 and plus the fact that this camp was considered 00:36:19.500 --> 00:36:21.599 escape proof it had been built by the philippine 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:24.260 government about ten years before the war started 00:36:24.260 --> 00:36:27.260 and no civilian prisoner had ever gotten out 00:36:27.260 --> 00:36:30.300 of there it was surrounded by a swamp on all 00:36:30.300 --> 00:36:32.820 sides there were a ten -foot philippine crocodiles 00:36:32.820 --> 00:36:35.139 that roamed in the swamp there was reportedly 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:37.860 headhunters that you know frequent into the area 00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:40.769 different tribes and they don't all of these 00:36:40.769 --> 00:36:43.369 factors basically the japanese let their guard 00:36:43.369 --> 00:36:46.510 down they've they got lax and and i have set 00:36:46.510 --> 00:36:49.510 the time he he teamed up here there were two 00:36:49.510 --> 00:36:52.090 u .s. army air force guys friends is from his 00:36:52.090 --> 00:36:55.369 unit he recruited and then he put in with a group 00:36:55.369 --> 00:36:57.929 of marines a triumvirate of marines i would have 00:36:57.929 --> 00:37:00.329 been on corrugated or and then uh... they latched 00:37:00.329 --> 00:37:03.650 on with them and not an army navy group and there 00:37:03.650 --> 00:37:06.170 are a few army coast artillery guys to enlist 00:37:06.170 --> 00:37:08.990 the men in the group the rest were officers finally 00:37:08.990 --> 00:37:12.110 a Navy commander who was a graduate of the Naval 00:37:12.110 --> 00:37:14.909 Academy and he graduated with the highest degree 00:37:14.909 --> 00:37:17.309 in mathematics that one of the highest averages 00:37:17.309 --> 00:37:19.230 that I think has ever been achieved there and 00:37:19.230 --> 00:37:21.989 so he was a real intelligent you know great leader 00:37:21.989 --> 00:37:25.090 type and these guys basically put together you 00:37:25.090 --> 00:37:27.849 know an impossible mission type plan you know 00:37:27.849 --> 00:37:30.070 with all their different distinct traits and 00:37:30.070 --> 00:37:36.360 talents all right and so they got out Yes, they 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:39.659 did. They succeeded in getting out, and it was 00:37:39.659 --> 00:37:41.599 one of those remarkable deals where, you know, 00:37:42.039 --> 00:37:44.900 I don't want to tell everyone the whole story. 00:37:45.380 --> 00:37:47.780 Obviously, you want to leave some suspense there. 00:37:48.119 --> 00:37:51.099 But they pulled it off, and they had to trudge 00:37:51.099 --> 00:37:54.360 through the swamp and go through all the previously 00:37:54.360 --> 00:37:58.980 indicated obstacles, and even some that one wouldn't 00:37:58.980 --> 00:38:01.840 even think of before they reached safe territory. 00:38:02.179 --> 00:38:05.400 But luckily for them, they had run into a group 00:38:05.400 --> 00:38:09.219 of Filipino guerrillas, you know, the resistance 00:38:09.219 --> 00:38:11.639 that had formed up as soon as the Japanese began 00:38:11.639 --> 00:38:13.960 to occupy the Philippines and, you know, through 00:38:13.960 --> 00:38:16.800 some unbelievable, you know, an unbelievable 00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:20.340 series or string of fortunate events that we, 00:38:20.460 --> 00:38:22.119 you know, that they'd even said were, you know, 00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:24.880 were without probably divinely inspired, you 00:38:24.880 --> 00:38:26.340 know, that it couldn't have happened any other 00:38:26.340 --> 00:38:28.159 way than if, you know, how these guys got to 00:38:28.159 --> 00:38:30.719 friendly territory, they... They met up with 00:38:30.719 --> 00:38:32.699 individuals there who could take care of them, 00:38:32.900 --> 00:38:34.639 facilitate their transfer, you know, through 00:38:34.639 --> 00:38:37.340 these, you know, jungled areas and all the way 00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:39.519 through the hinterlands