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| Hi everyone! Thank you so much for coming to my site.
My name is Double Dutch Girl and I am jumping rope across the US to raise money and awareness for our troops. I am not a 501c3, and I do not need credit, so I am asking people to look around my website and donate to the charities I have listed. I am always on the look out for new great charities too, so drop me a line if you know of any! If you are interested in helping us do this, please write to find out how to sponsor , or simply click on my "button". Any amount will help us on this journey, and we thank you. I am also interested in working for sponsorship money, so if you need samples passed out, or for us to come work in your establishment on the road, please let us know.
Most people want to know why I am doing this.
Well, I do not have anyone serving now, but my Uncle Franklin was a POW in WWII for almost 4 years. My other uncles served in WWII and cousins in Vietnam. I was lucky to grow up in a close knit family that held a lot of respect for our country, our flag and what we stand for. Now that I am a parent, I want to show my daughter how important being an American is, and how important it is to honor our men and women keeping us safe.
My jumping rope isn't a pro or anti war thing, nor is it a political thing.
Also I realize for some, jumping rope is a pretty silly thing with such a serious matter. I do want everyone to know I am not making light of this situation. I just want to get people's attention so we can share vital information. Just like in WWII when they came out with the posters to raise American morale, I am hoping to do that as well.
I realize everyone has their own opinion on what is going on today, and I am not trying to tell anyone what to think. As I have gotten to know family members of the deployed, I have come to understand that our service men and women all have their own views, but they all take their orders without complaining.
I really hope all of America joins in on this positive campaign and supports our troops.
If you do not want to help the troops, please consider helping our Veterans. Right now it is estimated that we have over 300K homeless Veterans. To me, this is a shame. Let's pull together as Americans, be strong and proud and take care of our heros!
Thank you so very much!
God Bless,
Double Dutch Girl
Double Dutch Girl
My Uncle Franklin Torp a WWII POW for 3.5 years and my Dad
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Prisoner of War affidavit of Franklin B. Torp 0 6 784 884
Page 1 of seven pages 12-16-53
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.:
I was captured by the Japanese Imperial Forces on March 8, 1942 while fighting with the 131st Field Artillery on the Island of Java, N. E. I. I was placed in a prison camp in Batavia, Java where I remained until October 3, 1942. During this period in Java the conditions were not too bad except for very poor food, and occasional beatings by the Japanese guards. Our work was mainly on the docks while here, and as a result of our good health, we made out fairly well, considering what was to follow when we were sent to Burma.
On October 3, 1942 I left Java on a Japanese ship for Burma, with a stopover at Singapore from October 6, 1942 to October 16, 1942. On October 22, 1942 we arrived at Rangoon, Burma. During this 6 day trip we only had one canteen of water, and all suffered greatly in this hot dirty ship being without water to drink. This became the common thing while in Burma. We transferred to another ship this same day and arrived at Moulmein, Buirma, and entered the district jail on October 24, 1942. We left the Moulmein district jail on October 29, 1942 by train, and arrived at the base camp Thanbyuzayat the same day. We left Thanbyuzayat on October 30. 1942, on foot, arrived at the 40 Kilometer Railroad Camp.
