Cecil Cunningham

July 15, 1943 Davenport Times-Tribune

Mrs. Joe Griffith had word last week that her brother, Cecil Cunningham, who was reported missing when the Philippine islands were taken by the Japs, is now reported to a prisoner in Japan. He joined the army before the war was declared and was in the Philippine islands at the time of the attack. His brother, the late Rev. Cunningham, was a former pastor of the Deep Creek church.

Cecil Cunningham, Japanese POW Of Deep Creek, Wash., from a hospital ship somewhere in the Pacific, Sept. 6, 1945

I have been paralyzed in my right leg since March of 1945. I have the use of my leg now, but unable to bear any weight on it. Feel very good otherwise. Have gained weight. March, I weighed 120. August, 125. Now about 140. The American chow sure does wonders. I think I will be walking very shortly. So don’t worry.

The Good Lord must have been looking after our camp (the Yokkaichi prison camp in Japan) and the Allies must of known we were there. Bombs fell all around our compound and yet no one was hit.

We were strafed two times on the 30th of July. … wounded one of our men and killed one Dutch boy.

They had to amputate one left foot. They wasn’t able to sterilize any of the instruments and they were Japanese so they weren’t worth a damn. It was the doctor’s first amputation and he arrived in our camp two days before. They just had two cans of ether and one course of sulfa drugs to give him. Which no doubt saved his life.

The (Japanese) men quit work August 15 and we were sure glad to have that much proof that the war was over. But wasn’t sure until the 19th of August. We were visited by a British dive bomber from H.M.S. Indefatigable. The next day they came back and dropped us 12 big packages. They consisted of food, cigarettes, pipe tobacco and newspapers. We started reading, eating and smoking.

The next day, they came back and dropped about the same thing and we notified them that we needed sulfa drugs. They made a return trip but the plane with the drugs couldn’t raise the landing gear and had to return. They notified us and was putting on an air show to give us a thrill, which they did on all their trips. They hadn’t finished when one plane dropped the medicine.

… We left Yokkaichi prison camp at 5:30 a.m., with eight hours notice to go to a port near Yokohama. Saw my first U.S. soldier. I was speechless. You can’t imagine how much of a thrill it was to see a Marine running up and shaking my hand. I thought he never would quit shaking it. I guess he was as glad to see us as we was him. I have been aboard for four days and still get a big thrill looking at the stars and stripes flying on the ship.

… Saw my first American woman since I was taken prisoner. She sure looked good to me.

… I hope you can read what I have written. This is already more writing than I have been able to do since May 10, 1942 (when he was taken prisoner in the Philippines). It has been a long sweat with many hardships, but that is in the past. I sure am looking forward to be with you all.

October 25, 1945 Davenport Times-Tribune

Cecil Cunningham, the first boy to enter the service from Deep Creek, will visit his brother Charles, east of Spokane, and his sister, Mrs. Joe Griffith, of Deep Creek this week. He had been reported missing and later reported dead. He has been a prisoner of the Japs since the fall of Corregidor in February 1942, and was released from a prison camp at Osaka when the Americans occupied Japan.

January 10, 1946

Cecil Cunningham, who was a war prisoner in Japan for four years and now a patient at a military hospital at Denver, is spending a few days with his brother Charles Cunningham at Colbert. For several years he lived with his parents at Deep Creek and attended the Reardan high school.

Sat., Nov. 8, 1997 Spokesman-Review

POW’s Angel

Wife Of Former Prisoner Of War Has Become Devoted Supporter Of POWs Around Region

By Pat Sciuchetti pats@spokesman.com

For more than three decades, Cecil Cunningham avoided his past.

He tried to forget the 3-1/2 years he lived on weeds and bugs and fish-head soup. He didn’t talk about the beatings and death, especially not to his family.

His teenage daughters had no idea he’d been a prisoner of war during World War II - until they overheard him talking to another vet.

You never discussed it,” said Ruth Cunningham, Cecil’s wife of 50 years.

As in so many families, Cecil’s experience stayed cloistured in silence, despite violent nightmares, surprise outbursts and lingering health problems.

“People were so afraid to open up old wounds,” Ruth said.

It’s hard to understand, she admitted, but silence is how couples dealt with the pain of wartime memories.

Fortunately for Spokane-area POWs, the Valley woman is no longer so shy. Ruth, now 75, has spent the last 17 years diligently ministering to their wounds. Local POWs call her the glue that holds together a support group that attracts POWs from as far as Wenatchee, Ephrata, and Kellogg, Idaho.

