The History Lesson
This week in 1972, an amazing discovery was made on the island of Guam. On January 24th, 1972, Shoichi Yokoi — rose from the dead. In a manner of speaking. See, Yokoi was a Sergeant in Japan’s Imperial Army during World War Two. And he was killed in action in 1944, when U.S. Troops decimated Japanese forces in Guam.
Cut to 28 years later. A couple of locals were hunting in the Guamanian mountains — when they came upon a skinny, bearded old man by a river. Surprised, he attacked them, so they clobbered him and hauled him down to the local cops.
You guessed it — it was Sergeant Yokoi. He hadn’t been killed he’d been living in a cave for almost three decades. His diet? Fruit, frogs, snails and rats. His clothes? He made himself, out of tree bark. His only other possessions were an embroidered belt from his mother and a Japanese flag.
Yokoi had known for years that the war was over. But like all imperial soldiers, he’d been taught that surrender was worse than death. His first words after being sent home to Japan? Quote: “I am ashamed that I have returned alive.”
The Japanese gave Yokoi a hero’s welcome. They showered him with gifts and cash, and 6 months after his homecoming, he got married. Until his death in 1997, he gave lectures about living simply. He once suggested golf courses should be plowed over and planted with beans.
The Booze
Yokoi’s Green Scene
RECIPE by Jeff Pleadman of Jeff’s Pirate Cove in Guam:
Ingredients:
In a mixing glass, add:
– 1.5 oz. Spiced rum
– .5 oz. Midori melon liquer
– 3 oz. pineapple juice
– 1 oz. sweet and sour mix
– 8 oz. crushed ice
– splash of milk
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend. Pour into a 16 oz glass. Warning: Drink slowly or risk behaving like you haven’t interacted with your fellow humans for 28 years.
