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World War II Japanese Prisoner Of War Camp Inhumane

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Brutality Told Through Daughter Of Survivor P0W #1000

“Horrendous, incomprehensible, unimaginable, there are no sufficiently exclamatory words to atrociously describe the unbearableness of being a prisoner of war.”
Those who professionally report that brutal inhumaneness without exception have no true realization. Only those who survive the heartless cruelties, starvation, physical mental abuse, laborious slave conditions can tell how terrible it is.
They are a small percentage of the total experiencing the pain then, and forever after. Their closest friends, family, partners did not return, losing their lives in death marches and as prisoners of war (POW).
Still when the facts are remembered, re-lived, and revealed by those survivors, it’s completely impossible for today’s generations to understand. It is irresolvable for anybody to make a logical evaluation of the atrocities beyond belief, torture, murder, grisly reality.
That’s Janis Pardue Hill’s reason for compiling and editing the book “Telling His Story: POW #1000.” It’s her dad J.C. Pardue’s reflections of The Bataan Death March and Japanese POW Camps as he compiled them.
That was years and decades after his release as a POW still feeling the overwhelming traumas three-quarters of a century later.
Hill said: “The Bataan Death March is one of the most horrific mistreatments of prisoners and blatant war crimes in history of the world.
“Still most people even the highest educated do not know what happened in the Philippines after 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Or the POW slave camps in Japan after the infamous march of death, 1942-1945.”
The Bataan Death March was the Japanese Army’s 65-miles forcible transfer of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war. It began April 9, 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II,
Sources report widely differing prisoner of war casualties prior to reaching Camp O’Donnell from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths. If an American soldier was caught on the ground or fell, he would be instantly shot.
All the American soldiers who are known to have died or were killed now have a gravestone honoring them.
The march was characterized by severe physical abuse and wanton killings. After the war, the Japanese leaders were tried by United States for war crimes. They were sentenced to death on charges of failing to prevent their subordinates from committing war crimes.
“Not enough people are aware of the atrocities veterans suffered during the death marches,” author Hill said. “They witnessed the brutality of the Japanese guards who bayonetted, shot, beheaded, or buried alive any who fell.”
The memoir covers both J.C. Pardue’s entry into the U.S. Army Air Corps and his World War II experiences. The surrender of Bataan, as a slave in Japan, and a survivor determined to live a Christian life.
Prominent among Pardue’s memories was the miracle of his Bible. Surviving a direct fragmentation bomb, confiscation in the POW camp, disposal on an inhumane prison ship, his Bible always returned.
His most treasured possession, the Bible made it home to the states with him. J.C. Pardue POW #1000 attributed his survival to the faith acquired and absorbed from the weapon he considered the most valuable of all, his Bible.
“Dad’s faith is what saved him,” daughter-editor Hill said. “It gave him the hope and strength to go on living in POW camps, forced to work as a slave laborer.”
Janis Pardue Hill is a retired university professor and lifelong educator. Living in North Louisiana, Hill’s goal is to share her father’s story, honoring him, and educating readers.
Available in several forms on the internet, book information can also be obtained through Ashley Fletcher at Lavidge in Phoenix [email protected].
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Media advisory: Professor can comment on potentially close election, aftermath in Turkey

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Media advisory

Contact: Rick Hellman, KU News Service, 785-864-8852, [email protected], @RickHellman
Media advisory: Professor can comment on potentially close election, aftermath in Turkey
LAWRENCE – With Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan facing personal jeopardy in the most serious challenge to his rule in two decades when the nation votes May 14, anything can happen, according to a University of Kansas expert who is available to comment on the potentially momentous results.
F. Michael Wuthrich, associate professor of political science and associate director of KU’s Center for Global & International Studies, is the author of the book “National Elections in Turkey: People, Politics, and the Party System” (Syracuse University Press, 2015). It covers the period from 1950 to 2011.

