I visited with a family friend, the widow of a WWII veteran, a few days ago. She related some stories of her husband's experiences during the war that I found interesting. One in particular left an impression.
Near the conclusion of the hostilities in the Pacific, there were a number of known Japanese POW camps to be freed. General McArthur wanted the glory of freeing these camps, leading his select troops. However, for reasons I don't know, would not or could not do it until after the formal surrender. Navy personnel chose not to wait for fear of what might happen to the prisoners in the mean time. A group of sailors, my friend among them, was trained and sent on the mission. One of the officers was Harold Stassen, a big name in pre- and post-war politics, for those of you who might not know. They were frequently under fire, sometimes going in the front gate of the prisons as the Japanese exited via the rear. They successfully freed many prisoners.
My friend, Bud, talked with some of the prisoners, who related an interesting story. Their job as prisoners had been to load rice onto ships, under the direction of a civilian who lived in a shack near the pier. There was a tin can at the edge of the pier, with a string that led to that shack. As each prisoner passed with a load, he would drop a grain of rice into the can. The next day one half of that rice, cooked, would be in the can for them. This was an informal arrangement without the knowledge of the Japanese. One time, just to see what would happen, the prisoners carefully counted the grains and made sure an odd number were in the can. The next day they counted the cooked rice and found the odd grain had been returned to them.
When they were freed, these men insisted that they meet with that civilian before leaving. Bud and some others escorted them, bringing food and other supplies as gifts. There were three generations living in that shack, under rather unpleasant conditions. They were so grateful for the gifts that they insisted that the sailors and prisoners celebrate with a meal prepared with the food they brought. There was no polite way to refuse. Bud said that eating that meal was one of the hardest things he ever did, because he knew there was no way those dishes had been washed for a long time.
After the war, Harold Stassen worked hard trying to get some recognition for the men who had freed those prisoners, but McArthur pulled enough political strings to prevent it. Learning about this has further strengthened my dislike for the man.
Near the conclusion of the hostilities in the Pacific, there were a number of known Japanese POW camps to be freed. General McArthur wanted the glory of freeing these camps, leading his select troops. However, for reasons I don't know, would not or could not do it until after the formal surrender. Navy personnel chose not to wait for fear of what might happen to the prisoners in the mean time. A group of sailors, my friend among them, was trained and sent on the mission. One of the officers was Harold Stassen, a big name in pre- and post-war politics, for those of you who might not know. They were frequently under fire, sometimes going in the front gate of the prisons as the Japanese exited via the rear. They successfully freed many prisoners.
My friend, Bud, talked with some of the prisoners, who related an interesting story. Their job as prisoners had been to load rice onto ships, under the direction of a civilian who lived in a shack near the pier. There was a tin can at the edge of the pier, with a string that led to that shack. As each prisoner passed with a load, he would drop a grain of rice into the can. The next day one half of that rice, cooked, would be in the can for them. This was an informal arrangement without the knowledge of the Japanese. One time, just to see what would happen, the prisoners carefully counted the grains and made sure an odd number were in the can. The next day they counted the cooked rice and found the odd grain had been returned to them.
When they were freed, these men insisted that they meet with that civilian before leaving. Bud and some others escorted them, bringing food and other supplies as gifts. There were three generations living in that shack, under rather unpleasant conditions. They were so grateful for the gifts that they insisted that the sailors and prisoners celebrate with a meal prepared with the food they brought. There was no polite way to refuse. Bud said that eating that meal was one of the hardest things he ever did, because he knew there was no way those dishes had been washed for a long time.
After the war, Harold Stassen worked hard trying to get some recognition for the men who had freed those prisoners, but McArthur pulled enough political strings to prevent it. Learning about this has further strengthened my dislike for the man.
