West Point Speech
There were no medical supplies, whatsoever. We were fed a starvation diet: a handful of rice a day, a watery soup a couple of times a week, and a pint of boiled water a day.
Regardless of our physical or mental condition, we were forced to work on the railroad. A British Medical Officer was usually in camp. The Medical Officer's advice was usually ignored by a Jap sergeant who picked so many prisoners for work --- regardless of their condition.
It is impossible to describe the conditions. We worked at least 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, always under Jap and Korean guards, we worked. If you were sick and couldn't work, you were beaten until you kept going or passed out.
We marched from camp to camp in the virgin jungle. When the site was reached, we had to clear the jungle and make camp. This was done until the railroad was finished.
We were forced to sleep in the open, or improvise from anything we found in the jungle.
