Glenn D. Frazier joined the U.S Army on July 3, 1941 and requested to be stationed in the Philippine Islands. He attended four months of Army Ordnance Training School in Manila until his training was interrupted by the Japanese attack on the Philippines on December 8, 1941 just hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
For the next four months, Glenn relied on his Army training and country-boy ingenuity during the Battle of Bataan. Serving in the 75th Ordnance Company, he worked to keep the front lines supplied with ammunition. Promised reinforcements and supplies never arrived, but the American and Filipino troops fought off the invasion as long as they were able.
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Although left with orders to fight to the death, on April 9, 1942, General Edward P. King instead made the difficult decision to surrender to the Japanese. What General King could not have envisioned was the long grueling trek the weary troops would have to endure over the course of the following week. Glenn Frazier and his fellow captives would be forced to walk without rest or food for the next seven days in what would become known as the Bataan Death March. Thousands of Americans and Filipinos died on the march. Those that managed to survive were sent to Japanese P.O.W. camps.
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Glenn Frazier was soon shipped to the Japanese mainland where he was held in forced labor camps until the end of the war - over three years later.
After the end of the war, Glenn returned to the United States with the rank of Sergeant. He served in the United States Army Reserve for the next six years. In 1994, Glenn joined the Alabama State Defense Force with the rank of Captain. He served with the ASDF for two decades before retiring with the rank of Colonel.
Returning to civilian life was very difficult for most World War II prisoners of war. The effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder were not yet understood and many men were afraid to tell even their own families about their experiences. Glenn found himself once again in bondage, but this time he was shackled by a lack of forgiveness and a hatred for his former enemy.
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It took many decades before Glenn Frazier was able to take to heart the words from scripture about forgiveness. Through the love and support of friends and family, Glenn was able to see how clinging to his bitterness against the Japanese had only brought misery and heartache into his life. So many years after the war he was finally free.
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Glenn Frazier passed into glory on September 15, 2018.
Matthew 18:21-22
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Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.