The "Torture Farm".

Jesse Cogan, a nineteen year old American fighter pilot, had it figured that he had been in the ‘torture farm’ for about eight months, though a few different times he had been unconscious and he did not know for how long, it could have been hours or it could have been days, either way he figured on eight months.1

The ‘torture farm’ was a POW (Prisoner Of War) camp in Japan, though he had no idea where, either close to Nagasaki or… somewhere else, the only reason he thought it was close to Nagasaki was because he had heard two of the Japanese officers talking about taking the POW to Nagasaki itself, though they never went to Nagasaki because the officers did not want too waste the time marching them there, plus risking the death of the special prisoners, which were twelve soldiers, nine submariners and three B-29 pilots.2

Being a ‘special prisoner’ was the worst sort of POW, you were beat more, you got less food and you were used by the Japanese officers as an example to the new comers. All a ‘special prisoner’ was, was a soldier that, if in the Navy, had sunk over 60,000 tons, or in the air force and had destroyed plantations. That’s what made you a ‘special prisoner’ and the Japs only had them so that if they lost the war they would have a few American’s to beat to death. Because they could not kill the regular POW if they lost because that was against the rules and if they killed all the POW’s then they knew for sure that the American’s would kill all of their comrades in prison camps, so they just had maybe a dozen POW’s that they would torture until death took them… if they lost that is.3

Nagasaki was the one place Jesse did not want to go, and knew for a fact that none of the other men wanted to go there either, because Nagasaki was where the famous POW camp was, he couldn’t remember the name of it, but he did remember that when he was back in the states men talked about that camp in nothing but a whisper, never saying too much, if indeed they said anything at all.4

The men that had been rescued from that certain POW camp were gaunt figures, never saying much and when the press asked them anything they would merely tell them too ‘get the hell out of their face or they’d find a fist to put their faces on’, and that was why no one knew much about POW camps, but now Jesse and thirty other men knew exactly what it was like, they did not need anyone too explain the horror… they were living it.5

It was about three in the morning as Jesse lay there in his hut, which was a small raised platform with thin wood plank walls and a bamboo door. Since he was not one of the twelve ‘special prisoners’, which were kept in confinement, he was in the same hut as four other men, he had not known any of them before his capture, their names he had forgotten… he could not remember anything these days… not the taste of his Mamas’ fresh bread or the smell of the Pearl Harbor in spring time when the warm Pacific air rushed in, not the feeling of happiness in his worn heart… and he doubted that such feelings wavered in the hearts of the other men here in the torture farm. 6

He could not sleep, his muscles ached, his head throbbed and his feet were cold. When he got to the torture farm over eight months ago, they stripped him of all but his under shorts, his toes were frost bitten now, but there was not much he could do about that at this point. At the most he could be semi thankful that he did not get the worst of it, some other guys here had it way worse. For example one of the ‘special prisoners’, Captain Dick O’Kane, captain of the USS Tang, if he heard correctly, Captain O’Kane received horrible beatings daily. One guard in particular hated him, some officer named Chim Nep Sarmori, this Chim guy had a hate feud going on with O’Kane, every time he got the chance he pulled that baseball like club out and beat the hell out of the poor fellow. 7

Jesse knew every man in the compound would have loved to help out a fellow American, but even if they could, they were too weak, they could barely eat let alone take out twenty well fit and equipped Japanese soldiers. So they held back and watched him take the beating, tears often rolling down their faces as they saw once a strong Captain fall under such a harsh beating, but O’Kane never cracked, never once did he tell them what they wanted too know… never once. 8

After dark a harsh crack sounded as he lay there, his back stiffened as he waited for something too happen, he hoped to God that he would not get beat again. There was shouting for a moment, then another crack, he figured someone was smacking his club against the side of a cabin in anger. His eyes closed as he prayed that the officers were not drunk, most abuse happened when the officers were drunk, but when he heard a shrill laugh and the shatter of a bottle, all his prayers went to waste and he knew that this would be a bad night.9

None of them were bound with rope, after a while, in the first few months of being the delighted guests in the ‘torture farm’, they were let out of their bindings, now too weak and afraid too even think about escape.10

The cracking sound occurred again, now all the men in hut heads popped up, trying too figure out what was going too happen. It was quiet for a moment, they sat there, straining their ears too hear anything out of the ordinary, when footsteps broke the silence. Their chests heaved, and just as always, memories of Jesses’ past rolled threw his head, he fumbled with them, trying too remember every sweet detail. 11