He is also the co-author of “Beyond Piety and Politics: Religion, Social Relations and Public Preferences in the Middle East and North Africa” (Indiana University Press, 2022).
Erdogan’s main rival is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the center-left Republican People’s Party, who heads a coalition of six opposition parties. Erdogan heads the Justice and Development, or AK, Party, which Wuthrich considers socially conservative and populist.
If Turkey were a true democracy, Wuthrich said, Erdogan would very likely be ousted based on a combination of the nation’s recent economic woes, his government’s poor response to the Feb. 6 earthquake and backlash against his authoritarian moves.
Instead, Turkey is a “competitive but authoritarian regime,” Wuthrich said, where Erdogan has “co-opted and controlled” the media, pushed through constitutional changes that remove parliamentary checks and balances and consolidated his power through a presidential system.
Even so, the KU expert said, most polls show Erdogan losing by a close margin on Sunday. Thus, the question becomes, “Can he cheat enough to win without being blatant about it? Can he make a plausible enough argument he should have won that he might maintain his hold on power? But in a country like Turkey, where people say their vote is their honor, he also can’t be caught with his hand in the cookie jar, stuffing ballots.”
On the other hand, Wuthrich said, if he loses, “Erdogan realizes that many of the things he has done, he would have to stand trial for. … He’s got everything to lose by losing.”
Wuthrich is available to news media over the weekend to comment on the election results. Email him at [email protected].

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KU News Service
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

“THE GIFT OF KIDNEY DONATION”

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The first successful organ transplant was a kidney transplant in 1954. The donor was the identical twin of the recipient. The new kidney worked for 11 months. This was long before any anti-rejection medications were available. Cyclosporine, the first anti-rejection medication, was approved for use in 1983. The use of anti-rejection medications has significantly increased how long transplanted organs will function.
A transplanted kidney from a living donor will last on average 12-20 years. A kidney from a decease donor lasts 8-12 years on average. Amazingly, the longest reported kidney transplant lasted 60 years. Most people who have kidney transplants for end stage kidney disease are first treated with kidney dialysis. Since dialysis is an option treatment for end stage kidney disease, people may wonder why kidney transplants are needed at all.
Dialysis is not ideal as it only can do about 10-15% of the work that a healthy kidney dose. Dialysis is also very costly and time consuming for the patient. The average life expectancy of a patient on dialysis is 5-10 years. Thus dialysis commonly used as a bridge to kidney transplants, and not a replacement for transplant.
Kidney and liver transplants are unique because they can be done with living donors. For the kidney donor, once a kidney is removed, the remaining one will increase in size to adjust for the lost kidney. The portion of the liver that is donated can regrow rapidly and the donor’s liver will be back to normal size and function in a few months after the donation. Donation of a kidney or part of a liver does not shorten the donor’s life expectancy.
Per the National Organ Transplant Act, neither living nor deceased donors are compensated for organ donations. This is truly a gift of life that is given to the recipient. However, organ recipients may pay for their living donor’s travel, lodging, and lost wages in connection with the donation. The donor’s surgery is often billed to the recipient’s health insurance. The National Living Donor Assistance Center also helps eligible donors financially when they cannot have their expenses covered by the donor, the donor’s insurance company, or state programs.
Since 1954 over one million organ transplants have taken place in the United States. The Organ Procurement and Transplant Network reported over 42,800 organ transplants were done in 2022. Last year 6,466 people became living organ donors. Thanks to organ donors, transplant recipients can live longer and healthier lives. Consider checking the organ donor box next time you are at the DMV. One day, it may lead to the gift needed for someone else to stay healthy out there.
Jill Kruse, D.O. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices as a hospitalist in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show providing health information based on science, built on trust, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.

Wheat Scoop: Kansas Wheat Farmer Hosts Farm Bill Listening Session

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Kansas Wheat

Contact: Marsha Boswell, [email protected]

For audio version, visit kswheat.com.

Against a backdrop of American flags suspended from multihued combines, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) sat down with U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15) on May 2 to gather input on Farm Bill priorities during a food and agriculture listening session.

