Laughing in the face of death.
PFC John L’Abbe was wounded in both legs during the brutal Battle of Tarawa in 1943.
As he desperately tried to crawl to cover, a Japanese officer attacked him with a sword. Despite suffering deep slashes to his arms, L’Abbe fought back, wrestled the sword from his attacker, and used it to kill him.
He survived …and was later photographed smiling from his hospital bed, holding the sword he had captured.