of this, you know, wild 00:38:39.519 --> 00:38:42.880 island of Mindanao. And finally, a few months 00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:46.119 later, got in touch with a radio, a shortwave 00:38:46.119 --> 00:38:49.099 radio broadcast. They could dial up General MacArthur 00:38:49.099 --> 00:38:52.159 in Australia. He sent a submarine to get him. 00:38:52.239 --> 00:38:55.320 Easy as that. There you go. Zip zap, he's out. 00:38:55.699 --> 00:38:59.019 Right. But being out wasn't, wasn't, it was probably 00:38:59.019 --> 00:39:01.739 almost more difficult than being in it. It sounds 00:39:01.739 --> 00:39:04.820 like in reading your book and watching your documentary 00:39:04.820 --> 00:39:11.019 and all the other articles about dies and his 00:39:11.019 --> 00:39:14.420 story of when he got home was not, you know, 00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:16.579 he wasn't welcomed with parades and so forth. 00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:21.829 Right. Probably the most important you know Climax 00:39:21.829 --> 00:39:24.030 to the story or you know a closing impact is 00:39:24.030 --> 00:39:26.030 you know when these guys are in this prison camp 00:39:26.030 --> 00:39:28.190 And you know in the genesis for the idea like 00:39:28.190 --> 00:39:30.190 I said it formed you know before they got to 00:39:30.190 --> 00:39:32.329 the penal colony the Alcatraz of the Philippines 00:39:32.329 --> 00:39:34.650 You know they wanted to break out and you know 00:39:34.650 --> 00:39:37.449 when these guys did form this team to get out 00:39:37.449 --> 00:39:40.190 You know it wasn't to save their own skins They 00:39:40.190 --> 00:39:42.730 had a plan that they understood that that the 00:39:42.730 --> 00:39:45.329 rest of the world the free world Outside of the 00:39:45.329 --> 00:39:47.349 others bamboo curtain of the Japanese had drawn 00:39:47.349 --> 00:39:50.389 across the Pacific had no clue of what was going 00:39:50.389 --> 00:39:53.530 on these captured personnel You know way behind 00:39:53.530 --> 00:39:55.929 enemy lines and they figure if they would they 00:39:55.929 --> 00:39:58.070 could get out it was their mission to break the 00:39:58.070 --> 00:40:01.050 news Of the world to the to the above the baton 00:40:01.050 --> 00:40:03.630 death march into these atrocities that the Japanese 00:40:03.630 --> 00:40:05.690 were committing against American as well as you 00:40:05.690 --> 00:40:07.949 know Allied prisoners of war throughout the Far 00:40:07.949 --> 00:40:10.559 East and so they thought that that was their 00:40:10.559 --> 00:40:12.460 that was their number one self -assigned mission 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:14.699 was to get out and break this news to have these 00:40:14.699 --> 00:40:19.420 revelations fire up the american people and uh... 00:40:19.420 --> 00:40:21.699 you know so they they got home you need to think 00:40:21.699 --> 00:40:24.179 while these guys would be big heroes and you 00:40:24.179 --> 00:40:26.980 know ticker tape parades and flash bulbs and 00:40:26.980 --> 00:40:30.079 you know radio shows but you know the u .s. government 00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:33.920 had a different idea of of of you know this story 00:40:33.920 --> 00:40:36.219 and what it should come out and even how it should 00:40:36.219 --> 00:40:38.880 come out And, you know, it was completely opposite 00:40:38.880 --> 00:40:41.699 of, you know, of what Dias and the others thought. 