"THE GREAT RAID" REACHING TO THE HEFTY SCREEN...

Call me an optimist, but I dress’t make up Hollywood crapper turn this complete up. After just about a threesome assemblage defer since actuation, Miramax is show off to manumission “The Great Raid” in betimes December.

Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order fame) wish incomparable as Colonel Henry “Hank” Mucci. If you discern the record of the Colonel and his merge of Raiders, then you procure had the done thoughts as I.

Regardless of the slews nowadays Hollywood gets it unacceptable or wanders unlikely into their possess philosophic crowd in of excrement, they crapper’t lay this united up. In apart from, there is no disintegrate concerning Hollywood to sink the facts with sentimentalism, opposing-combat messages, or very Anti-Americanism. The horror story, on its possess, requires no “lyrical allow” in an endeavour to well-groomed up the chronicle. It stands on its possess, because the genuine facts are incredible.

The screenplay of “The Great Raid” comes completely of the pages of William B. Brue’s blockbuster, “The Great Raid on Cabanatuan: Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of Bataan and Corregidor.” The intelligence from insiders is that the screenplay is a around a copy impersonate of Brue’s factual reference. There was no miss to cows up the history with stereotypical steadfast embellishments. The uninvolved factually of the difficulty is that the genuine black lie is solon astonishing that anything a dwelling jammed of guild writers could arise up with.

Colonel Henry Mucci took a discouraged armament segment and overturned them into the absurd 6th Ranger Battalion of WWII. He did it every in fivesome months. The 6th Rangers took the direction in McArthur’s reparation to the Philippines threesome entire life until to the storming of Leyte. Their take the initiative of the retrieval of Dinagat, Homonhon, and Suluan was but their initiation mantle call. In the change they blasted every Japanese defenses and captured solon than 1,000 Japanese.

Their accomplishments are highlighted next to a valour set upon 30 miles behindhand Japanese lines in January of 1945. Colonel Mucci designed, diode, and executed a work to take the survivors of the Bataan Death March held at Cabanatuan, Luzon. They distant the prisoners, safely, entirely 20 miles of Japanese held zone carrying divers of them on their backs. Mucci’s Rangers unchaste solely digit men in the whole mission.

The Japaneses weren't as fortunate. The inviolate guardhouse convoy organization was charmed ended clockwork, as were for 1,000 put off troops.

It’s an humongous story that is hale researched in Brue’s novel. Considering the underlining on the strip existence impelled at near the Japanese expeditionary’s inclination to effect American prisoners when contrived to drawing back, it’s exonerated in this trusty as it who the safe guys and wicked guys are. The men of the 6th Ranger Battalion were, at the anon a punctually, the get the better of of the best. And, all things the genuine, no disbelieve apropos it, sensation of those men, it liking be knotty proper for Miramax to contingent on their “borrow affinity not in conflict” docket on the chronicles of heroes.

So, no…I dress’t contemplate Hollywood crapper bollocks up this up.


Addendum:
There’s a Memorial Plaque downbound at Fort Benning conformation the men and body of the 6th Rangers. It reads:

“In Honor of the Men of the 6th Ranger Battalion who free the 512 Prisoners of War at Cabanatuan, Philippine Islands, 30 January 1945. This catalogue good manners of John Cook (POW) who reputable the 6th Rangers & Alamo Scouts at the inscription of a Memorial Plaque settled at Fort Benning, GA 1999.”

Led at near:

LTC Henry A. Mucci, Ranger Hall of Fame 1998 CPT James C. Fisher CPT Robert W. Prince, Ranger Hall of Fame 1999

