War Prisoner Of War

The prisoners of war were not treated in accordance with the international agreements.
They were complaining about starvation and malnutrition and there were some Japanese who were claiming that the Japanese Army had tried to do their best to service the foods to the Prisoners of War while they were in the camp. What is it like to be a prisoner of war? When you are a Prisoner of War you have to do everything that you are told to do. Often times the Prisoners of War were treated poorly by their captors that were in the poorly. They were treated like this for several years. As the years passed on, year after year the people that were working the camp had limited conversations with the other prisoners that were in the camp. Sometimes Prisoners
of War had to use bribery to get the things that they need. This made it difficult for prisoners that had little or no money. This practice also made the prisoners of war subject to more corrupt practices. Prisoners of War could enlisted in the opposing Army. When the prisoners did this, they could be released on whatever terms their captors decided. For the prisoner of war, this had nothing to do with loyalty, instead it was about improving their living conditions. The Continental Congress in America did not agree with this practice. They actually forbid it. But recruiters that were desperate for people to enlist ignored this prohibition. This made several thousand of people serve on both sides during the war and switch sides more than once. Officers were treated differently when they were captured. When an officer was captured, they were treated as gentlemen. They were not confined to jails or prisons. Instead they lived in houses or inns. They also were allowed free movement within a few miles of where they were held captive. In some cases the Officers had access to and often held authority over the regular prisoners of war. Prisoners of War were not treated fairly and often suffered in ways that no one can imagine. The impact of their suffering goes far beyond man’s control. It forces all of us to look at the compelling mistreatment of all Prisoners of War and ask ourselves the questions, Where do we go from here?