I began work on the Siam Burma Railroad (Death Railroad) as it was called at the 40 Kilometer Camp October 31, 1942. The Siam Burma Railroad being built by POW s was a chord line, linking the Siam and Burma Railway systems from Ban Pong 54 miles west of Bangkok Thailand to Thanbyuzatat 30 miles South of Moulmein Burma, and distance of 413 Kilometers, through the primitive, disease infested jungle and over the mountains range between Siam and Burma, called the Pagoda Pass. The Japanese decreed this must be built at all costs to its hard labor forces consisting of captured POW’s. This Japanese decreed is substantiated by the death rate. The camps were wayside clearings, abounding in flies with stools all over the ground previously used by native coolies. The guts were primitive, leaky, bed bug and lice infested bamboo huts also previously used by native coolies. The camp water supplies came from water holes and creeks, which were also used for bathing purposes. During the hot dry season the camp water supplies became very low, causing suffering from a lack of drinking water. The food was short from the beginning and became very acute during the monsoon, that every POW was surely starved until every hut was riddled with malnutrition. The camps were guarded by the choicest collections of barbarians and robbers ever assembled, who dealt with out some ferocious beatings. They were masters of petty persecution, and delighted to keep the weary POW’s standing for long hours on the parade ground while roll calls were conducted. Every humiliation that a clever mind could conceive for POW’s was practiced by these specimens. The work performed was very heavy, digging and moving earth with our backs, clearing jungle, building bridges, laying rails, railhead work etc.. We were driven on with blows from fists, rifle butts, and bamboo clubs. If we were thought to be slackening we were usually beaten. There was a fixed quota of so much per man each day. This sort of thing continued day after day and month after month, there would be changes of camps but always the same conditions and the same kind of hard labor and beatings. So it went on right through the monsoon, the rain coming down in torrents every day..our clothes began to wear out and our shoes fell off our feet as we paddled through the mud and water. We were all weakening under such conditions, on such meager diets that our health sank. The beginning of these rains in May 1943 ushered in the beginning of a struggle that was to determine the fate of the prisoners on Burma and Thailand. There ensued an epic battle in which no quarter was given or demanded. The antagonists were on the one side, tropical disease supported by overwork, appalling conditions and malnutrition: on the other fifty odd Doctors scattered through the jungle camps, backed by the orderlies who served under them. The latter were cruelly handicapped by the lack of all those drugs, foods and equipment necessary to them in these circumstances. The problem with the PW doctors in Burma was made immensely harder by the attitude of the Japanese “doctor” responsible for the Burma prisoners. This officer Heguchi, was a dentist who had been given three months of medical training. He never acted in the interests of the sick, but solely as and agent recruiting labor for this railway. Our Doctors were frequently overridden, and sick men whom he classified at fit were sent out to work. The handful of doctors and orderlies was literally submerged by the influx of suffering humanity. Cemeteries were filling up all along the railway. This was the condition that ensued until the railroad was completed January 1944.
As for me during this period at the railroad jungle camps, I became very sick on or about November11, 1942 while at the 40 Kilometer camp with dysentery. This dysentery hit me while I was working carrying dirt. I passed out after sever pains in my abdomen. After I came to I was taken to the hospital hut. For about 10 days I passed mucous and blood, with sever pains in the abdomen. I became very weak and lost a lot of weight; to walk I had to use a stick. On November 29, 1942 our entire camp was moving to the 25 kilometer camp. I was too weak to walk so I rode on the truck hauling the kitchen equipment. While at the 25 kilo. Camp I slowly gained strength and on January 1, 1943, still sick, I was made to return to work on the railroad. I worked rather steady with the doctor giving me an occasional day off when I made sick call. Then some time in Feb. 1943, while on the working party, I was bent over digging dirt, a Korean guard came jumping down from the embankment next to me and drove his rifle butt straight into my back, knocking me flat on my face and knocking the wind out of me. He used his mouth on me for a while and left. On March10, 1943, the entire camp was moved to the 35 kilo. Comp where we remained until March 20, 1943. I did not go out on any working parties during the 10 days we were at this camp, as I was sick again with that abdominal condition again. On March 20, 1943, our camp moved to the 14 kilo. Camp and we began laying cross ties and rails. We did this kind of work until May 2, 1943, with these moves in camps; 25 kilo. – April 5, 1943; and 45 kilo. Camp April 26, 1943. I worked steady during this period, but there were times I did not know if I was going to make it. I still remember going to work in the morning and not returning until the next morning and we never knew after leaving for work when we would return back to camp. On May 2, 1943, we moved to the 18 kilo. Camp and began doing work at he railheads, which consisted of unloading and loading box cars. This work was hard as the Japanese wanted those supplies moved quickly. They screamed “Speedo” all the time.
