Italian Women POWs in Texas Were Shocked When Cowboys Begged Them to Make Real Pizza
The Dust of Fort Worth The transport truck groaned as it cleared the heavy iron gates of the makeshift detention facility outside Fort Worth, Texas. It was…
‘Why Don’t They Hate Us ‘ | German Women POWs Confused by Canadian Village Welcome
The Long Dirt Road The canvas flap at the back of the transport truck rattled incessantly, throwing thin slivers of afternoon light across the wooden benches. It…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Chicken and Dumplings” | Female German POWs Called It a Royal Banquet
The Smell of Roasted Chicken The brakes of the heavy transport truck shrieked to a halt, a sharp, metallic sound that seemed to slice through the damp…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Sweet and Sour Pork” | Female German POWs Thought It Was Chinese New Year
The Taste of Ginger on a Gray Morning The sky over rural Pennsylvania on February 19, 1945, was the color of a wet slate shingle. A bitter,…
The Americans Said, ‘American Apple Pie’ | Japanese POW Women Forgot the War
The Threshold of Winter The fog off Puget Sound always tasted of salt and wet pine, a damp chill that crept through the wool of the oversized…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Aspirin for Headache” | Female German POWs Thought It Was Magic Pills
The White Pills The iron spikes had been pounding inside Analisa Schroeder’s skull since the transport trucks crossed the Ohio state line days ago. Now, lying on…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Sunday Pot Roast” | Female German POWs Couldn’t Believe So Much Meat
The West Texas wind did not blow; it scourged. It carried with it the fine, red grit of the Llano Estacado, a dust that found its way…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Mashed Potatoes and Butter” | Female German POWs Couldn’t Stop Eating
The Announcement The Colorado sun had not yet cleared the jagged peaks of the Front Range, but inside the barbed-wire perimeter of Camp Carson, the air was…
‘The Americans Said, ‘Coconut Cake Slice” | Female German POWs Had Forgotten What Sugar Tasted Li
The Arrival The wind that swept across the Kansas prairie in November 1944 carried no mercy. It howled over the flat, grey expanse, rattling the chain-link fences…
‘The Canadians Said, ‘Wild Game Stew” | Female German POWs Hadn’t Had Venison Since Bavaria
The Fragrance of the Red Deer The latch of the mess hall door did not so much click as crack, a sharp, brittle sound that traveled easily…