Looking at him today, few would guess Paul Loong, 88, has a larger-than-life story. Even his daughter, Theresa Loong, a filmmaker, was taken by surprise when she discovered her father's diary from his time in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II.
華裔移民龍毓華(Paul Loong)貌似平凡，誰也看不出這位老人有什么驚人之處，就連他的女兒、制片人龍慧安(Theresa Loong)都一點沒有想到老爸居然有著傳奇般的人生。最近，龍慧安發(fā)現(xiàn)了父親二戰(zhàn)期間被日本關押在戰(zhàn)俘營時寫下的日記。
She chronicles her father's story in the documentary "Every Day Is A Holiday," which is being released to coincide with Memorial Day in the United States, a time when Americans honor those serving in the military.
她把父親的經(jīng)歷拍成了紀錄片，題為《每天都是假日》(Every Day Is A Holiday)。影片在美國陣亡將士紀念日這天發(fā)行。
Japan entered World War II in December 1941, attacking British-controlled Malaya and Singapore almost at the same time as Pearl Harbor.
1941年12月，日本加入第二次世界大戰(zhàn)，幾乎在襲擊美國珍珠港的同時，向英國控制下的馬來亞和新加坡發(fā)動了進攻。
Paul Loong, a young Malaysian, was fighting with the British. When they surrendered the Malay Peninsula, Loong and thousands of others were shipped off to Japan, where they did hard labor as prisoners of war.
年輕的馬來西亞華人龍毓華和英國人并肩作戰(zhàn)。英軍投降，交出馬來半島后，龍毓華和數(shù)以千計的戰(zhàn)俘被運往日本。
Life was brutal in the three years Loong spent as a POW. One out of every five prisoners died in the first year.
龍毓華說，戰(zhàn)俘的生活是殘酷的。在頭一年，每五名戰(zhàn)俘中就有一人死去。
"I think they thought they were going to win the war," Loong says, "that they were not going to answer to any war crimes."
他說：“我覺得，他們(日本人)以為自己要打贏戰(zhàn)爭，所以不用怕被追究戰(zhàn)爭罪?！?BR> The POWs did hard labor from dawn to dusk and were beaten daily, according to Loong.
龍毓華說，戰(zhàn)俘們從拂曉到黃昏一直都要做苦工，每天都會挨打。
"With a stick, with rifle butts, with whatever they had handy," he says.
他回憶說：“(日本兵)用棍子，用槍托，什么順手就用什么打我們。”
He began to keep the diary his daughter would discover decades later. In it he wrote that if he made it out alive, 'Everyday will be a holiday.'
他開始寫日記。幾十年后女兒才發(fā)現(xiàn)這部日記。他在日記中寫道：如果他能活著出來，“每天都將是假日。”
"Can you imagine getting up, no one to bother you, no one to beat you up with a butt of a rifle," he says. "Peace at last. That's what I consider a holiday."
老人說：“你能想象嗎？早晨起來沒人找你麻煩，沒人用槍托打你，終于有了和平。這在我看來，就是假日了?！?BR> After being freed, Loong sailed to America, reaching San Francisco in 1947. But his road to US citizenship was long and difficult. He even enlisted in the US military and fought in the Korean war in hopes of becoming a US citizen. He finally became an American in 1956.
龍毓華獲得自由后，遠渡美國，1947年來到舊金山。不過，他獲得美國國籍的歷程卻漫長而艱辛。為了成為美國公民，他當兵入伍，參加美軍，投入朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭，終于在1956年成為美國人。
"This was one of the happiest days of my life," he recalls.
Over the nine years and despite attempts by US Immigration to deport him, Loong never lost hope.
在這之間的九年里，美國移民局曾試圖遣返他，但龍毓華從未放棄希望。
"No regrets, no regrets," he says. "The main thing is I came here. I became a citizen. I have a nice family. What more do you want? Millions of dollars? You cannot take one red penny with you when you die, right?"
他說：“我無悔無憾。重要的是：我來了美國，成為公民，有一個好家庭。人生如此，還有何求？幾百萬美元？你死的時候，一分錢也帶不走。”
With the help of veterans' benefits, Loong attended medical school and then worked as a physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Jersey, where he raised his family.
龍毓華靠著退伍軍人的福利上了醫(yī)學院，然后成為新澤西州退伍軍人事務部的一名醫(yī)生。他在新澤西州安家落戶。
His daughter believes we should learn from people all around us who have served in the military.
女兒龍慧安說，人們應該向自己身邊曾經(jīng)在軍中效力的人學習。
"Whether it's about the war, World War II, Korea, Vietnam. We have these returning vets from Afghanistan and Iraq," says Theresa Loong. "Take some time to spend a few minutes with someone 'cause you really don't know what you're going to find out."
她說：“不管是哪場戰(zhàn)爭，第二次世界大戰(zhàn)、朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭、越南戰(zhàn)爭，我們現(xiàn)在還有從阿富汗和伊拉克返回的軍人。抽出點時間，和某位退伍軍人呆上幾分鐘--因為你真的會發(fā)現(xiàn)你沒有想到的東西?！?BR> She says her father, like everyone, has his tough days but he continues to honor his personal philosophy, taking every day as a holiday.