The session marks the first official Farm Bill listening session since a Senate field hearing in 2017 and follows a late April roundtable discussion with Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and U.S. Senator John Boozman, the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The current version of the Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2023, so these sessions are part of many others happening across the country as lawmakers negotiate the future of the Farm Bill.

“We are all here because we care about agriculture, with getting ag policy right,” Rep. Mann said. “And we want to see Kansas and American farmers, ranchers and producers thrive. That’s why we planned this session to listen, share and make this Farm Bill the strongest one in American history. For that to happen, we must come together with our diverse perspectives and find points of unity.”

Conducting this listening session within the Big First congressional district was a barometer of the needs of U.S. agriculture. Inside the Saline County machine shed of Justin Knopf – immediate past president of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers – farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and leaders in Kansas agriculture gathered to emphasize the importance of Farm Bill programs from crop insurance to food aid and everything in between.

“I’m just incredibly grateful that they took the time to come out and spend time listening in our community, in front of a wheat field, in front of harvesters,” Knopf said. “What was important for me was for them to experience the sense of community here, the good people that I partner with on a daily basis in our operation – my neighbors, bankers, crop insurance agents, USDA staff and other business people in the community. I wanted them to have a sense of how this legislation impacts all those individuals and our ability to get our job done and done well.”

Extreme Drought Illustrates Importance of Crop Insurance

With a wheat field just behind the flatbed trailer serving as the stage, Knopf used his welcome to walk the lawmakers and attendees through the current growth stage of his wheat crop and his expectations for a below-average yield. He recognized his wheat is in better shape than many and pointed out that thousands of Kansas wheat acres have been abandoned or will not be harvested this year due to extreme drought conditions. The persistent drought also emphasizes the importance for crop insurance, which was repeated by several commentators throughout the morning session.

“Farmers deal with a lot of risk; it’s an inherent part of our business and what our families deal with,” Knopf said. “Crop insurance is probably the most important and most fundamental way that we have to manage some of that risk in extreme weather events, be it drought like we’re experiencing currently or floods like they recently experienced in California.”

“We heard a lot of that message today from the farmers who spoke up and made comments on crop insurance. In the wake of a disaster, crop insurance is what allows us to have the means to put in next year’s crop.”

Session Highlights Kansas Ties to Food Aid

Attendees also expressed support for other Farm Bill programs, including food aid assistance programs like USAID Food for Peace, which can trace their origins to the ideas of a young Kansas farmer. In September 1953, Peter O’Brien, a farmer and rancher from Cheyenne County, suggested at his county Farm Bureau meeting that Kansas farmers could give some surplus grain to countries in dire need — saving lives and building goodwill all at once. A resolution was drafted at the county level and was adopted by the Kansas Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In 1954, U.S. Senator Andy Schoeppel, also from Kansas, sponsored the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act, a bill based on the grassroots resolution. The act was then signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The law became the basis for today’s modern food aid programs. The United States now sends more food aid to countries in need than any other nation and more wheat is used in the United States as in-kind aid than any other commodity.

Wheat is not only donated for direct use but is also a popular commodity for monetization, a development program where donated commodities are sold within the recipient country, and the proceeds support agricultural development projects. In his comments, Ken Wood, board member for the National Wheat Foundation and retired farmer from nearby Chapman, emphasized the need to keep wheat as a commodity donation, rather than switching the programs to relying on monetary assistance.

Rep. Mann and Chairman Thompson each echoed their support for food aid programs in the Farm Bill during their remarks.

“This is having a positive impact on families around the world,” Chairman Thompson said. “As I like to say, people with full bellies are less likely to engage in war and terrorism. And so that makes all of you and that makes the American farmer a champion for world peace.”

Lawmakers Commit to Strengthening Export Market Development Programs

Both lawmakers also expressed their commitment to increased funding for the Farm Bill-authorized export market development programs – the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. Both programs need more investment to strengthen their effectiveness as MAP’s authorized funding has not changed since 2006 and FMD funding has remained the same since 2002.

