In 1944, Japan sent Hiroo Onoda to a Philippine island with orders never to surrender.
In 1945, he and three soldiers saw a note: the war was over. They called every such message an enemy trick. From the mountains, Onoda raided farms for almost 29 years. He and his men allegedly killed up to 30 islanders.
Only in 1974 did his old commander arrive and order him to stop. Onoda then turned over his rifle.