--- title: "Today in military history: WW2 soldier found in Guam 27 years after war" date: "2022-01-24" modified: "2022-01-24" authors: - name: "Team Mighty" job_title: "Author" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-ww2-soldier-found-in-guam-27-years-after-war/" categories: - "History" --- # Today in military history: WW2 soldier found in Guam 27 years after war ![A black and white portrait of a man in a military uniform and cap is on the left side. On the right side, there is a close-up of a dugout entrance reinforced with vertical bamboo poles, surrounded by soil and small plants.]() On Jan. 24, 1972, a Japanese World War II soldier was found in the jungles of Guam after hiding there for 28 years. Shoichi Yokoi, a lance corporal in the Japanese Army during the second World War, was on the island of Guam when U.S. forces stormed the area in July 1944. When the Japanese were defeated, Yokoi hid in the jungle rather than surrender to the United States. He dug a cave near a waterfall, covered it with bamboo and reeds, and survived by eating small animals. ​​He was accompanied by a few more soldiers but over the years, they fell to the harsh jungle environment. https://youtu.be/C_dB4r0w0aA Yokoi’s last two surviving companions perished in floods in 1964 — eight years before Yokoi was discovered. When local hunters found him, the 57 year-old soldier had no idea the war had ended in 1945. He believed he was still in danger and that he had brought shame upon Japan by not dying in service to Emperor Hirohito. Japanese government officials flew to the island to help repatriate the soldier, who had not seen his homeland for nearly 30 years. He was, however, returned home to Japan with a hero’s welcome. He even married in 1972, just months after his return. Modern life was a strange adjustment for Yokoi, however, who would return to Guam several times with his wife before dying in 1997 at the age of 82. ## Author Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees. ## More - [This guy kept fighting World War II for 30 years after Japan surrendered]() - [These WW2 commandos marched over 1,000 miles fighting the Japanese and the jungle]() - [A North Vietnamese soldier hid in the jungle for 40 years]() - [This was probably the most one-sided air battle in the Pacific during WW2]() - [10 expectations of WW2 military spouses]() - [This is how the voice of Bugs Bunny trained WW2 aerial gunners]() - [This is how WW2 Marines made ice cream at 30,000 feet]() - [WW2 vet dies while visiting country from which he fought 71 years earlier]()