Amerine & Rudel.

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune of yesterday:

"FOCUS HONORING AMERICA'S HEROES"

As recounted in the article:

"One veteran's heroic quest"

An American Marine Corps pilot [Richard Averine] during the Second World War [WW2] shot down in mortal combat over the island of Guadalcanal parachuting to the ground, his ordeal of repatriation to safety described:

"Shot down over Guadalcanal in 1942, American Swam three miles to a Japanese-held shoreline. He spent the next six days, barefoot and unarmed, trying to reach an American airfield. Confront by a Japanese soldier, American killed him with a rock and took his weapon. he shot death three Japanese snipers who hunted him through the woods. He finally reached the airfield, battered and starving."

Surrender or capture was NOT AN OPTION! Would have probably meant cruel torture and possibly death by beheading!!

HEROICS for which Richard Averine was awarded the Silver Star, and most justly so, no doubt about that.

This feat of daring by Richard Averine having few equals? Recall the similar events, the shoot-down, pursuit and repatriation of the German combat aviator Hans Ulrich Rudel. A man with a price on his head, escaping his Soviet pursuers surrender or capture also NOT AN OPTION!

From the wiki entry for Hans Ulrich the autobiography of the man [Hans] suggests an evasion of Soviet pursuers on an almost Biblical scale, unequalled:

 "According to his [Hans] autobiography, on one occasion, after trying a landing to rescue two downed novice Stuka crewmen and then not being able to take off again due to the muddy conditions, he and his three companions, while being chased for 6 km by Soviet soldiers, made their way down a steep cliff by sliding down trees, then swam 600 meters across the icy Dniester river, during which his rear gunner . . . succumbed to the cold water and drowned. Several miles further towards the German lines, the three survivors were then captured by Soviets, but Rudel, knowing there was a bounty on his head, again made a run for it. Despite being barefoot and in soaking clothes, getting shot in his shoulder, and being hunted by several hundred pursuers with dog packs, he eventually managed to make his way back to his own lines." [having to cover several tens of kilometers to reach safety Rudel it should be noted an athlete of potential Olympic caliber.]

The military heroics and battlefield [in the air] achievements of Hans Ulrich so great that the German actually had to create a special medal and decoration just for him, nothing further would suffice!!

 Richard and Hans two peas from the same pod!!

 coolbert.