The Veteran I Knew Best

My Father served in World War Two. He was an Army Corporal assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps. He voluntarily enlisted May 7, 1942 and after basic training, was shipped to the Philippines. Shortly after arriving in the Philippines he was captured by the Japanese and served the remainder of the war in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The camp he was held in was, Fukuoka called "Pines" by the prisoners because of a stand of pine trees in the camp and area.

My Father did not talk much about the time he was forced to spend in the prisoner of war camp, except to share a few rare glimpses into the daily lives of the prisoners. He talked about unbearable conditions, deplorable food supplies and the occasional eating of bugs to gain some badly needed nutrition. He did share the story about the day he arrived at camp and the day he was liberated.

ARRIVAL:
 He and other prisoners were lined up to face the commanding officer of the camp. The commanding Japanese officer held a rather large piece of bamboo in his hands. After looking each prisoner in the eyes, he then walked behind each of the prisoners and struck them, as hard as he could, in the back with the bamboo. He then walked around and again looked each of the prisoners in the eyes. Then he walked behind them and struck selected prisoners again! My Father was not struck again and he later learned that the Japanese officer struck only those prisoners the second time that had tears in their eyes.

LIBERATED:
On the day my Father and the other prisoners were liberated from Camp Fukuoka they took all of the Japanese soldiers who remained (many of the "brave Japanese" officers had already fled) and threw them in something he called "Honey-Pots." A "Honey-Pot" was a vessel that all of the prisoners human waste was deposited in. My Father laughed heartily when he shared this story.

My Father is The Veteran I Knew Best. He suffered many health problems as a result of his imprisonment but he never openly blamed the War, the Army or the Japanese. He was a proud solider and he served his country well. He volunteered to fight, to preserve freedom and The American Way and because it was; The Right Thing to do, he did it The Right Way, and when duty called he responded, Right Now. I am proud of his service to The United States of America and proud of all who serve and have served in our military to protect and preserve our freedom. My Father is The Veteran I Knew Best.

Our Veterans deserve our very best. They surely have earned our respect and our continued support.