Ernest Gordon:
Lt. Jim Reardon, Merchant Marine, one of the few Americans in the area, attached himself to the Argyles during the Allied surrender. We called him "Yanker," because he was an American - and a bit of a wanker.
Ernest Gordon:
When you surrender in war, you're stripped of your dignity as a soldier. And all you've got left is your fellow comrades, many of whom you've just met.
Dr. Coates:
[
examining newly arrived POWs] Relish your health now, gentlemen: it's the last you'll see of it.
Primrose:
[
to new arrivals] Officers, try to keep your shirt *on*. It'll distinguish you from the grunts, which is about the *only* thing that's keeping us from degenerating into a bloody anarchy.
Dr. Coates:
[
to a freshly-beaten Gordon] Ah. Looks like you didn't bow. Always bow before a guard, Korean or Jap. And *never* look 'em in the eyes when they pass you: that's pure defiance. Always look away. Rules of Bushido.
Lt. Jim Reardon:
Bushido?
Dr. Coates:
Yeah. Their kind of chivalry. Respect and obligation. If you don't respect them, they feel obligated to beat you. Nothing personal.
Ernest Gordon:
Well, it sure as bloody hell feels personal.
Dr. Coates:
Yeah, well, it works both ways. They do the same to their own.
Lt. Jim Reardon:
Now there's a comfort.
Lt. Jim Reardon:
Colonel, I've been watching these Nips. There's never more than a handful of 'em guarding the perimeter at any given time. And they're not watching very closely. It just doesn't make sense to me unless...
McLean:
Unless what?
Dr. Coates:
Well, unless every prisoner's been caught or died in a thousand miles of hostile jungle. Unless the local villagers are willing to turn in a POW for a bowl of rice. Unless - escape is impossible.
Related Links
*
