AMonger
Veteran Expediter
To do what's right, against the orders of his own government, this is a man. I love stories like this. Anybody have any more?
Chiune Sugihara: The Life of a Great Man | The Art of Manliness
Excerpts:
In June of 1940, the Jews of Lithuania were worried. Some had just recently fled from Poland, narrowly escaping Hitler’s reach. They had hoped to find in Lithuania a safe haven. But the Soviets had moved to occupy the country and had begun making arrests, confiscating property, and harassing the Jewish population. At the same time, the German threat still loomed. Jews felt trapped between the mouths of two gaping lions and were desperate to leave Europe in search of true safety.
...
And so it was that on the morning of July 27, 1940, the Japanese Consul, Chiune Sugihara, looked out the window to see a great crowd of refugees pressed around the gate of the Japanese consulate. Men, women, and children, all desperate for help. They had gone from consulate to consulate without success; Sugihara was their last resort.
The crowd would force Sugihara to make a choice, one between obeying his government and obeying his conscience. What this ordinary man decided to do saved thousands of lives and imparts valuable lessons in heroism and manliness.
...
The consul could not ignore the imploring faces of the people outside his gate. He consulted with wife and made the decision to disobey his government’s orders. He knew what the consequences of his action would be-he would surely be dismissed from his position when found out, and was placing he and his family in danger. The Japanese government could try and execute him for insubordination, and the Soviets and Germans could both retaliate as well. But Sugihara decided he was morally obligated to risk his future to save these human lives.
Chiune Sugihara: The Life of a Great Man | The Art of Manliness
Excerpts:
In June of 1940, the Jews of Lithuania were worried. Some had just recently fled from Poland, narrowly escaping Hitler’s reach. They had hoped to find in Lithuania a safe haven. But the Soviets had moved to occupy the country and had begun making arrests, confiscating property, and harassing the Jewish population. At the same time, the German threat still loomed. Jews felt trapped between the mouths of two gaping lions and were desperate to leave Europe in search of true safety.
...
And so it was that on the morning of July 27, 1940, the Japanese Consul, Chiune Sugihara, looked out the window to see a great crowd of refugees pressed around the gate of the Japanese consulate. Men, women, and children, all desperate for help. They had gone from consulate to consulate without success; Sugihara was their last resort.
The crowd would force Sugihara to make a choice, one between obeying his government and obeying his conscience. What this ordinary man decided to do saved thousands of lives and imparts valuable lessons in heroism and manliness.
...
The consul could not ignore the imploring faces of the people outside his gate. He consulted with wife and made the decision to disobey his government’s orders. He knew what the consequences of his action would be-he would surely be dismissed from his position when found out, and was placing he and his family in danger. The Japanese government could try and execute him for insubordination, and the Soviets and Germans could both retaliate as well. But Sugihara decided he was morally obligated to risk his future to save these human lives.