Jim Fisher wrote:

"Maule Driver" wrote in message Related?
The book starts with a sweeping historical look at
Samurai culture and fuedal Japan

I don't see the relationship. Did George Sr. train to be a Samurai or what?
How 'bout some details?

Japan's culture was an isolated fuedal society until the mid-1800s, when Perry
"opened up" Japan. In that culture, Samurai were warriors with a sense of honor
very much like the idealized image of the western knight. Admiral Perry's
mission was basically to claim territory for the U.S. that would allow us to
set up coaling stations for our fleet and to open up trade markets with Japan,
since England had Chinese markets pretty much locked up. The War Between the
States interfered with any followup mission, however, so all Perry did was wake
Japan up.

One of the places Perry "claimed" was an island named Chichi Jima. Several years
later, Japanese navy vessels showed up there, ran the American settlers off, and
set up a military base. This island became an important communications center in
WWII.

Breezing over a lot of history, what we wound up with in the late 30s was a
Japan that had a very modern military force, albeit somewhat small, with some
very archaic ideas. Most of these ideas were corruptions of the old Samurai
attitudes. One idea was that an army's ability was a function of its size,
multiplied by the spirit of its troops. France had something of the same idea
in WWI, and it got millions of Frenchmen killed. This gave the Japanese top
brass the idea that they could win against anything, since the then-modern
Samurai were the only troops in the world to have the "correct spirit".

Part of the old Samurai code that continued was the idea that surrender was out
of the question. A fighter who allowed himself to be captured was much less than
human. Japanese would almost always commit suicide if the only alternative was
capture.

Many aerial attcks were launched against Chichi Jima late in the war (about the
period of the assault on nearby Iwo Jima). George Bush, Sr. was shot down by AA
fire during such an attack. Fortunately for him, he was picked up by a U.S. sub
before the Japanese could reach him. His story is a relatively small part of
the book, as it should be. Most other airmen taken captive by the troops on
Chichi Jima did not survive. The commanding officer became desperate to instill
more fighting spirit in his officers and troops and consistently had POWs
decapitated. In some cases, parts of the bodies were eaten by the officers in
sort of a throwback to the superstition that this would pass the victim's
strength to the diner.

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."