The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-10-19

couth Third street, who spent thr.
and one-half years under the he,
# Jan prison guards in Japan an
IN the Philippines, and who's
home was formerly in Whiteyill
has no great olive for the Japs an
uJms his feelings up this way:
Whatever special hell there
may be reserved for Jap mill
tarists and their saddist follow
ers, all the time of eternity
wouldn't be long enough for
them to repent their cruel
treatment of American prison.
ers of war. 49,.
Captured on Corrigidor when
General Jonathan wainwright
was compelled to surrender
that last-ditch fortress on NAV
s, 1852, Simmons was In Bilibid
prison. Manila's infamous hell
hole under Jap control; he
spent more than = year In the
equally infamous Cabanatauu
prison camp In northern Luxou.
and for the next two years he
worked under the lash and rifle
butts of Jap guards In q Hon
shu steel mill. His release
came, along with thousands Of
other American, British, Cana
dian and Dutch troops, on Aug
ust II this year.
Two months of good Ameri-
can "GI" food, disqualification
and 49, greatest of all-''free-
dom" have worked wonders
for Simmons, whose weight at
one time dropped to SO pounds
from his normal 1879. He's
home now on a 90-day fur
Tough, go days to eat Mons
cooking, to sleep rs late As
want and to come and 80 rs
please" the young sailor grim
ned during an interview yester-
day.
Simmons has come home
without the burning hatred that
has marked so many American
prisoners, but if he lacks that
his deep contempt for the Jap
Is none-the-less evident.
"Hate?" he pondered when
asked If that powerful emotion
had left its mark with him,
mo, I don't think hungry men
men so miserably hungry
that they'll eat grasshoppers
and garden snails-can hate.
Il suppose my main feeling
toward the Japs is one of con-
tempt. Maybe at first we
hated them; I don't know, but
right now it's plain contempt
/ feel when I think of those
aeyils,'- Simmons added.
Although he didn't take part
In the more publicized "Ba-
tam death march" which cost
the lives of so many Ameri-
cans and Filipinos in May,
1912, Simmons and some sew
eral hundred other Yanks-
mostly sailors and marines
were forced into a death
march" in the late summer of
1912, walking 20 miles from
one prison camp to another il
the northern Luzon foothills
THE majority of the men VIII
took part in that particular marc
were sick with dysentary or beri
beri. They got us up at dayligh
and without even so much as
drink Of water for breakfast the
marched us 20 miles-every ste
of it under a scorching sum-" Sim
mons related.
Those who were too weak t
make it and who fell by the roa
were beaten with sticks or riff
butts. God knows how many die
or were killed"
Life at Cabanatuan No, 3 CAM
the camp later liberated by
S ctacular dash Of American
and Filipino guerrillas after tn
Yank landings on Luzon in Octo
Der, l944-Was one of death, fit
and hunger"
Jap guards, Simmons remem
oers, took feindish delight in pok
Ing prisoners with bayonets o
cracking skulls with rifle butts
Marines, Simmons says, were spe
clal objects Of this sort Of treat
ment
The Japs hated all Americans
and probably treated us worse
much Worse-than they did tn
British or Canadians or Dutch
"A m g American prisoners
!nough Marines got the worst c
II; sailors next, and soldiers tn
least OF bad treatment.
l cant explain why the Jap
reacted TO our various branche
81 service in that manner. The,
Just did, that's ALL" Simmons said
olmmons and some 500 other'Am
e[lcans, again mostly sailors an
MARINES were shipped to Japa
an september, 1913, travelling b
way of Formosa.
he tells Of the selection of tn
prisoners to make the trip.
one day a Jap officer cam
u with medical attendant
we were lined up and examine
much as judges examine cattl
exhibition. Arms and leg
were felt, months looked into
muscles felt. Those Of US VIII
were the strongest and healthies
were ordered to fall in line an
follow a Jap squad.
We we're marched to an Assem-
Wy area, but into trucks wit