Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

I am extremely glad I chose this book to read to kick off my Read 50 Books in 2015 challenge.  Interestingly enough this story was based on actual historical facts and is supposed to make the story that much more real.  As I read through this book I still can't believe the stuff that I read that happened in the war.   This may be one of my longer blog posts. It's because there is just so much to say related to this book.

I am going to start off with this YouTube video video that I found online which wraps up in a little over 3 minutes the gist of the book.  If you're into history and particularly the Philippines and its involvement in World War 2 this is a must read.  My only disappointment is that I didn't read it until now.

Bataan Death March
60,000-80,000 Filipino & American Prisoners of War

The Japanese Soldiers were trained to never surrender if they were captured they had to commit suicide for in their mindset surrendering to the enemy shows you have no honor.  The book highlights how the Japanese were notorious for making decisions despite new information and conditions they never diverted from their plan.  Even when they discovered that their calculations were off of how many prisoners they would acquire they did not change course and still tried to move the prisoners at the same expected pace with the same quantity of food and medicine.  Even when hoards of their troops were being obliterated by the Filipino Guerrillas they just kept sending groups of them over the same bridge.

In September of 1941, 1800 soldiers from New Mexico were sent to the Philippines.  In memory of the fallen soldiers every year he Bataan Memorial Death March is held in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico which is approximately 27 miles long.

One of the leaders that made an impression with me was Henry Mucci who was the Colonel of the United States Army Rangers.  He was the type of leader who was described as intense yet his soldiers had no problem following him for they knew that Mucci would never ask them to do something he was not willing to do himself.  He was not the smartest only ranking #264 out of 276 in his class but he was very influential and had the ability to successfully motivate and lead his soldiers.

There is one detail in this book that still haunts me even after I finished reading. I consider it worse than the prologue where Hampton Sides writes about how 150 men were told to dig their own trenches for protection for air raids. 50 men could fit in each trench if they crawled in and kept their knees to their faces.  The Japanese Lieutenant ordered the men to crawl in the trenches which they hesitantly did so and promptly lit the trenches on fire with flame and gasoline.  For those that didn't die from the fire unsuccessfully escaped were killed.  No the other part that I personally thought was worse was when Sides wrote about the pregnant Filipina.  She was handing out cassava cakes to the prisoners as they marched through.  A Japanese guard saw this and dragged her near a tree and gouged her fetus out of her right there for everyone to see with hit bayonet.

"The only thing needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke

How can someone do this?  Out of fear for their own lives the prisoners felt they couldn't do anything to save that woman.  How can one have so much hate that in their mind an act like this would be ok in honor of their country?   I suppose this is nothing new and can still be found happening today, but what can we do?

20/20 Vision - Part 2: Update on Large Optic Nerves Situation

Starting on a somewhat different topic though I have to ask: How early do you typically get to your appointments?

See, my appointment wasn't until 11AM today but I was in the parking lot by 10:45AM.  I decided to waste 5 minutes seeking advice from Google, and I asked this question.  Apparently 15 minutes is the majority of responses but one person made an interesting point when he said that he usually arrives promptly at the time that his appoint is set for.  He said that he has NEVER been called to a doctor's appointment earlier because of other people being late there is no point in coming in earlier than promptly.  For the record, I agree with him.  Yes, you want to make time just in case you hit traffic or anything but once you're in the parking lot there really is no rush to get signed in.

I wish I had something more exciting to report but my eyes are fine.  She said that although the optic nerves are larger than normal based on the optic fibers around the nerve and comparing it to others' who have done the same test - my eyes are just fine.  At this time there is no need to worry about Glaucoma or any eye problems.

Quick Road Trip Tips

This weekend we tackled a five hour road trip to Simi Valley.  We've done long trips before such as from Dallas to Boston and Dallas to New Orleans.  So from Monterey to Simi Valley we really thought the 4 hours and 58 minutes (according to my Blackberry's built in GPS Map App) was going to be a breeze.  Long story short there are some things that I would have changed which we learned quickly from and applied it to our trip back. So articles out there tell you the big things like secure home and belongings for when you're away, call your credit card companies so your purchases aren't flagged, etc but what most articles don't tell you are the little things you might overlook.