With the footsteps came a familiar voice… a Japanese voice. The memories stopped and he waited. It was silent again, but not for long, this time he could distinctly hear five different voices speaking at once, one of the voices said something he could actually understand... which was the English word ‘worthless’… and for them that was as bad a word as any. When an American called you worthless it was normally the end of an argument, but if you were called worthless by a Japanese soldier it meant he was going to beat you until you could barely breath.12

The door was shoved open and the five Jap’s walked in smiling and laughing, all had some sort of a weapon, either a wooded club or a plank of wood, anything they could get their hands on really.13

The Jap in front was Chim Nep Sarmori, an evil grin spread across his face.14

“Get up!” Chim said and as Jesse stood he felt the familiar smack of the club on his leg, he fell in cause of it. “I said get up!” Chim shouted at him. The club smacked on his ribs twice, he tried to crawl but did not get very far, finally after two more swings of Chims’ club another POW grabbed his arm and helped him up, Chim did not do anything about it, he just let them walk away, figuring they had to get in line at some point. 15

When they stood in line Jesse saw that Bill (Boats) Leibold, one of O’Kanes’ crew, was standing next to him, Leibold was a ‘special prisoner’ as well and standing next to Leibold was the Captain Dick O’Kane himself.16

The POW’s in line stood with hunched shoulders and sorrowful eyes, glazed with the fading hope that they might just get out of this place. The men’s clothing hung loosely from their thin frail bodies. In the earlier years the clothes they were wearing now were their favored clothes… their uniforms. They had loved the feel their uniforms gave them when they put on that clean white shirt then the khaki pants or shorts and button up shirt with their rank on the shoulders, but now the uniforms were nothing but tattered cloth, barely hanging from their bodies. For most of the men in the POW camp, all they had of their uniforms was the shorts, the thread barely holding together. 17

In front of the line of bedraggled men were three Japanese officers and behind them, standing with not but their pants, was four new found POW. Jesses’ heart ached for them, because he knew their fate and it was the same fate he and thirty other men were enduring now.18

Chim faced the new POW’s. “I want you too know what would happen to you if you do not do as we ask.” He said in perfect English then turned to face the older POW’s, he scanned them and picked out two men, Captain Fitzgerald, POW of seven months, and Jesse, his heart dropped as they grabbed his arm, their cold, rough hands rapping around his entire arm, they shoved him forward so that he would stand in the middle of all the POW’s, new and old. “If you do not answer truthfully you will be punished…” he said as he smacked the club across Jesses’ ribs. “If you do not obey when you are ordered too do something you will be punished…” he said and smacked the club across Fitzgerald’s thigh. “If you do anything that we do not like… you will be punished…” he smacked the club across Jesses’ shoulder hard. Jesse staggered and tried his hardest too stand, knowing that if he fell he would get the worst of beatings.19

The four new POW’s were certain to do whatever they were told now… they had done the same thing with the POW’s from the Tang, and they had done nothing truly to upset the Japos… though they never did answer any question without sarcasm.20

The POW’s were forced to watch Jesse and Fitzgerald being beat until both were unconscious. Tears streamed down their faces as they watched the young Jesse curl into a ball of protection, trying to protect his face from the harsh blows. Lucky for Fitzgerald, he was unconscious before Jesse by two minutes and when you are being beaten without stop… all wrath in the world feels as though it is being let loose upon you in those few minutes. .21

Chim picked Jesse up with ease, seeing that he now only weighed eighty some pounds, and threw him into the trough, he didn’t move, the POW’s hoped that he would regain consciousness when he hit the cold water, but he didn’t… he made no attempt to get out of the water, but if he did not or someone did not do it for him he would drown. 22

Thankfully one of the few humane Japanese officers retrieved him and put him in his hut.23

He awoke the next day, he didn’t move though, nor did he speak, his eyes barely opened as he lay there, going in and out of consciousness. His friends mourned him, half hoping that he would pull threw it and half hoping he would die and ease his pain… half their hopes came true… Jesse Cogan died two weeks later beriberi and of malnutrition and hostile abuse, not being able to move he could not feed himself and not being able too swallow because of swelling in his chest and stomach he would just throw it all back up, so he slowly starved to death.24

Two days after his death the POW’s were sent to Omari, yet another POW camp, though in this one, after two months Emperor Tojo of Japan surrendered to the American’s and the war was over, ships arrived and the POW’s were liberated and sent back to the states.25

Jesse Cogans’ body still lay till this day on the side of the road, buried under six feet of foreign soil.