龍慧安說，和每個人一樣，她父親也有過苦日子，但他堅信自己的理念：把每一天都當成假日。
華裔移民龍毓華(Paul Loong)貌似平凡，誰也看不出這位老人有什么驚人之處，就連他的女兒、制片人龍慧安(Theresa Loong)都一點沒有想到老爸居然有著傳奇般的人生。最近，龍慧安發(fā)現(xiàn)了父親二戰(zhàn)期間被日本關押在戰(zhàn)俘營時寫下的日記。
She chronicles her father's story in the documentary "Every Day Is A Holiday," which is being released to coincide with Memorial Day in the United States, a time when Americans honor those serving in the military.
她把父親的經(jīng)歷拍成了紀錄片，題為《每天都是假日》(Every Day Is A Holiday)。影片在美國陣亡將士紀念日這天發(fā)行。
Japan entered World War II in December 1941, attacking British-controlled Malaya and Singapore almost at the same time as Pearl Harbor.
1941年12月，日本加入第二次世界大戰(zhàn)，幾乎在襲擊美國珍珠港的同時，向英國控制下的馬來亞和新加坡發(fā)動了進攻。
Paul Loong, a young Malaysian, was fighting with the British. When they surrendered the Malay Peninsula, Loong and thousands of others were shipped off to Japan, where they did hard labor as prisoners of war.
年輕的馬來西亞華人龍毓華和英國人并肩作戰(zhàn)。英軍投降，交出馬來半島后，龍毓華和數(shù)以千計的戰(zhàn)俘被運往日本。
Life was brutal in the three years Loong spent as a POW. One out of every five prisoners died in the first year.
龍毓華說，戰(zhàn)俘的生活是殘酷的。在頭一年，每五名戰(zhàn)俘中就有一人死去。
"I think they thought they were going to win the war," Loong says, "that they were not going to answer to any war crimes."
他說：“我覺得，他們(日本人)以為自己要打贏戰(zhàn)爭，所以不用怕被追究戰(zhàn)爭罪?！?BR> The POWs did hard labor from dawn to dusk and were beaten daily, according to Loong.
龍毓華說，戰(zhàn)俘們從拂曉到黃昏一直都要做苦工，每天都會挨打。
"With a stick, with rifle butts, with whatever they had handy," he says.
他回憶說：“(日本兵)用棍子，用槍托，什么順手就用什么打我們。”
He began to keep the diary his daughter would discover decades later. In it he wrote that if he made it out alive, 'Everyday will be a holiday.'
他開始寫日記。幾十年后女兒才發(fā)現(xiàn)這部日記。他在日記中寫道：如果他能活著出來，“每天都將是假日。”
"Can you imagine getting up, no one to bother you, no one to beat you up with a butt of a rifle," he says. "Peace at last. That's what I consider a holiday."
老人說：“你能想象嗎？早晨起來沒人找你麻煩，沒人用槍托打你，終于有了和平。這在我看來，就是假日了?！?BR> After being freed, Loong sailed to America, reaching San Francisco in 1947. But his road to US citizenship was long and difficult. He even enlisted in the US military and fought in the Korean war in hopes of becoming a US citizen. He finally became an American in 1956.
龍毓華獲得自由后，遠渡美國，1947年來到舊金山。不過，他獲得美國國籍的歷程卻漫長而艱辛。為了成為美國公民，他當兵入伍，參加美軍，投入朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭，終于在1956年成為美國人。
"This was one of the happiest days of my life," he recalls.
Over the nine years and despite attempts by US Immigration to deport him, Loong never lost hope.
在這之間的九年里，美國移民局曾試圖遣返他，但龍毓華從未放棄希望。
"No regrets, no regrets," he says. "The main thing is I came here. I became a citizen. I have a nice family. What more do you want? Millions of dollars? You cannot take one red penny with you when you die, right?"
他說：“我無悔無憾。重要的是：我來了美國，成為公民，有一個好家庭。人生如此，還有何求？幾百萬美元？你死的時候，一分錢也帶不走。”
With the help of veterans' benefits, Loong attended medical school and then worked as a physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Jersey, where he raised his family.
龍毓華靠著退伍軍人的福利上了醫(yī)學院，然后成為新澤西州退伍軍人事務部的一名醫(yī)生。他在新澤西州安家落戶。
His daughter believes we should learn from people all around us who have served in the military.
女兒龍慧安說，人們應該向自己身邊曾經(jīng)在軍中效力的人學習。
"Whether it's about the war, World War II, Korea, Vietnam. We have these returning vets from Afghanistan and Iraq," says Theresa Loong. "Take some time to spend a few minutes with someone 'cause you really don't know what you're going to find out."
她說：“不管是哪場戰(zhàn)爭，第二次世界大戰(zhàn)、朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭、越南戰(zhàn)爭，我們現(xiàn)在還有從阿富汗和伊拉克返回的軍人。抽出點時間，和某位退伍軍人呆上幾分鐘--因為你真的會發(fā)現(xiàn)你沒有想到的東西?！?BR> She says her father, like everyone, has his tough days but he continues to honor his personal philosophy, taking every day as a holiday.
龍慧安說，和每個人一樣，她父親也有過苦日子，但他堅信自己的理念：把每一天都當成假日。