World War II Pows

World War II POWs
World War II was appalling, but it’s a big part in today’s history. Prisoners of war (POW) camps were in many countries that were involved in the war. Japanese POW camps were particularly gruesome, nearly all the prisoners suffered, whether it was from starvation, illness or torture. Torture was brutal in the POW camps in Japan during WWII. Beatings came nearly daily, the guards had no mercy. Many suffered injuries from the beatings, from sprains, to broken bones to internal bleeding. Some that were less fortunate died from getting beaten so severely. Those who were not physically tortured were mentally tortured. One day in camp the guards came in screaming “Keirei” so everyone jumped up to salute. The Bird came in and accused

With the lack of food, many saw the development of skin sores, ulcers, diarrhea and dysentery. As the POWs acquired those diseases it became difficult to maintain hygiene. They also acquired cholera from contaminated water, cholera caused severe diarrhea and dehydration. “Another disease was beriberi which is a severe vitamin B1 deficiency. Symptoms include pain, loss of sensation in the hands and feet, vomiting, strange eye movement, mental confusion, difficulty walking, coma, and death. POWs isolated on the Bataan Peninsula, those on Guadalcanal, and American prisoners of war held by the Japanese were on diets mostly consisting of rice. Without a variety of foods, soldiers became severely malnourished.” Diseases caused death for many POWs. WWII was a horrible war, many POWs suffer from PTSD, they have terrifying memories of what happened to them in the war. They were extremely mistreated, they were starved and tortured mentally and physically, they were abused and tortured daily in the camps. Some will never forget the horrors of WWII. There are hundreds of untold stories from these POWs, some so petrifying they will never be told. These men and women who suffered may never be themselves