00:40:41.820 --> 00:40:44.820 So, you know, it's really a tragic concluding 00:40:44.820 --> 00:40:46.760 aspect of the story that, you know, that they 00:40:46.760 --> 00:40:49.840 weren't appreciated in many respects that, you 00:40:49.840 --> 00:40:51.920 know, the government muzzled them and threatened 00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:54.340 these guys. You know, so it was, in many ways, 00:40:54.360 --> 00:40:56.840 it was a second imprisonment. You think that 00:40:56.840 --> 00:41:00.960 once you set foot on, you know, the continental 00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:03.260 United States that you had made it and that the 00:41:03.260 --> 00:41:05.980 mission was accomplished, but that was completely 00:41:05.980 --> 00:41:09.909 opposite. Well, you mentioned in your documentary 00:41:09.909 --> 00:41:13.030 and also in some of the other articles is that 00:41:13.030 --> 00:41:16.530 Dias, you know, probably understandably had a 00:41:16.530 --> 00:41:18.849 little bit of post -traumatic stress going on. 00:41:18.949 --> 00:41:22.309 Definitely. And when the government tried to 00:41:22.309 --> 00:41:25.389 shut him down, I think his independent streak 00:41:25.389 --> 00:41:29.530 rose up again. And didn't he, again, we don't 00:41:29.530 --> 00:41:32.190 have to give the whole story away. It's just 00:41:32.190 --> 00:41:35.050 such a great story. But he was trying to get 00:41:35.050 --> 00:41:38.489 this story out. not using the normal channels, 00:41:38.510 --> 00:41:41.309 let's put it that way. Correct. And he was finally 00:41:41.309 --> 00:41:45.409 able to get somebody to interview him. He was 00:41:45.409 --> 00:41:49.730 fortunate in that his wife, her father, her family 00:41:49.730 --> 00:41:52.030 owned was, they were sort of, you know, I'm going 00:41:52.030 --> 00:41:54.469 to say medium moguls, but they own newspapers 00:41:54.469 --> 00:41:57.909 and radio stations in the Midwest and specifically 00:41:57.909 --> 00:42:00.789 in Champaign, Illinois, where she was from. And 00:42:00.789 --> 00:42:02.829 they obviously had connections, you know, in 00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:05.369 the, you know, through different media markets. 00:42:05.610 --> 00:42:08.190 and uh... his wife remembered that you know the 00:42:08.190 --> 00:42:10.949 family connections with the chicago tribune which 00:42:10.949 --> 00:42:13.389 at the time was one of the the biggest newspapers 00:42:13.389 --> 00:42:15.909 in terms of circulation reach but all the associate 00:42:15.909 --> 00:42:19.610 papers owned throughout north america and figured 00:42:19.610 --> 00:42:22.369 this would be the way to get the story out to 00:42:22.369 --> 00:42:25.250 the largest possible audience into achieve the 00:42:25.250 --> 00:42:27.889 desired effect of with diets and his his comrades 00:42:27.889 --> 00:42:31.130 that wanted to have wanted to do and uh... it 00:42:31.130 --> 00:42:33.610 was very fortunate they had those contacts and 00:42:33.610 --> 00:42:37.059 were able to sort of get the process started, 00:42:37.519 --> 00:42:40.539 but again, the US government, the European war 00:42:40.539 --> 00:42:42.820 was most important. We were gearing up for the 00:42:42.820 --> 00:42:46.519 D -Day invasion only a few months later. And 00:42:46.519 --> 00:42:48.519 it was a very tenuous arrangement with Great 00:42:48.519 --> 00:42:50.760 Britain, France, and all these other governments 00:42:50.760 --> 00:42:53.760 in exile. And I think that they successfully 00:42:53.760 --> 00:42:57.400 or probably successfully put two and two together 00:42:57.400 --> 00:42:59.519 that, boy, the American people found out about 00:42:59.519 --> 00:43:02.900 what the Japanese were doing to our troops. And, 00:43:02.900 --> 00:43:06.000 you know, what a horrible, awful theater of war 00:43:06.000 --> 00:43:08.539 this was, that there would be such a huge clamor 00:43:08.539 --> 00:43:12.840 to junk, you know, the whole Allied apple carton 00:43:12.840 --> 00:43:15.840 and, you know, get rid of the Europe first strategy 00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:18.579 and throw the bulk of our resources towards the 00:43:18.579 --> 00:43:21.659 defeat of Japan. And I think they correctly assumed 00:43:21.659 --> 00:43:23.119 that that would be the case. So, in other words, 00:43:23.179 --> 00:43:25.099 this story had to be suppressed at all costs 00:43:25.099 --> 00:43:28.340 because it could sincerely and definitely change 00:43:28.340 --> 00:43:30.500 the course of the war. Well, I think they finally 00:43:30.500 --> 00:43:32.800 ended up... You know, it looks like they ended 00:43:32.800 --> 00:43:36.059 up using it as a, you know, as a PR piece to 00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:39.500 generate, you know, interest in the war and probably 00:43:39.500 --> 00:43:41.820 increase war bonds and how are we going to pay 00:43:41.820 --> 00:43:43.619 for this? We're going to do this to front war. 00:43:43.679 --> 00:43:47.099 We've got to do this. And I'm reading the cover. 