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Prisoners Of War
Dear: The International Red Cross
I am writing a letter to you today to mention how the prisoners of war were
treated throughout the second world war.
If you have never been a Prisoner of War (POW), you are extremely
lucky. The prisoners of war during the World War II, (1939-1945) were
treated poorly with no respect or consideration and were given the living
conditions worse than animals. It was an extremely bad situation that no
human being could survive. They were mistreated, manhandled, beat and even
shot defending their country. No one wanted to go to war, but for those
men who did, and for those who survived as POWs will always regret it.
The Prisoners of War were kept in concentration camps, where it was
day to day constant dying and suffering and separation of the family with
unconditional weather. 1 They had no real shelter, and kept busy by
working, and the odd time even got a chance to play baseball, soccer or
some athletic game to stay in shape. 2 They were surrounded by twenty-four
hour guard surveillance in the middle of nowhere, so it would be quite
useless to attempt to escape, especially at the risk of being gunned down
at any given time. The POW were always having to turn their back and keep
an eye out for one another. They were considered to be "hostages" and were
treated like the enemy.
The concentration camps were not very large but were numerous. They
contained about 500-600 warriors and were divided into groups of under
sixteen, older than sixteen, and of course by gender (Male and Female). 3
This caused many problems with the POWs as they were split from their
families, and in a lot of cases, never saw one another again.
The Prisoners of War were killed by the hundreds as malnutrition and
hygiene eventually caught up with them. They were put to work for lengthy
periods of time, and we treated harshly for volunteering to go to war. Once
caught, they were taken and placed in a camp, and it was the beginning of
the end for the ally. It is not like a prisoner in today's society. The
prisoners had to live with leftover scraps of food, dirty water, and no
hope of exiting, plus the constant shooting. They were not prisoner whom
had committed a crime, rather brave warriors whom stood up to defend us. 4
It is a life no one wants to encounter, and we pray no one does, and we
remember how they were abused and how they suffered to protect us. This
special day is called Remembrance Day and is celebrated the eleventh day of
the eleventh month.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WORLD WAR II, "Prisoners" Marshall Cavendish Ltd, New York, Vol VIII.
940.53
WORLD WAR II, "Prisoners of War" Marshall Cavendish Ltd, New York, Vol III.
940.53
WORLD WAR II, "Prisoners of War" Marshall Cavendish Ltd, New York, Vol X.
940.53
Gosselin, Luc. PRISONS IN CANADA, Montreal, Quebec: Black Rose Books, 1982
_______________________________ 1. GOSSELIN, LUC Prisoners In Canada
(Montreal: Black Rose Books Ltd, 1982) p. 47
2. World War II. "Prisoners of War" Vol III, page 2196
3. WORLD WAR II. "Prisoners" Vol VIII. page 2208
4. WORLD WAR II "Prisoners of War" Vol X. page 2787
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