Sharon's Quick Road Trip Tips

1. Check your check listDo not leave the OBVIOUS things off of your list because there is a chance you'd forget them. For me, it was dog food and my hair brush. Check your checklist make sure everything is on there even the obvious items -better safe than sorry!
2. Have a full tank before departure
   So you think since driving mostly on the highway there are plenty of gas stations on the way. This may be your mentality when you've got a half full tank - ignore that voice in your head and fill it up anyway!  There is nothing more annoying and nerve wracking driving on a long stretch of road with no signs of civilization with that darn indicator screaming at you because it's touching the letter E.  If you don't know what I'm talking about you don't drive your car or you're just too awesome that you have never put yourself in a position to worry about an empty tank.
3. Pack snacks & Water
   We could have saved about $50 on quick splurges on the road if we had just eaten before we left and packed snacks and had plenty of water.  My husband grabbed 4 cans of coconut water and on my shift alone of 2 and half hours of driving we finished 3 of them and I was dying for water!
4. Have your playlists ready
   It is actually quite frustrating channel surfing as you are trying to maneuver around drivers who do not understand the concept of "Slower Traffic Move to the Right."  ...and what the heck is up with drivers passing you only to slow down in front of you?   On the way back the hubby and I came to a compromise I let him listen to his news and talk radio while he is driving and he let me rock out to my Backstreet Boys playlist.
   
   
   The drive back was a heck of a lot easier with food in our stomachs and the sun shining bright. =)

French Afternoon Snack

I ordered two items from a local Monterey French bakery called Parker-Lusseau Pastries.  These two items I tried for the very first time: an Americano and a Pithivier.  An Americano from my understanding is a shot of espresso with hot water added to it.

We had a great time this weekend - we hung out with my brother David and sister-in-law Julie.  They introduced us to the French press which we will probably acquire some time soon because the coffee we had tasted really good.  It reminded me a lot of the Americano.

 Pithivier is pronounced (Pity-vee-eh) and it is a pastry with almond filling.  The shop attendant (maybe owner? I neglected to verify this) mentioned that rum was one of the ingredients as well. I could taste a hint of the rum but I imagine most of the alcohol evaporated during the baking process. The outside had a flakey consistency like a baklava but overall it wasn't as sweet as a baklava.  I enjoyed this afternoon dessert, will probably get it again some time.

Frameless 20/20 Vision - Contact Lenses

I finally got around to doing my eye exam the other day.  It's been three years since my last one.  My prescription went from -1.25 and -1.75 to -2.00 and -2.25, oh gosh I am getting more blind!  They were actually really nice at EYE MD at Ryan Ranch. Jennifer K. Sablad was very personable. I felt like she was genuinely willing to listened to me.  It made sense when she told me that she recommends I use daily contact lenses since I don't plan on wearing them so often.  In the long run I can save more money because a 30 day supply could possibly last me at least 60 days just depending on my usage.  She also mentioned that we probably need to look closer at my eyes because it appears that I have a larger than typical optic nerve.   She said that my insurance will probably cover it most likely, they just need to get permission first and she'll let me know when they get approval. It could be totally normal and something that I was born with or if it gets worse something that we really need to address because people with large optic nerves tend to develop Glaucoma

She gave me these free samples to try this weekend. I'm supposed to decide which one works better for me. There is about $1 difference between the two so price is really not a factor at this point. I've been using the 1-Day Acuvue Moist with Lacreon which I am finding extremely comfortable so far. I forgot what brand I used to have over a year ago but they were the type I could use for a week.  Compared to those these are really thin. I had a hard time at first getting them in because it's been so long.  Removing them though is an absolute breeze.  Next I will try the Dailies AquaComfort Plus - I will update this post after I try them for a couple of days and let you know what I decide to get.

Update:
I decided to get the 1-Day Acucue Moist with Lacreon.  There is not a huge difference between the two but I find that applying and removing these are better than the AquaComfort Plus.  They both felt good once they were on my eye - totally doesn't feel like they are there at all.