1368 Days: An American POW in WWII Japan

by Peter B. Marshall

“There are not many of us WWII POWs left now. I’m 96 years old and have outlived all of us captured by the Japanese on Guam the day after Pearl Harbor….All of us in Zentsuji and Osaka POW camps went through those 1368 days together. Not all of us made it home.”
Pete Marshall was the tenth of twelve children raised on a farm in rural Missouri during the Depression. After joining the Navy in 1939, he trained as a hospital corpsman and was stationed in Guam. The Japanese invaded Guam the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Pete was taken prisoner and sent to Japan for the duration of the war, living in primitive conditions with little food or medical supplies and working as slave labor. The stories illustrate how his childhood experiences helped him survive captivity. His POW experiences, so poignantly remembered here, had a continuing impact throughout his life.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2017

About the author

Pete Marshall worked for the Arizona State Health Laboratory for twenty-eight years, retiring in 1981. A widower since 2013, he lives in Prescott Valley, Arizona with his youngest daughter, where he still enjoys playing bridge and other card games. He is an avid fan of Arizona sports teams. His oldest daughter, edited his memoirs which were written over several decades.

Reviews

[Karen M. Falla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent first-person historical narrative

This memoir was so very interesting in showing how this man experienced many aspects of his life. It was especially enlightening to learn what it was like for him to be captured by the enemy and what he went through until finally being rescued. Also what he went through with tuberculosis and how he and his family were impacted. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the human experience of war or just in how another person copes with life.

[Michelle Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my great great uncle, someone I never had the chance to meet. There are bits of my family tree woven into this story. The accounts of his time as a prisoner and after are interesting and personable. It humanizes what people went through and gives great perspective of the culture. and ways of life at that time. I'm glad I read it.

[Ma-Ree S. Beals · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brave man

I met Peter one time at his brother Felix 100 birthday party. I heard many wonderful stories about him, but never realized all he had been through. I'm glad he wrote his memoirs and most especially glad that I was able to read them. I bought other books for the young children in the family and one 13 year old was really impressed with how he survived his childhood and the captivity.