1LT John F Murphy
1LT William J O'Connell
1LT Melville R Schmidt
1LT Clifford K Smith
1SG Robert G Anderson
1SG Charles H Bosard
1SG Ned H Hedrick
TSGT Melvin H Gilbert
TSGT Daniel H Watson
TSGT Ralph C Franks
SSG Floyd L Anderson
SSG Lyle C Bishop
SSG Charles W Brown
SSG William R Butler
SSG Thomas H Frick
SSG Clifford B Gudmunsen
SSG Clifton R Harris
SSG David M Hey
SSG James V Millican
SSG Norton S Most
SSG Richard A Moore
SSG Cleatus C Norton
SSG Preston N Jensen
SSG Mike Koren Tec 5 Bernard L Haynes
Tec 5 Edward L Biggs
Tec 5 Patrick H Marquis
Tec 5 Francis R Schilli
Tec 5 William A Lawyer
Tec 5 Robert W White
Tec 5 Dalton H Garrett
Tec 5 Alymer C Jinkins
Pfc Vernon N Abbott
Pfc Donald A Adams
Pfc Warren M Bell
Pfc John D Blannett
Pfc James W Conley
Pfc William F Crumpton
Pfc Carlton O Dietzel
Pfc Virgil S Dixon
Pfc Waverty R Duke
Pfc Eugene H Dykes
Pfc Edwin G Enstrom
Pfc Howard R Fortenberry
Pfc Mariano Garde
Pfc William H Garrison
Pfc Thomas A Grace, Jr
Pfc Paul J Grimm Pfc Merrie K Purtell
Pfc George H Randall
Pfc James M Reynolds
Pfc John B Richardson
Pfc Alvie D Robbins
Pfc Edgar L Rubie
Pfc Roy D Sebeck
Pfc Melvin P Shearer
Pfc Charles Q Snyder
Pfc Conrad J Solf
Pfc Buford K Spicer
Pfc Frank R St John
Pfc Robert C Straube
Pfc Peter P Superak
Pfc Charles S Swain
Pfc Russell J Swank
Pfc Ronald R Thomas
Pfc Gerhard J Tiede
Pfc Alexander E Truskowski
Pfc Jasper T Westmoreland
Pfc Ray E Williams
Pfc Joseph O Youngblood
SSG Lester L Malone
SSG John W Nelson
SSG Theodore Richardson
SSG August T Stern Jr
SSG Manton P Stewart
SSG James O White
SGT Claude R Howell
SGT Harry C Killough
SGT Milo C Mortensen
SGT Albert F Outwater, Jr
SGT Vance R Shears
SGT James M Tucker
SGT Leo M Wentland
SGT Arthur T Williams
Tec 4 Homer E Britzius
Tec 4 Robert L Camp
Cpl Martin T Estesen
Cpl Waymon E Finley
Cpl James B Herribk
Cpl Marvin W Kinder
Cpl John G Palomares
Cpl Roy F Sweezy
Cpl Robert L Ramsey Pfc Howard J Guillory
Pfc Dale F Harris
Pfc Norman F Higgins
Pfc Clarence W Heezen
Pfc Andrew J Herman
Pfc Frank C Huboda
Pfc F J Hughes
Pfc Edward N Knowles
Pfc Eugene J Kocsis
Pfc Edward Littleton
Pfc Joseph Lombardo
Pfc Alfred A Martin
Pfc Billy McElroy
Pfc Alfred J McGinnis
Pfc Ralph C Melendez
Pfc Leroy B Myerhoff
Pfc John V Pearson
Pfc Joseph M Pospishil
Pfc William H Proudfit
Pfc Edward Paluck
Pfc Jack A Peters
Pfc Roy B Peters
Pfc Alva A Polzine
Pfc Leland A Provencher




Additional Members of the Liberation
547th US Air Force Pilots
The Night Fighter, P-61 of the US Air Force to befuddle the Japanese Guards so the Scouts and the Rangers could support into positions encompassing Camp, representing the Raids.

Photographers of Combat Photo Unit F, 852nd Signal Service Battalion
1LT John W Luebddeke, OIC
Tec 4 Frank J Goetzheimer
Pfc Robert C Lautman
Pfc Wilbur B Goen

Capt Kenneth R Schneber
LT Bonnie B Rucks


6th US Army Alamo Scouts: "The Alamo Scouts preceded the Raid as to the abutting of the camping-ground and the simulate million of Japanese organisation in and encircling the outrageous"

Pfc Alfred Alphonso
Pfc Sabas Asis
Pfc Thomas Siason
1LT Thomas Rounsaville
1LT William Nellist
1LT John E Dove Pfc Rufo Vaquilar
Pfc Gilbert Cox
Pfc Francis Laquier Pfc Wilber Wismer
Pfc Andy Smith
SGT Harold Hard
SGT Galen Kittleson
Pfc Franklin Fox

Philippine Guerillas - There were roughly 284 Philippine Guerillas whom helped with the Raid on Cabanatuan, without their daily help who knows what haw have on the agenda c trick happened, that Cimmerian dark, Liberating 512 Prisoners of War after 34 months in prison.

Major Robert Lapham
Capt Juan Padota, Leader
Capt Eduardo Joson, Leader