Soldier sacrificed to save troops from being buried alive in WWII

Soldier sacrificed to save troops from being buried alive in WWII

The Villa Verde Trail, a 27-mile path in northern Luzon, Manila, was a narrow, densely vegetated mountain path. Deeply entrenched along this trail was elements of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita’s Shobu fighting force — 8,000 well-trained, disciplined and fanatical soldiers of within the Japanese army. The trail intersected Highway 5, a major Japanese highway and supply route. To eliminate the Japanese from Villa Verde would help to secure one of the fe…