Portsmouth Public Library book talk

Press Release from Portsmouth Public Library

175 Parrott Avenue

Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801

603.427.1540

January 9, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Portsmouth author, Charles Underwood, Jr, signs and reads from his new book, Deadline:  Captain Charlie’s Bataan Diary, at the Portsmouth Public Library on Wednesday, January 29 from 12:30-1:30.  Bring your lunch!

January 2014 marks the seventy-second anniversary of the Battle of Bataan, the first campaign in World War II. As described in the book Deadline: Captain Charlie’s Bataan Diary, in 1941, Captain Charlie Underwood was a former a newspaper reporter called up to active duty, and was sent to the Philippines as an Infantry Commander.

American forces in the Philippines, under General MacArthur, fought a heroic siege against a superior invading Japanese Army.  First bombed hours after Pearl Harbor, they fought until they ran out of food and supplies, and surrendered 99 days later.  The day of surrender began the infamous Death March, where American soldiers were forced Marched,  if they fell out they were bayoneted, shot or beheaded by the Japanese intent on revenge. 

Underwood survived the infamous Death March, and three prisoner of war camps- the last north of Tokyo, Japan. At the end of the war he boldly commandeered a train and traveled through hostile territory to reach the U.S. lines to get help. He is credited with helping to liberate more than seven hundred starving POWs in three POW Camps.

"Deadline-Captain Charlie's Bataan Diary," is published locally by Piscataqua Press. The book contains photographs, news clippings and copies of Captain Underwood's affidavits describing atrocities he presented in evidence to the war crimes commission in Yokohama in 1946. 

Copies of Deadline will be available for sale at the reading.  The book may also be purchased at RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH.

The library is located at 175 Parrott Avenue, next to the Portsmouth Middle School and may be reached at 603-427-1540 or by visiting our web site at www.cityofportsmouth.com/library.  

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 Sherry Evans,   Head of Public Services

603-766-1703 ; Fax:  603-433-0981 

 smevans@lib.cityofportsmouth.com

Article about book will appear in Kansas Topeka Capitol News

Steve Fry, reporter from the Topeka Capital newspaper interviewed me via the telephone Thursday.  He read the press release and is writing a article for his Saturday's newspaper commemorating oveterans who were affected by Pearl Harbor and the bombing of  Philippines on December 7th. It looks like my book is recieving some national attention. Wow!

Newspaper article about my book "Deadline-Captain Charlie's Bataan Diary"

Deadline-Captain Charlie's Bataan Diary Published today 11/29/13

I just heard from my publisher this morning that my book is now publication as of today both at: wwwpiscataquapress/underwood and Amazon.com. 

War Crime tribunal, 1946

Book cover

Publication of new book "Deadline-Captain Charlie's Bataan Diary"

I begin this posting with my publication this week of a new book about my father's war experiences in the Philippines in World War II. On December 7th he was stationed in the Philippines when it was bombed eight hours after Pearl Harbor. Days later it was invaded by the 14th Imperial Japanese Army.

The book is titled "Deadline-Capt. Charlie's Bataan Diary".  He fought on Luzon and Bataan until he was captured. He survived the death march and three prison camps, the last one north of Tokyo called Hitachi Pow Camp 8. He was sent there with 300 other men as forced laborers to work in a copper mine. If you didn't work you were beaten. In 18 months, five men died.

My dad kept a hidden account of the atrocities. The worst days in camp (and there were many ) was when a death occurred due to execution or dysentery or malnutrition- that was common in Camp O'Donnell, his first POW Camp. A Good day was when you've got about a spoonful of meat and that occurred about once a month.

Captain Charlie spent  18 months in Hitachi POW Camp, north of Tokyo. But he almost didn't make it out. On May 28, 1944, he intervened to save an American private name Guiraud.  One afternoon Japanese guards senseless and repeated beat the private into unconsciousness with bamboo rods and rifle butts because of a small infraction in the mine.  Charlie, stepped in and was accused of "interference."  He paid a heavy price, getting beaten himself, but was relieved to know Private Guiraud, survived.

Upon the Japanese surrender at the end of the war, men of Hitachi prison camp were not rescued. Captain Charlie had to commandeer a Japanese train thru hostile territory until he found American lines back in Yokohama, in order to get help for his 300 men, and two other northern prison camps.  As a journalist, he volunteered to write the charges against his guards that committed these atrocities. This evidence was used to prosecute his tormentors at the war crimes commission in 1946.  Six were found guilty and sentenced to Sugoma prison recieving long-term sentences.

Much of the book is derived from my dad's first hand reports. He preserved his war notes, manuscripts, news stories and photo's, in a vault and this material was found after his death. Material was also derived from POW Associations and accounts from other men interned in the same camp. The result, is a rare and rich account of what daily life was like for soldier on Bataan and later, as a POW in Japan during World War II. Listed within the text are the charging affidavits and other evidence presented to the war crimes commission. 

Charlie's story is an inspiration to all of us, then and now and especially for our soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They also will also make it they will also survive. 

It was no small task research this story after so many years and to put this material in a chronological order. The book took me 3 1/2 years to research and write. Many interviews were conducted, even to people in Japan. Special thanks go to the individuals that help me with this work. My first cousin Dr. Brian Carr, Lubbock Texas, correlated the vault material on a DVD so I could make sense out of it, to begin the story. My brother-in-law Mark Lambdin, a professional photographer, was able to enhance and restore vital photos from the early 1940s. Special thanks also goes to the editor of the POW magazine the"Quan," who printed my short article about my research; that generated useful responses.

The book  titled "Deadline- Captain Charlie's Diary," by Charles Underwood Jr. PhD  by Piscataqua Press, at Www. Piscataquapress.com and reasonably priced at $16.99, a portion of royalties being contributed to the national POW Association. It is also on Amazon.com , and shortly will be on e-books by 20 December.

If you have any comments or want more information please contact me.