THE GREAT RAID - "Ted Kennedy, that is torture; you shut the hell up!" yelled in theatre

dfu | 8-27-05 | dfu

[doug from upland]

"The Great Raid" was a very enjoyable, stirring, and patriotic movie about heroic Americans and Filipinos in WW II. It was the most successful raid of prisoners in our history.

Some idiot at the end of the movie yelled out in the movie theatre -- "That's torture, Ted Kennedy; you shut the hell up!" Yes, that idiot would, of course, be yours truly. No wonder Mrs. DFU usually wants to avoid going to movie theatres with me and would rather rent them. I can't blame her. And during the last presidential campaign, she cringed when I demanded that the waitress remove the Heinz Ketchup and replace it with a bottle of W Ketchup. And let's not forget that she didn't want to ride in my car with all the magnetic stickers. Other than that, we get along wonderfully. Well, almost. She has warned me that if I am ever arrested at a FReep, she won't bail me out.

SEE THE TRAILER

From director John Dahl comes the stirring true story of one of the most spectacular rescue missions ever to take place in American history: "the great raid on Cabanatuan," the daring exploit that would liberate more than 500 U.S. Prisoners of War in the face of overwhelming odds. A gripping depiction of human resilience, the film vividly brings to life the personal courage and audacious heroism that allowed a small but stoic band of World War II soldiers to attempt the impossible in the hopes of freeing their captured brothers.

Once a tale shared across the United States, the long-lost story of THE GREAT RAID has been recreated with meticulous authenticity to pay testimony to the many different people, from U.S. commanders to Filipino soldiers to women aid workers to the POWs themselves, who played a part in turning this time of intense hardship and unrelenting danger into a moment of inspiration.

[Prince Caspian]

I'm just kiddin' ya. I can't debate you on either book or movie, having read/seen neither. But a book is always richer and more complete than the movie. And it's not really fair to compare them. A movie can never plumb the same depths as a book. It is, after all, a commercial endeavor, and thereby subject to unique fiscal, marketing, packaging, and "entertainment" constraints unlike those imposed on the written account.

[Tatze]

Just curious, was there any reaction from the other people in the theater?

[darth]

Saw it tonight and loved it. Dragged the wife and my sister who also enjoyed it. I understand the need for Hollyweird to sex it up in order to sell women on seeing it. My biggest bitch is the jingling and clanking when the Rangers moved. I've been around real Rangers; they moved in the dark like ghosts. HOOAAH!

[sauropod]

Hey, what other FReeper husband has taken his wife on 5+ quilt runs all over hell and back?

You could always set fire to the quilts...

[doug from upland]

I think we'd get along just great.

[doug from upland]

I was surprised but there was no reaction. I think the people we enjoying too much the old video in the crawl at the end. The theatre was about 1/3 to 1/2 full.

When INDEPENDENCE DAY came out, I did good reaction from people when I yelled "Adios Billy Boy" when the White House was blown up by the alien invaders.

[NRA2BFree]

Ping!

[pbear8]

The Japanese used panties too?

The fiends!!!

[Last Dakotan]

I saw it too, just because one of the great freedoms we have as Americans is how we spend our money.

While the movie portrayed the Japanese as ruthless savages they could have done much more and still been within historical accuracy. Sadly the Japanese have never been held fully to account for the atrocities committed during the war.

[billnaz]

Yesterday my wife and I went to see "The Great Raid," the first time we've been to the movies in about a year.

We both enjoyed the film. Yes, it might have been better had it been done by someone like Mel Gibson, but at least it was made, which is very surprising considering the garbage that Hollywood usually throws our way.

Some years ago I had occasion to do extensive research on the treatment of American prisoners of war by the Japanese. In the course of the research I interviewed and corresponded with a number of former prisoners, most of whom had spent time at Cabanatuan. The brutality shown in the film is tame compared to what really happened.

I was impressed with the way the men of the 6th Ranger Battalion were depicted. There were no Rambos, no reluctant warriors ridden with angst, no misfits, just ordinary soldiers who were given a dangerous mission. Each one of them picked up his ruck, got on the truck, and completed the mission with honor. Know what else I liked about the movie? The only "exit strategy" they cared about was getting the prisoners back safely to American lines after liberating them.

[doug from upland]

The following is Colonel Eugene Holmes's September 1992 affidavit concerning Bill Clinton and the draft.


Colonel Eugene Holmes is a highly decorated officer of the United States Army. He is a survivor of the Bataan Death March and three and a half years as a POW of the Japanese. He served 32 years in the army before retiring with 100% disability. His decorations include the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Legions of Merit, the Army Commendation Medal and many others. During the Vietnam War, he personally inducted both his sons into the service--one for 3 years as a regular army enlisted man, and the other as a commissioned officer (after he had completed ROTC training).

---

There have been many unanswered questions as to the circumstances surrounding Bill Clinton's involvement with the ROTC department at the University of Arkansas. Prior to this time I have not felt the necessity for discussing the details. The reason I have not done so before is that my poor physical health (a consequence of participation in the Battan Death March and the subsequent three and a half years interment in Japanese POW camps) has precluded me from getting into what I felt was unnecessary involvement. However, present polls show that there is the imminent danger to our country of a draft dodger becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States. While it is true, as Mr. Clinton has stated, that there were many others who avoided serving their country in the Vietnam war, they are not aspiring to be the President of the United States.