00:43:47.179 --> 00:43:49.900 I'm looking at the cover of the Chicago Sunday 00:43:49.900 --> 00:43:52.900 Tribune, it says, and it says, Diasone's story 00:43:52.900 --> 00:43:56.739 tells... Jap torture on Bataan Death March. And 00:43:56.739 --> 00:43:59.260 part of it is that he also mentions that some 00:43:59.260 --> 00:44:00.920 of the headlines, the story trumpeted by the 00:44:00.920 --> 00:44:02.880 War Department is the greatest story of the war 00:44:02.880 --> 00:44:05.920 in the Pacific, the biggest bombshell since Pearl 00:44:05.920 --> 00:44:08.679 Harbor, probably the most important news break 00:44:08.679 --> 00:44:13.019 of the war. And I think I have to agree with 00:44:13.019 --> 00:44:15.260 that. I think we all have these... We all had 00:44:15.260 --> 00:44:17.460 these preconceptions of what we learned in our 00:44:17.460 --> 00:44:19.340 history classes and probably more about what 00:44:19.340 --> 00:44:22.079 we saw in the movies. Right. You know, growing 00:44:22.079 --> 00:44:24.119 up during that time, after that time period. 00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:28.739 I'm not quite that old, but I just can't believe 00:44:28.739 --> 00:44:31.059 that they would stifle this whole thing. I mean, 00:44:31.420 --> 00:44:33.760 this guy was a genuine, you know, we always talk 00:44:33.760 --> 00:44:35.960 about on our program about these ordinary people 00:44:35.960 --> 00:44:38.400 that do extraordinary things. Right. And this 00:44:38.400 --> 00:44:41.400 is what he did. He was just this ordinary guy 00:44:41.400 --> 00:44:45.619 from Texas that And every time something needed 00:44:45.619 --> 00:44:50.519 to be done, he did it. And it's just unfortunate 00:44:50.519 --> 00:44:54.659 that he never really got to bathe in that glory 00:44:54.659 --> 00:44:57.300 of what he had done and what he had accomplished. 00:44:58.239 --> 00:45:01.079 And I think I want to make sure that we tell 00:45:01.079 --> 00:45:03.019 our audience where they can get your books and 00:45:03.019 --> 00:45:05.900 so forth, and especially where they can check 00:45:05.900 --> 00:45:08.460 out that documentary. So you want to give us 00:45:08.460 --> 00:45:11.380 a little information there? Sure, you know, there's 00:45:11.380 --> 00:45:13.820 actually two different websites, two different 00:45:13.820 --> 00:45:21.940 locations, 4 -4 -43 .com. That's the name of 00:45:21.940 --> 00:45:24.320 the documentary. You can just type that into 00:45:24.320 --> 00:45:27.320 your browser. And the two things there, you can 00:45:27.320 --> 00:45:31.940 watch a trailer of the film. I also would like 00:45:31.940 --> 00:45:34.360 to request, if you've been, you know, significantly 00:45:34.360 --> 00:45:36.719 moved by this interview and this discussion, 00:45:36.780 --> 00:45:39.039 there is a petition that we're trying to, you 00:45:39.039 --> 00:45:41.750 know, make the government reconsider Colonel 00:45:41.750 --> 00:45:43.789 Dias' candidacy for the Medal of Honor. He could 00:45:43.789 --> 00:45:45.949 have received it as many as four times. He's 00:45:45.949 --> 00:45:49.590 officially nominated once, but no go on any of 00:45:49.590 --> 00:45:51.909 those, and we're trying to sort of start up. 00:45:51.989 --> 00:45:54.510 It's a grassroots movement of people to, you 00:45:54.510 --> 00:45:56.570 know, to support his candidacy. We're going to 00:45:56.570 --> 00:45:58.150 be getting started with that through different 00:45:58.150 --> 00:46:01.269 politicians in Texas. People are sort of taking 00:46:01.269 --> 00:46:03.889 up this fight, and I'm happy we have a lot of 00:46:03.949 --> 00:46:06.269 you know, sort of famous individuals, Secretary 00:46:06.269 --> 00:46:09.090 of Defense and General James Mattis was probably 00:46:09.090 --> 00:46:11.889 one of the most, you know, enthusiastic backers 00:46:11.889 --> 00:46:14.210 of Colonel Dias. I had a chance to talk to him 00:46:14.210 --> 00:46:17.110 and share Dias' story with him in the documentary. 