Living in Camp

     When the Japanese invaded the Chinese, the "rape of Nanking" was a frightening occurance for all the women in the area and must have been in the minds of  the nurses captured by the Japanese during World War II.   We Band of Angels by Elizabeth M. Norman tells of the capture of U.S. Army and Navy nurses who were held in Manila at Santo Tomas Internment Camp and nearby Los Banos Internment Camp from1942-1945.  The author interviewed those women who were still living when she was doing her research for this nonfiction book and has included some letters and diaries written by them.



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       The book was excellent although I found it to be so disturbing in some places that I had to take a break from it.  The nurses weren't raped, but they were forced to abandon their wounded and in many cases severly ill patients.  They were imprisoned with 4 or 5,000 civilian prisoners many needing medical attention.

     Among some of the worst problems faced by everyone at the imprisonment centers were the serious diseases caused by malnutrition.  As the war turned against the Japanese, the food allotted the prisoners became worse with much smaller portions until they were given 500 or less calories per day.

     The nurses faced their situation with professionalism continuing to work a few hours a day even though they had no energy and often suffered from illness themselves.

     When the nurses returned home, the government used them for propoganda until they were no longer needed.  They were then basically ignored.

     This book is one that aroused my empathy and reminded me of the horrors of war in a world where people can become less than human.  If you want a good read about World War II and the conditions of the Santo Tomas Internment Camp, try this excellent book.

     And remember the ladies.

                   Carol