We did this kind of work until November 3, 1945, with these moves in camps—30 kilo. camp – May 14, 1943; 62 kilo. camp – July 14; and 84 kilo. camp September 11, 1943. The monsoon began May 15, 1943 while at the 30 kilo. camp, and we went to work each day in the rain. Early in June, 1943 at the 30 kilo. camp I came down sick again with pains in my abdomen and spending most of my time at the latrine, and I was again placed in the hospital hut where I remained for about 10 days and then back to the railroad again. Then on July 14, 1943, I was moved to the 62 kilo. camp with the advance group from the 30 kilo. camp. This camp I shall always remember as a terrible camp. It rained hard all the time, and was where we had to carry all those 224 pound rice sacks in all that mud and water. It was here where I had my first Malaria attack in August, 1943, and there were many attacks to follow. It was here where my shoes literally fell off my feet in the mud, and where I began walking and working barefoot. Then on September 11, we moved to the 84 kilo. camp, and I was very happy to leave this camp. I remember arriving at the 84 kilo. camp that night and finding Americans there at work that we hadn’t seen since leaving Java back in October 1942, and I remember bedding down for the night in an unfinished hut without a roof in a down pour of rain. How I hated the rain, month after month of rain and month after month of wearing wet clothes. Then finally early in October the Monsoon ended. All rails were laid on October 21, 1943 and then came the task of busting rock and laying the ballast. On November 3, 1943, we left the 84 kilo. camp and enter the 114 kilo camp where we busted rock swinging 8 pound sledge hammers and various other details. While here I came down with dingy (jungle fever), and Dr. Wekking told me that beri-beri was visible. Then on January 10, 1944 I left the 114 kilo. camp by train, and left Burma and arrived at Camp no. 3, Kanchinabri, Thailand, on January 12, 1944.. I remained here until March 22, 1944 for intended trip to Japan. One day during the month of March, 1944, the Japanese informed us that they were sending some of us to Japan and I was picked in that group to go. On March 22, 1944, I left on foot for Camp 1 (Tamarkan) for intended trip to Japan, I was very sick on this day with Maleria and upon arriving there, which was about five miles of walking, I collapsed. I was looked at by an Australian doctor. Upon examination I had a temperature of 104. As I was sick I was not sent out on working parties but had to stand night watchman duty during the night in front of the American hut. It was at this camp that I firmly believe that my left kidney was damaged as a result of a severe beating and kicking in my left abdomen which I received here while a night watchman shortly after coming to this camp. It was a very dark night which I remember so well. We usually had camp fires burning in front of each hut, but on this night we had no fires burning as a result of Allied bombers flying over and bombing Bangkok, Thailand. At about 3 a.m. I heard someone coming towards me across the wide parade ground, and as he came closer to me, I bowed and in Japanese he demanded me to come to attention and then began to hit me across my face, as I was sick and weak, I went down each time he ht me. After going down several times I began to black out and could not get up anymore. He then began kicking me in my left abdomen with his hard leather shoes until I blacked out completely. How much he kicked me after blacking out, I do not know. Then I came to he was in the next hut beating someone there, he was in a rage over there and seemed to be hitting everyone in sight, he had awakened the entire hut. Because of the darkness I could not make out this guard was; he was huge and seemed to be about the size of “Liver Lips”, who was a Korean guard and was about 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed well over 200 pounds. After the guard left the area, I went into our hut and awakened my relief ahead of schedule to stand the rest of my period as night watchman as I was in such misery I could not continue. The next morning I made sick call and told the Australian doctor about the kicking and he pressed around my left abdomen, which was very tender. He gave me some pills to take and told me to make sick call every morning, which I did until we left this camp for Saigon, French Indo China. After receiving clothes and shoes we left Camp 1 April 9, 1944by train and stopping hat night at BanPong, Thailand, and entering Nonpladuk Camp. We stayed here until April 15, 1944 and then continuing our journey by train to Saigon with a short stopover at Bangkok, Thailand, April 16, 1944, and arriving at Promping French Indo China, April 18, 1944, where we transferred to a river boat and arriving at Saigon April 19, 1944 and enter the prison camp there near the docks. I made the trip fairly well and I felt better. I worked mostly every day at Saigon until some time in June I began to have difficulty on the working parties mostly when carrying rice or ammunition, etc, on the docks getting great pain left