Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

The news of the bombing of Hiroshima reached the POWs. Though no one could believe it, the news reported that one bomb had wiped out an entire city. Three days later, on August 9th, the city of Nagasaki met the same fate.

Rumors spread that the war was over and workers failed to report to their duties. Even the guards behaved unpredictably, refusing to speak to the prisoners; they were just as confused as the prisoners. On August 20th, they were told the war was over, and the Naoetsu prisoners, a total of seven hundred men, were invited to bathe in the river. An American bomber flew over the river, and by blinking his lights, the pilot communicated that the war was over. At the news, men ran up the hill, crushed the fence, cried, and cheered in a massive frenzy. They received a message from the plane that bombers would return with supplies. Another plane flew over and dropped some cigarettes, candy bars and magazine covers containing the image of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

On August 22, Phil’s camp (Rokuroshi) was freed. The men celebrated with a party, complete with dancing, a bonfire, and inebriated soldiers.

Though the war had ended, the men in Naoetsu waited for more supplies, demanding the remaining Japanese guards for more food.