“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. ” – Gen. Douglas McArthur (1880-1964)

Seventy-eight years have passed since Japan surrendered to Allied forces, marking the end of World War II. The war’s brutal conclusion, culminating with the detonation of two atomic weapons, changed history. Although subsequent wars have been fought, World War II remains the deadliest conflict in human history. The European theater of combat during the war has received significant attention due to the existential threat to the world in the form of the Third Reich. However, in the Pacific, the Japanese military waged its own campaign of death and destruction across Asia. H. Robert Charles served as United States Marne about the USS Houston, and on February 28, 1942, he found himself among the survivors of a Japanese attack in the Sunda Strait that decimated their forces and vessel. The surviving soldiers were taken captive as Prisoners of War (“POW”) by the Japanese, who had every intention of making the Americans pay for the battle against Japan. The prisoners were forced to build the Burma-Thailand railway, and this is Charles’s story of the nightmare ordeal the POWs faced until liberation.

Before starting the story of his captivity, a foreword opens the book, followed by a prologue explaining the long road from war survivor to author. It is apparent that he returned home with what we call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) today. But after being coaxed by a fellow veteran to seek counseling, he has a discussion with a therapist who helps break down the walls preventing him from telling his story. And with determination and a sense of purpose, he has left us with this story of a dark time in history which we should never wish to repeat.

As to be expected, the author recalls his early life in post-depression America before joining the United States Marines in 1940. On December 7, 1941, life for Americans changed when the Japanese army bombed the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Naval Base. The act was in effect a call to arms for the United States. But for Charles and fellow soldiers aboard the USS Houston, the war took them in a different direction. Following their surrender to Japanese forces, the men are moved to Serang, Java and began their ordeal at the labor camp. There is no shortage of brutality by the Japanese, but the men eventually find a solace in a doctor who becomes a savior in the story: Dr. Henri Hekking (1903-1994) of the Royal Dutch Army. To say that he was a godsend would be an understatement. Admittedly, I had never heard of Hekking, but I am sure he is one of many unsung heroes of World War II.

Hekking was a physician well versed in standard practice, but he was also experienced in herbal treatments, often referred to as “unconventional”. As the story progresses, we witness the deterioration in the condition of the prisoners, who begin to suffer from the effects of malnutrition and lack of proper sanitary and hygienic protocols. Injuries are also an issue, and the lack of antiseptic tools made infection a prime concern. However, the doctor proves to be more resourceful than anyone could have imagined. But he was not without his detractors as we see in the story. Despite early misgivings, “Doc” as he is known, earns the trust of everyone as he brings back plants, roots and other items from the nearby jungles that help keep the men alive as the Japanese compel them into manual labor building the long-awaited railway they desired. Morale is low at times as physical exhaustion sets in, but Hekking never gives up and offers these words of advice which still hold true today:

 “It is in the nature of things that without despair there can be no hope, without darkness no daylight,” Doc said. “There has to be meaning. Even if we can’t see it.”

Although Hekking emerges as a pivotal figure, the author is sure to tell his own story which becomes permanently linked to the experience of their Dutch savior who commands respect even from the Japanese, who are never short on cruelty. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, events outside the camp mandated their transfer across several camps, one as far as Saigon in French Indochina. And without warning, they are told that World War II is over, and deserted by evacuating Japanese troops. This is by far the most bizarre part of the book. However, the empire had fallen, and Japan reduced to shell of its former self. For Charles, Hekking and the survivors, their ordeals were far from over as they were faced with having to rebuild their lives in the wake of the war. The author returns to the Midwest and confronts his own demons. Hekking continued to search for his wife and children, with whom he is eventually reunited. And years later, the doctor makes his way to America to see the boys one more time. There is far more to the story contained in the book, which concludes on an uplifting note. If you need an enjoyable book about the Japanese aspect of World War II, this will be a welcomed addition to the library.

“Thanks to Dr. Hekking, only thirteen out of 194 were dead—less than seven percent. It was the best report of any of the doctors in the sixty-five slave labor camps along the railway.” – H. Robert Charles 

ASIN :‎ B005S741XW