How many days a week did you work?
We worked everyday, seven days a week. There was no Saturdays or Sundays off.

Did you ever have any time off?
I had time off when I had malaria, when I was injured, and the two times I was put in the punishment shack. We will talk the punishment I received a little later on.

Did you organize any sports activities?
No, we were always too damned tired.

Were there any church services?
Not in our camp because we didn't have any pastors. They finally were allowed to have both Catholic and Protestant services in Cabanatuan. There were priests and pastors there.

Did you celebrate any holidays like Christmas? (Ben Peterson)
No. Holidays, including Christmas, were just like any other day. We didn't get any time off. We got up, worked, ate our meals, and went to bed.

We knew when the holidays were, but didn't discuss them. At Christmas, I think everyone thought about it, as I did. But, in our situation, holidays really didn't make any difference.

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What was a typical day at Clark Field?
You got up in the morning at about 6:00 a.m. and had breakfast. We were fed twice a day.

What did you eat for breakfast?
We got one cup of steamed rice. That was it! We went out of the camp and dug rocks. We could get water outside the camp while we were working.

U.S. Soldiers Eating Meager Rations of Rice -- U.S. Archive Photo

Assuming you met your quota on time, when would you eat supper?
We would eat supper about six o'clock. Again, we got about a cup of steamed rice. After that, we were on our own and didn't have to do anything until the next morning. We usually went to bed early because we were tired.

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