Evening star., 1945-11-11
Gen. Woinwrisht's Own Story:
Gen Woinwishts Own Story
Jops Punish u S Officers Who Refuse to Work
By Starvation and Keeping Them Awake
fThirty-sirth Of q series.)
BY GEN. JONATHAN M.
WAINWRIGHT

The heartless Japs at Shirakaw,
prison camp quickly took steps t,
punish my brave officers who stoos
up for their rights under the Genev,
Convention and refused to engag,
In menial work.
These officers were no longer per.
mitted to lie or sit on their bunk
before bedtime. They could not as.
semble In groups of more than two
They could not visit outside theil
barracks. All their entertainment
was Cancelled. Two or three time
every night they were routed out o.
bed, had to dress, 60 to the parad.
grounds and stand roll call. They
were always kept waiting in thu
dark for a Jap officer to appear
When they were dismissed they
came back, undressed, went back tt
bed for another hour or two, anG
then were summoned again.
Then the Japs declared that .
sanitation emergency existed, in.
volving the health of the entire
camp, and ordered our officers te
cut out all grass, brush and trees
in large area around the camp
This was their program to de.
stroy mosquito-breeding areas. The
Americans were worked harder thar
they had ever been worked on the
Shirakawa farm, but, since they
were being punished, they were not
given the work rice" they earned
and so desperately needed. All
began to lose weight at an alarm
ing rate.
Japs Take Best of Pigs.
:. At one of their worst times dur
ing this period, with the older off,
GERS hardly able to do more than
stand, the Japs authorized the
slaughter of one pig each week
Those pigs had been bought and
raised by our men, including the
officers who were now being made
to work against all covenants and
their wishes.
But when the first pig was butch
cred the Japs took all the best cuts,
gave the remaining parts to the en-
listed men, who of course were still
working land who had never been
given a chance to rebeD, and to
those officers who had remained at
work.
One fantastically cruel month
followed another, and still our off,
GERS held out on the strength of
sheer American fortitude and will
power. Ravenous as they were, they
even came to laugh at the efforts of
the Japs to break them down.
Toward the end of their fearful
ordeal, two representatives of the
protective powers visited the Shi-
rakawa camp. The Geneva Con-
vention provides that belligerent
governments shall designate some
b neutral government to act as their
representative in dealing with the
enemy nation in matter concern
ing prisoners OF war. Switzerland
was the protective power for the
American and British prisoners
Sweden represented the Dutch. A
Swiss and Swedish delegate made
the trip to the camp.
Japs Name Spokesman.
THE Japs, forwarned, of course
appointed certain spokesmen to
speak for our men at this meeting
which naturally made it farcical
because the true purpose of such
meetings is for the protective power
to determine If the captor nation is
living up to the provision of the
convention. The American spokes-
men were told in advance exactly
what they must say to the Swiss
and Swede. They were forbidden to
discuss anything of consequence
concerning the camp. Before the
protective powers arrived the Japs
rounded up all the starvlings In
the area, ordered them to 60 inside
the barracks, wash and put on their
best remaining clothes.
The American officers selected te
speak with the Swiss had so little
to say, except to look the man ir
the eye and invite his attention tt
their haggard bodies, that the meet.
ing broke up much sooner than the
Japs had anticipated. In leaving
the camp, therefore, the Swiss ano
the Swedish delegates ran into 8
group of our dirty, disheveled
starved officers returning from theil
forced work in the fields.
The Japs did their best to rur
the men to cover before the dele.
gates could see them, but they failed
Our officers just stood there in theil
sweaty breachclothes and let them.
selves be seen. The Swiss delegatt
attempted to say something to ar
American major general, but before
the American could answer more
than word or two he was brushed
aside and sent indoors.
Nothing good ever came of this
tragic meeting. If the Swiss die
render his report, it was ignored
Ordeal Finally Ends.
The ordeal Of our courageou.
officers at Shirakawa ended on Octo.
Der !, 1914. At o'clock that after.
noon they, along with certain Brit.
ish and Duten officers. were peremp.
torily ordered to pack their belong.
ings and were told they would b,
sent to Japan the next day.
The small group of senior officer
and orderlies, to which I was at
tached, Joined the courageous mel
of Shirakawa early in October, 1914
in Japan. And together we proceed
ed toward Manchuria.
We had no way of knowing 1t, bu
this was to be the last milepost O
our long travail. AL we knew wher
told that we would be sent far nortl
was the sinking feeling a man get.
when he learns that his prison sen
fenced has been prolonged. Had W,
been kept in the Philippines we evei
now would have been free men. Fo
Douglas, true to his promise to m,
on Corregidor two days before h
left for Australia, had come bacl
-. come back with great feet tt
support him. and manpower beyon,
the dreams of defeated commander,
such as ourselves.
However, we were far from tn,
Philippines by that time.
Before I was permitted to leav,
Muksaq for the new prison In thl
north, my personal belongings un