Hoping For A Hospital
Freeman explained, “The very first thing I saw was a Japanese soldier who still had his helmet on. We went on to find the bones of another three Japanese soldiers. I had never expected to find war dead. It’s one thing going into a place like that and finding weapons or artifacts – it’s quite another finding soldiers who died as they fought. I was a soldier for 20 years and I was shocked at the sight…On our inaugural trek, we were hoping to find the remnants of a make-shift Japanese hospital and, potentially, relics of guns and ammunition.”
Hoping For A Hospital
Honoring The Fallen
What he did come across was completely unexpected. He admitted, “I never anticipated that we would find war dead.” However, once they found the dead soldiers he changed his priorities. Freeman said, “As soon as we realized that Japanese and, potentially, Australian soldiers were buried at the site, we discussed with the villagers the need for those men to be identified and returned home.”
Honoring The Fallen