The tremendous implications of the possibility of his becoming Commander-in-Chief of the United States Armed Forces compels me now to comment on the facts concerning Mr. Clinton's evasion of the draft. This account would not have been imperative had Bill Clinton been completely honest with the American public concerning this matter. But as Mr. Clinton replied on a news conference this evening (September 5, 1992) after being asked another particular about his dodging the draft, "Almost everyone concerned with these incidents are dead. I have no more comments to make". Since I may be the only person living who can give a first hand account of what actually transpired, I am obligated by my love for my country and my sense of duty to divulge what actually happened and make it a matter of record.

Bill Clinton came to see me at my home in 1969 to discuss his desire to enroll in the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas. We engaged in an extensive, approximately two (2) hour interview. At no time during this long conversation about his desire to join the program did he inform me of his involvement, participation and actually organizing protests against the United States involvement in South East Asia. He was shrewd enough to realize that had I been aware of his activities, he would not have been accepted into the ROTC program as a potential officer in the United States Army.

The next day I began to receive phone calls regarding Bill Clinton's draft status. I was informed by the draft board that it was of interest to Senator Fullbright's office that Bill Clinton, a Rhodes Scholar, should be admitted to the ROTC program. I received several such calls. The general message conveyed by the draft board to me was that Senator Fullbright's office was putting pressure on them and that they needed my help. I then made the necessary arrangements to enroll Mr. Clinton into the ROTC program at the University of Arkansas.

I was not "saving" him from serving his country, as he erroneously thanked me for in his letter from England (dated December 3, 1969). I was making it possible for a Rhodes Scholar to serve in the military as an officer. In retrospect I see that Mr. Clinton had no intention of following through with his agreement to join the Army ROTC program at the University of Arkansas or to attend the University of Arkansas Law School. I had explained to him the necessity of enrolling at the University of Arkansas as a student in order to be eligible to take the ROTC program at the University. He never enrolled at the University of Arkansas, but instead enrolled at Yale after attending Oxford. I believe that he purposely deceived me, using the possibility of joining the ROTC as a ploy to work with the draft board to delay his induction and get a new draft classification.

The December 3rd letter written to me by Mr. Clinton, and subsequently taken from the files by Lt. Col. Clint Jones, my executive officer, was placed into the ROTC files so that a record would be available in case the applicant should again petition to enter the ROTC program. The information in that letter alone would have restricted Bill Clinton from ever qualifying to be an officer in the United States Military. Even more significant was his lack of veracity in purposefully defrauding the military by deceiving me, both in concealing his anti-military activities overseas and his counterfeit intentions for later military service. These actions cause me to question both his patriotism and his integrity. When I consider the calabre, the bravery, and the patriotism of the fine young soldiers whose deaths I have witnessed, and others whose funerals I have attended.... When I reflect on not only the willingness but eagerness that so many of them displayed in their earnest desire to defend and serve their country, it is untenable and incomprehensible to me that a man who was not merely unwilling to serve his country, but actually protested against its military, should ever be in the position of Commander-in-Chief of our armed Forces.

I write this declaration not only for the living and future generations, but for those who fought and died for our country. If space and time permitted I would include the names of the ones I knew and fought with, and along with them I would mention my brother Bob, who was killed during World War II and is buried in Cambridge, England (at the age of 23, about the age Bill Clinton was when he was over in England protesting the war). I have agonized over whether or not to submit this statement to the American people. But, I realize that even though I served my country by being in the military for over 32 years, and having gone through the ordeal of months of combat under the worst of conditions followed by years of imprisonment by the Japanese, it is not enough. I'm writing these comments to let everyone know that I love my country more than I do my own personal security and well-being. I will go to my grave loving these United States of America and the liberty for which so many men have fought and died. Because of my poor physical condition this will be my final statement. I will make no further comments to any of the media regarding this issue.

Eugene Holmes

[Valpal1]

So shouting out in theatres is really just a form of payback? Or is it therapy for shopping trauma?

[doug from upland]

It was just something I have to occasional do if the opportunity is right. It is not a regular practice. I know the history, and seeing the reminder of what the Japanese did to our men was sickening. That was real torture. And then I thought of the bloated, drunk, killer, lifeguard and what he has said about our troops. I couldn't contain myself. His water torture comment was priceless.

[RaceBannon]

At the beginning of the movie, I actually shouted out THATS WHY WE NUKED YOU!!

[TruthFactor]

I think Col. Tibbits delivered a measure of accountabilty to the Japanese. But, I agree.

Hollywood finds it difficult to give the full truth about our enemies for fear of offending and making them look too bad.

[R. Scott]

Hey, what other FReeper husband has taken his wife on 5+ quilt runs all over hell and back?

What pray tell is a “quilt run”?

[wildwood]

oh, now, come on....that is all dealt with in the prince interview...any adaptation has variances...i didn't think the so-called tension between mucci and prince was anything extraordinary in the movie and their affection for one another was pretty clear.

movies are a funny thing, ya know...i LOVED the lord of the rings trilogy, and yet one interviewer i hear on the radio gave the first film a d, because it was too complicated with too many characters.

imagine...an epic film with too many characters. that film reviewer went on to give cat in the hat a b plus...go figure...

i thought the love story was pretty stupid in the great raid...you never really understood where it came from.

that's hollywood though. did you read that article a week or so ago by the screenwriter confessing he was a republican, and how incredibly ill informed and stupid the people with whom he works are? how they want to pc everything so it fits into their world view? they don't understand true patriotism or nobility.

i loved the great raid....and wish we had more movies like it, flaws and all.

[solzhenitsyn]

Thanks for speaking up, Doug!

[LS]

BTW, did you know that the Japanese took some 95 civilian contractors at Wake Island and executed all of them after they forced the civilians to make their defenses? Excellent book, "Pacific Alamo," by Wukovits.

[pabianice]

Best movie I've seen in years. I highly recommend it.