Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (20) View all

Aboard ship on way to States by Carr Hooper

items 15 of 28 items
  • wcu_ww2-484.jp2
Item
?

Item’s are ‘child’ level descriptions to ‘parent’ objects, (e.g. one page of a whole book).

  • It is claimed by medical authorities that patients recuperating form wounds or illness should received 1800-2000 calories per day. In February 1944 supplied by the Japanese “Inferior” Army were 1452. In July 1944 this had been reduced 1360 and by November had reached low of 999. Here actually begins the nightmare of Santo Tomas. All reserves, those pitiful few cans, that small amount of dried beans and rice, had to be eaten, doled out, divided grain by grain to make this extra food last. Every available square foot of ground had been planted to greens of some sort or other and we had been told that even the ration then received of corn and rice would be further reduced from 225 to 210 grams. On December 1 the calorie requirement was 898 and our ration was 187 grams. People now began to lose weight and to become bedfast with hunger. A Jap supply officer had earlier said, when we protested a load of rotten vegetables, that we’d eat worse. Another told us that before he had finished with us, we’d eat grass and bark and leaves. We were close to that in January 1945 when our ration was 187 and our calories reduced to 727. This was further reduced to 160 grams and 684 calories on February 1, 1945, and a threat, a last threat of further reduction was made at this time. If there is any doubt in your minds that the Japanese did not mean to starve us to death slowly it can be made more obvious when we face the fact that the Japs held great stores of rice and corn in their warehouse within the camp and that the truckloads of eggs and milk and beans were turned back when sent to children by the Catholic Women’s League, the Chinese Association, and the International YWCA of Europeans, Filipinos, and Spanish in Manila. The Japanese are supposed to revere and love children always. These sons of Bushido allowed half ration for children under ten. Every child of three years up knew them and called them not sons of Bushido but of a more commonly known ancestry, and it was not unusual for them a small child to call them what they were and are to internees and G.I.s all over the Pacific. Lieutenant Obeaka had written when we continued to protest the cuts in food that we should eat the cats and dogs in camp. I did not, but hundreds of Internees did. In December 1944 there were hundreds of pet
Object
?

Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).