side and left region of my back. The rice was carried on our backs from the warehouse to the jap ships tied to the dock. Each man had to carry a 224 lb sack by himself across his shoulders and back. I had great pain in the left region of my back, making it impossible to carry these heavy sacks all the way to the ship, as they would slip down my back and finally it would fall to the ground. I carried these 224 lb rice sacks at the 62 kilo camp in Burma without getting this pain. The Japanese guards would not permit us to drop the sacks, and as a result I was slapped around by them for dropping mine. It made no difference to the Japs that I had pain so I carried the rice anyway. This went on like this day after day, I would get a break now and then by going on other details. Soon I began to get very sick, not being able to keep my food down, which was rice and water stew, with pains in my left abdomen and left side of my back. The camp doctor was an English major and I began to make sick call each morning with this doctor sending me out to work each day following sick call. I made sick call about 5 straight mornings only to be sent out to work each day. On the fifth day I was sent out to the Saigon airport where we were widening runways. After eating our noon rice and getting back to work, suddenly I blacked out completely. When I regained consciousness I was laying beside a Japanese building at the airport with a Jap guard sitting beside me. I remained here until the working party returned to camp after completing work at about 6 pm. The next morning very early Captain Fowler the American officer in charge of the Americans here came to see me and told me that he would be present when I made sick call that morning before the English doctor and see to it that I was not sent to work, as a result I was admitted to the hospital hut. While in the hospital I received my only American Red Cross box in 42 months as a prisoner of war. On July 10, 1944 I was moved with all the sick to a large warehouse in Saigon, which the Japanese had converted into a hospital. For about a week before moving to this hospital Captain Fowler brought me 3 hard boiled eggs each day. Eggs were a luxury to a prisoner of war. By this time Allied bombers were bombing Saigon almost every day and up to as many as 30 to 60 bombers. As we had no air raid shelters us sick men at the hospital had to build these shelters, this was the only work we did though at the hospital. Conditions were better at the hospital camp than they were at the work camp, only the doctors had very little to work with, with regards to drugs, medicine, and etc. About all I received here was rest and it seemed to do me a world of good. I began to feel better and much stronger and so on the 13th of September 1944 I was sent back to the work camp, and on the 14th I was back to work. Conditions at the work camp were much worse by this time it had been before I went to the hospital camp. The japs demanded more work out of us, making us go out on working parties during the day and after returning to camp for the night instead sending us back out to work for the night. We were lucky if we returned back to camp by midnight and in many cases we returned in time for breakfast rice and returning to work on the daytime working parties. We were getting very little sleep. Under these conditions and with my own condition as it was it did not take long before I was in a bad way again. I had a day or two off now and then given to me by the doctor and by the latter part of December 1944 the doctor had me sent to the hospital camp again where I received rest and on or about the 10th of January 1945 I was back to the work camp again. That was the last time that I was in a P.O.W hospital. I seemed to feel better at work except when I had to carry or lift anything I received pain in my left abdomen and left region of my back. I had spells now and then feeling pain in my left abdomen and seemed to always run a temperature when I had these spells. This condition continued until October 1, 1953 when I had an operation on my left kidney by Doctor William J. Butler. Each year this pain seemed to be accentuated. Getting back to P.O.W. days. On May 4, 1945 I was moved again by train this time up the coast of French Indo-China to a place called Dalat, arriving there on May 7, 1945. We found our work to be different here, building tunnels into the ground and fortifications in this French resort town in the mountains. This work was completed, and we were moved again further north to a place called Tuyhoa. where we were repairing two long railroad bridges bombed out by American bombers. We arrived here June 21st 1945 until the end of the war. We were officially notified as to the end of the war on August 23, 1945. On August 27, 1945 we left Tuyhoa by train for Saigon arriving there August 27, 1945 and were placed in a large barracks camp formerly used as a French camp, to await our liberation. I was placed on the first airplane out of Saigon carrying prisoners of war to Calcutta India arriving there September 5, 1945 and entering the 142 General Hospital and back to American control.
