Evening star., 1953-05-15

WEST VIRGINIA HUDDLE-sergt John Waters
Senator Nee Democrat Of West Virginia at the Lafayette
Hotel The returned POW native of Beckey of
honor yesterday at luncheon given by the West Virginia
State Society," Star Staff Photo.
know whether any killed Anyhow,
pulled all the prisoners out of Pyokdong the morning
took them Death Valley
before arrived they started this place up
camp again. That's when they brought the biggest part of
the troops back in.
Many Died, and Were Buried on Hill
got there guess there were better than 1000
in the camp. But when left in August only about
1900 still there The died off and buried right
on the hill across pond from
We were divided into companies. The sergeants
separated the corporals and the corporas
privates and right down. still corporal but
put in with the sergeantS Each company compound
ncoSed by barbedwr fences Ours the side of the
h with the officer prisoners up above The Turks and
the British were in other compounds all of which averaged
about the size of city block or less.
We stayed in regular Korean shacks but these at Camp
did have doors We crowded IL and IA in In
fact not all of could lie down backs at the same
time. Some had to turn up their Sides
Some of the buildings had heat The I didn't
happen to, but it getting then. In midday,
toward when it hot the temperature would get
around so IS But there good breeze
In the area. Mountains.
Food Was Less and Flies Were Bad
Food about the it before, only
it, because many there You'd get maybe
half tea coffee of barley corn whatever
1t might be.
and mosquitoes were awfuy bad think that's
the why died. account of dysentery
and sanitation. got dysentery myself.
was lucky because there an American doctor in
captain who persuaded the two Chinese doctors to
let him help treat the patients This captain went out OF his
to do everything he could for He would burn bones
to make potash kind of ash and give to to eat
1t helped me get over the dysentery although lost lot
Of weight.
The Chinese doctors wouldn't give the captain med
cine. but he got the chance he would steal things like
aspirin and apo tablets and give them to who needed
them They caught him at this and dismissed him altogether
He wasn't allowed to associate They called him
and sent him back to another away from
everybody else.
What kind of treatment he got from then on don't
understand he's still alive and getting along good
learned that from couple OF officers repatriated
when
We didn't get out of the compound much, only sick
call and to the road for ratons things like that
Two three times would out and get wood
hrebrusto cook chow with Then they got to letting us
swim in the river 1t had nice sand bottom and
could wade out maybe 40 or so feet.
Reds Start Dishing Out Propaganda
Camp S where they started giving Communist
propaganda About daybreak they'd call the whole bunch OF
together hillside Sometimes pretty
cod but when it raining would still assemble
there before we ate.
The Chinese instructors had books and all kinds of Com
munist literature to read to After that squad discus
with everybody divided into patoons and squads They'd
written report like book report the subject
Well, lot of didn't take down notes and didn't
listen to the instructors So when it time for show
and they would nd this out they would punish you
Else you had to psychology and wiggle out.
We got propaganda after breakfast. They
Communist literature like the Daily Life of China and the
Shanghai News which were printed in English We
read them then tore parts of paper to roll cigarettes
in-theyd give little bulk tobacco leaf tobacco from
time to time.
They punished the prisoners first by making them stand
at attention for long time If baked at that
them kind of trouble they threw into the hole but
did quite make hole.
They had lot of holes at Pyokdong and both the other
went to later They sort of cellars formerly
used to store tunps and potatoes and things like that They
covered and usually very dark In fact understand
that in some Of them couldn't tell when it
daylight outside. Sometimes the guys left in there
week 10 days And they got only half as
much chow usual