Jim's Journey: A Wake Island Civilian POW's Story

Surviving the sixteen day Battle of Wake Island was just the beginning of a long struggle to remain alive for the civilian contractors and military men who were now prisoners of the Japanese. With more guns than men, the Marines on Wake welcomed any of the civilian contractors who would man a gun to aid them. Jim Allen was one of those who volunteered to train and fight along side the Marines of Battery E.

When Wake Island fell to the Japanese, Jim was captured. His main worry at first was that he would be shot by his captors for his "guerilla" activities. That worry passed after a time only to be replaced by many others during his 1,354 days as a POW in China, Korea, and Japan. By using their carpentry skills, Jim and other skilled contractors were able to make their horrendous life a bit easier in the Shanghai POW camp where the Wake POWs were first taken. Ingenuity, innovation, and plain old sticky fingers kept barracks roofs from leaking and secret radios hidden. Morale was maintained with the music from a home-made guitar fashioned out of bits and pieces "found" around the camp.

As the Pacific war drew to a close, the Shanghai POWs found themselves in Niigata, Japan, hoping the rumors of annihilation as the Allies drew nearer would not come true. Jim Allen was one of the Wake Island POWs who survived the years of hell. Once back on U. S. soil, he was hoping to put the war behind him. But that was not to be. Jim and other Wake civilian POWs would find their lives changed simply by being ex-POWs and facing a future that would hold many skirmishes in their long battle for recognition and justice.