In conclusion I want to emphasize the appalling conditions of the Burma Siam railway once more, which up and down the line, through untracked jungles, across dizzy ravines, astride rivers which became destructive torrents in the rains, through jungle-choked mountain passes, over rocky cliffs and through treacherous swamps, us toiling of prisoners of war built this railway in conditions and under treatment, which if inflicted on animals here at home, would produce an outcry from every decent man and woman in the community. It did not matter to the guards or to the engineers who laid down the daily task how hard or difficult the ground, or what natural barrier obstructed the work. The fixed task had to be completed whether it meant seven hours of toil or a ten or twelve. Day by day, stretched across four hundred kilometers of jungle, us men from two score camps picked and dug and carried, the long hours and the fierce sun slowly drained away our resistance, never bolstered by a single square meal. The strain of each days toil would not have been nearly so great if engineers and guards had attempted to be reasonable or to treat us prisoners as fellow workers and not as ignorant slaves or beasts of burden. We did not even have the value of a slave gang, which must be fed sufficiently to keep it alive so that it’s owner will not have to spend his gold buying replacements in the slave market. The Japanese had many tens of thousands of captives. They had the unlimited coolie labor of Southern Asia on which to draw. They were not only unconcerned as to the ravages of disease; they were quite prepared to starve us to death as the work was done, and maltreatment and starvation in the true Japanese tradition gradually took toll of us. To us men scourged with recurrent bouts of fever, to us men who’s bowels had turned to water, to us men who watched daily the slow rotting away of our bodies, we did know enough of the jungle and of the Japanese to understand that this was equivalent to a massacre. As the sick parade increased daily, so that the numbers available for work dwindled, the last shreds of veneer were torn aside from the face of the Japanese beast. Up and down the line, not from ignorant coolies, not from the uneducated toughs such as you find in all armies, but from the officers in responsible positions, the class representing Japan’s development, came the words “Your sick shall starve until they die or go back to work.” The commander of No. 3 branch Colonel T. Nagatoro in telling us prisoners in branch that he would not feed the sick in the camps hospital said, “any sick man who staggers to the line to lay one cross tie will not have died in vain.” Along the line a series of blitzes as we called them of the stick began with the camp commandants parading the no duty sick on pronounced the edict : “No work, no food.” As a result we who were sick had to go to work. The Japanese then set a quota of only a certain amount were allowed to be sick at one time, this quota was far below the amounts that were sick, and this responsibility fell on the shoulders of our prisoner doctors. They were often beaten for not sticking to the quota. Our officers appealing before the Japanese on behalf of our sick, a senior Japanese officer said quite coldly: “You do not understand us. We will build this railway if necessary over the bones of the P.O.W.s. You will never see your homes again. You will work for the Japanese until you all die.” These were not the isolated statements of unbalanced perverts. They expressed with complete fidelity the attitude of all Japanese to their prisoners through the first years of the war when they believed that nothing could stop Japan. The voice was that of prison camp commanders, but the verdict was that of the highest in the land. This policy expressed the mind of the ruling class of Tokyo.
“The defense department records show that during World War II over 150,000 Americans were captured and held as prisoners of war. It is sad to know that over 15,000 of them died in the prison camps alone. The ordeals endured during imprisonment can never be described by mere words. The treatment received as prisoners of war has left its mark, which shows up more plainly with the passages of time.” These are the words of the Hon. Pearle Carter Pacs, acting Commissioner of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission.
Franklin B. Torp |
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