Essay/Term paper: Prisoners of war

Essay, term paper, research paper:  History Essays

Prisoners of War


BY:
Presented to: Mrs. Provato
ENG 2A0-04
Wednesday December 8, 1993

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