"For all we knew, we were existing in Hell." (Journal)

Cecil Jesse Peart

Detail of page from Cecil J. Peart's Journal kept during his time as a POW War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Navy Unit: 4th Marine Regiment Service Location: China; Bataan and Manila (Philippines); Japan; Korea; Manchukuo; Corregidor Highest Rank: Chief Warrant Officer 3 POW: Yes Place of Birth: Oakdale, CA

Under immensely daunting conditions, Pharmacist's Mate Cecil Peart kept notes for a journal beginning in December 1944 while he was being transferred from a prison in Manila to Japan. It took three ships to make the trip; the first two were strafed by American planes and sunk. Peart cared for his best friend, wounded in one of the attacks, until he died, and like many other survivors, he scavenged clothing off the newly deceased before they were buried at sea. His final destination was Mukden, Manchuria, and work in a factory. Of the over 1600 men who boarded that first boat, the S.S. Oryoku Maru, out of the Philippines, fewer than 400 lived to tell of their ordeal.