Evening star., 1945-01-29
Stories Of Prison Camp Life
Heorten Kin Of Captured Men

|7oQTIen MI OF \
Nearly 1000 relatives and friends
Of prisoners Of war who went to
lhear first-hand descriptions Of Ger
man and Japanese prison camps,
left George Warrington High School
lin Alexandria nearly three hours
later yesterday obviously relieved.
Worried looking mothers. fathers,
wives and sweethearts attending the
meeting, sponsored by the Red
Cross chapters Of Alexandria, Ar
lington and Fairfax, left with smiles,
many Of them saying II feel 50
much better"
Three former prisoners, one who
was repatriated and two who es-
capped, told them not to worry, de-
scribed how American spirit and
humor prevailed In the camps, and
talked personally to families whose
boys still are interned In camps from
which they came.
Sergt. Harold Sheahan, West Chi
cago, H., a radio operator on B-24
Liberator who was shot down over
Vienna and captured, told how he
taught group Of Germans to sing
I'm Der Fuehrer's Face" while In
hospital before being transferred to
Stalag II B.
He told how internees at the camp
amused themselves by putting pop
pies and sunflowers in the muzzles
of the guards guns as they patrolled
past the barracks, how the camp
government was established with
true American electioneering, and
how one flyer being questioned by
German officer said our Liberators
carried IA gunners and two score
keepers.
Poor Food Worst Hardship.
Sergt. Sheahan who was repatri-
ated last September, said prisoners
in German camps pass their time
by establishing schools. They are
subjected to very little hardship, he
said, except for poor food, which Is
supplemented by Red Cross pack
ages.
Corpl. Willard Hall, Portland,
Greg, who survived the March OF
Death" on Bataan, escaped when
the ship carrying 750 prisoners to
Mindinao was torpedoed by an
American submarine. He swan to
shore and was returned to the
United States with his buddy Sergt.
Donald Mcpherson, Lincoln, Nebr,
who also described life in Japanese
prison camps.
Urging families to stop worry
ing" Corpl. Hall said the men have
all the faith in the world in you
people"
Although the japanese do not CO.
operate as well as the Germans In
releasing information about their
prisoners or in facilitating delivery
of Red Cross packages, both Corpl
Hall and Sergt. Mcpherson said
they were treated well, allowed to
set up the camps very much as an
American garrison and to run their
own affairs under camp COM
mander, who in one case was two
star general.
Prisoners Set Up Exchange.
Corpl. Hall told how the prisoners
set up a stock market to deal in
the contents of Red Cross pack
ages, setting price on each article
in terms of a pack of cigarettes, SO
that a shrewd trader might get
eight packs for a can Of condensed
milk, trade six packs for another
can of milk and pyramid the busi-
ness until he became big operator
Sergt. Mcpherson, who worked in
the rice fields, said the men made
stew of snakes they caught in the
fields and discovered, when this re-
cipe palled, that the snakes could
be fried in Barbasol, which has the
same properties as Crisco.
1t. Col. Joseph Kavanaugh, as
sistant director of American Pris-
oner of War Information Bureau,
Provost Marshal Generals Office,
described the work of his bureau,
urging relatives of men reported
missing in action not to give up hope
until at least six months after the
war is over, and pointing out that
since all queries about prisoners Of
war 60 to his Office no matter to
whom they are addressed, the quick
est way to get information is from
the local Red Gross chapter, which
is in constant touch with the bureau
In answer to questions after the
meeting, Col. Kavanaugh, who will
leave Thursday with the returned
soldiers for tour of 80 American
cities to give similar talks, said the
Germans will make every effort to
move their camps to prevent capture
of prisoners by the Russians, and