00:46:17.170 --> 00:46:19.510 He loved it, called me at home and told me, you 00:46:19.510 --> 00:46:21.570 know, these are the kind of guys we need to honor 00:46:21.570 --> 00:46:24.269 and, you know, and really got behind us there. 00:46:24.690 --> 00:46:27.070 But as you know, the way an army fights and the 00:46:27.070 --> 00:46:28.889 way an army wins, it's not always the guys with 00:46:28.889 --> 00:46:30.710 the four stars on their shoulders like Mattis. 00:46:30.869 --> 00:46:34.000 We need the... you know, the grunts and the other 00:46:34.000 --> 00:46:36.539 guys in the trenches here to sign this petition 00:46:36.539 --> 00:46:39.800 and help us out. So I really would make, you 00:46:39.800 --> 00:46:43.420 know, people could sign that, but there's also 00:46:43.420 --> 00:46:46.239 an opportunity you can purchase the film DVDs, 00:46:46.239 --> 00:46:48.539 you know, through that website there. And, you 00:46:48.539 --> 00:46:51.079 know, all the proceeds go towards this mission 00:46:51.079 --> 00:46:53.679 and, you know, to sort of help our lobbying efforts 00:46:53.679 --> 00:46:56.139 and, you know, to get him this award that he 00:46:56.139 --> 00:46:59.340 genuinely deserves. Well, I totally agree with 00:46:59.340 --> 00:47:02.510 you and, you know, that just The things that 00:47:02.510 --> 00:47:04.789 he did is, you know, he should be a part of our 00:47:04.789 --> 00:47:07.190 Medal of Honor series that we have out there, 00:47:07.210 --> 00:47:09.409 and we're going to encourage everybody we know 00:47:09.409 --> 00:47:12.210 to support and sign that petition. And we know 00:47:12.210 --> 00:47:14.989 we have a Medal of Honor recipient in our local 00:47:14.989 --> 00:47:17.710 area from the Vietnam era. It took almost 40 00:47:17.710 --> 00:47:19.730 years for him to get upgraded to the Medal of 00:47:19.730 --> 00:47:24.579 Honor. So we know how difficult it can be. Wow. 00:47:24.940 --> 00:47:26.780 And also, what about the book? So, where do we 00:47:26.780 --> 00:47:29.440 get the book? The book is pretty much available, 00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:31.960 you know, to use a war film, Casablanca, all 00:47:31.960 --> 00:47:34.340 the usual suspects. You can go online to Amazon, 00:47:34.659 --> 00:47:37.300 places like that, Barnes and Noble bookstores. 00:47:37.480 --> 00:47:40.460 Or folks, if they would like a specially inscribed 00:47:40.460 --> 00:47:43.719 signed copy, they can log on to my website, which 00:47:43.719 --> 00:47:48.760 is my name, John, J -O -H -N -D, as in Douglas. 00:47:54.480 --> 00:47:58.820 I can get a signed copy which are great gifts 00:47:58.820 --> 00:48:03.179 as well as the DVD for Father's Day and graduations 00:48:03.179 --> 00:48:05.980 and things like that coming up. But again, it's 00:48:05.980 --> 00:48:07.719 not just all about making money, it's trying 00:48:07.719 --> 00:48:10.380 to get Colonel Dias' story out and that way more 00:48:10.380 --> 00:48:13.059 people... sort of know about this guy that no 00:48:13.059 --> 00:48:15.139 one's heard of, you know, this great untold story 00:48:15.139 --> 00:48:18.460 and great untold hero. Absolutely, John. I hear 00:48:18.460 --> 00:48:21.500 the orchestra coming up under me. So I've got 00:48:21.500 --> 00:48:23.139 to thank you very much for being on Veterans 00:48:23.139 --> 00:48:25.739 Radio, and we will be in touch with you to help 00:48:25.739 --> 00:48:29.460 promote Kadaius more. Thank you very much. It 00:48:29.460 --> 00:48:31.119 was great to be on. I really appreciate it, and 00:48:31.119 --> 00:48:32.579 I want to thank you and your audience as well. 00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:34.579 Thank you. Thank you. And you are dismissed.