“When you look at the return on investment for taxpayer dollars on those programs, that covers the swath of all agricultural products,” Rep. Mann said. “We have got to keep investing there. I strongly support increasing our investments for MAP and FMD.”

Rep. Mann is helping lead the effort to double the funding for this pair of agricultural export market development programs administered by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). He is a lead sponsor for the Agriculture Export Promotion Act (H.R. 648), which is currently making its way through the U.S. political process, along with the Senate equivalent – the Expanding Agricultural Exports Act (S. 176).

“Congressman Mann has led strongly and sponsored legislation to double MAP and FMD funding,” Knopf said. “I applaud his efforts on that front and Chairman Thompson following suit in supporting that push because the return on investment is very high.”

Rural Input Helps Shape Farm Bill Priorities

The stated and submitted comments on export market development, food aid, crop insurance and many other topics will travel from the machine shed in Saline County to the marble halls of Washington, DC. There, they’ll be combined with the comments from other listening sessions across the country to help shape the next Farm Bill. While timing and details are still being determined, one fact is certain – lawmakers are listening to what U.S. producers need to continue doing what they do best – providing food, fuel and fiber for the world.

“Agriculture inspires us to look back at our shared heritage, engage in the present and plan for the future,” Rep. Mann said. “That’s what today is about – planning for the future. Producers do everything they can to pass the tradition of agriculture on to their children. And we have conversations like this one today to make sure that we’re able to do that.”

Following the listening session, Rep. Mann, Chairman Thompson, and the Farm Journal Foundation held a panel discussion titled, “The Role of Innovation in Global Food Systems” at Kansas State University. Additional panelists included Dr. J. Ernest Minton, Dean of K-State College of Agriculture; Gregg Doud, Vice President of Global Situational Awareness & Chief Economist of Aimpoint Research; and Tyler Lund, Farm Journal Foundation Farmer Ambassador.

Watch the full panel discussion at https://www.k-state.edu/media/farmbill/ and keep track of Farm Bill progress and other legislation impacting Kansas wheat farmers at https://kswheat.com/advocacy.

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat

 

 

The Harvey County Farmers Market 2023 season has arrived!

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The Harvey County Farmers Market 2023 season has arrived! We will open May 13 at 301 N. Main in Newton, KS just West of the Breadbasket restaurant. The hours are Saturdays from 8:00 AM – Noon. Can you believe this is the 40th year of the Harvey County Farmers Market? We have a great lineup of vendors that you don’t want to miss.

1. Supporting your local farmers strengthens your community and local economy. On average, only 10 cents of each food dollar returns to the farmer. The other 90 cents goes to corporations for packaging, marketing and transportation. Farmers who sell direct to consumers receive 80 cents of each food dollar—a needed economic boost during this time in our lives.
2. Freshly picked, in season produce is at peak flavor and nutrition. Not only is buying locally an economic win for your community, but you benefit by getting to know your neighbors and eating fresher, healthier food. Win, win!
3. Farmers markets offer foods that align with a healthy eating pattern. Guidelines for a healthy eating pattern recommend getting a variety of food from all five food groups. These food groups include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy (or dairy alternatives). Visit different booths for seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local grain, protein and dairy products so you can build a healthy plate. Don’t forget, though, that a healthy relationship with food means enjoying treats. Whether they be sweet, salty or savory, these foods are especially delicious when you don’t have to prepare them yourself.
4. Farmers often have recommendations for preparing their products. If you’re grabbing something fresh that requires preparation on your part, don’t be afraid to chat with the vendor. Ask questions and share ideas for best cooking methods and favorite recipes. These little inquiries can be extra helpful when buying a product with which you’re less familiar.
5. You can try a new fruit or vegetable! Speaking of the more novel products one can find at a local market, be sure to approach each booth with a sense of adventure. They don’t say variety is the spice of life for no reason.

 

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