Many of the 154 members joined only after substantial prodding by Cunningham, who has been “temporary” secretary since 1980.

That’s the year she and Cecil revived the defunct Spokane group. It’s now the largest chapter in the state, with more members than even the Seattle or Tacoma branches.

Many of the members came to the group not knowing they were eligible for medical benefits, disability payments and other assistance.

“Ruth has meant everything to our organization,” said Jerry Gleesing, a World War II POW. He’s also a nine-year member of the Spokane/Inland Empire Chapter of Americans Ex-Prisoners of War.

Ruth has never been in the military. Her understanding of POWs was sketchy, even after decades of being married to one.

She knew her 5-foot-11-inch husband had lost half his weight - 90 pounds - while in Japanese prison camps. He’d come home paralyzed on his right side. He had nightmares and ongoing medical problems.

But he never told Ruth about life in the prison camps. Their neighbors, friends - even some relatives - had no idea it had ever happened.

Occasionally, another former POW would come to the house to visit. These were the only times Cecil would open up

Ruth quickly learned to eavesdrop.

Ruth didn’t know it then, but this very scene was being repeated throughout the country.

“I saw a beheading. I saw executions. It was just horrendous the things that happened,” said Shirk Jansen, who was a POW in Japan. “When we came back, the guys started to talk about it, but nobody would believe these things could happen. So we clammed up.”

Busy working and raising a family, the Cunninghams found it easy to avoid the subject. Everything changed in 1980, after they attended a three-day seminar for former POWs, hosted by American Ex-Prisoners of War. Suddenly, Ruth and Cecil were talking with other POWs and wives of POWs who were facing the same struggles they were. They were deluged with information about POW benefits, health problems and emotional problems.

They decided to revive the group in Spokane.

First, they called up all the POWs they knew for help - and for names. Ruth began to fill a notebook with eligible members.

As secretary, Ruth called POWs on the phone, sent personal invitations and didn’t give up until they showed up for a meeting.

Some POWs took years of persuading. But once they came, they usually started talking. They also began opening up with their families. “They had these deep down feelings they really needed to get out,” Ruth said. Once they did, she said, family members began to understand each other.

Unlike some veterans’ groups, American Ex-Prisoners of War considers family members to be full-fledged members. They attend all meetings together. There are no auxiliaries.

Ruth invited service officers to those meetings to help the POWs fill out benefit claims. She invited speakers to talk about health problems and other POW issues.

“Many didn’t even know what they were eligible for,” Ruth said. “The majority of our POWs have gotten their disability benefits because of the group.”

The group has also donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center over the years. The money has furnished a hospice room, bought medical equipment and provided televisions and books for patients.

The group has pretty much consumed Ruth’s life.

“She keeps telling us she’s had enough of this job,” Jansen said. “But she knows we need her.”

The group now has 73 former POWs, 61 spouses, 16 widows and 4 next-of-kin. And, it continues to grow, thanks to Ruth and her dogeared notebook of names.

For Ruth, the effort has become deeply personal. Instead of avoiding the past, her husband now talks openly about it.

He’s broken the silence.

Cecil has even shared his story with their granddaughter, BreAnne, who wrote a book about it when she was 12. It describes, vividly and painfully, the hardships of prison camp life.

And like Cecil’s past, it’s now displayed with pride.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 Photos (1 Color)

Cecil Cunningham’s Granddaughter's Story

My mom wrote a speech that she read at her school's Veteran's Day assembly. It tells the story of my Grandpa Cecil's experience of being a prisoner of war during WWII. I want to post it here because this part of my family's history is so important to me. Just remember it was written for elementary kids so it is a simple version, but I don't want to change it. (I am changing it a little bit so that it reads as if I am telling it about my Grandpa. Sorry Mom, I hope that's okay)

My Grandpa, Cecil Cunningham, joined the Army Air Corps in October of 1940. In those days the Air Force and Army were one branch of the military call the Army Air Corps. He was 22 years old and earned $21 a month. After basic training, he went to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a driver for his base commander, Col. Hackett. It was here that Grandpa made a decision that would change his life. Col. Hackett asked Grandpa if he would like to stay in New Mexico and continue to be his driver when his outfit shipped out. But Grandpa, a man of strong character, choose to be loyal to his unit and ship out to an unknown destination.

He was sent on an Army transport ship to the Philippine islands in the Pacific Ocean. He arrived in the Philippines in November of 1941 and on December 7 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the war with Japan began. Eventually, the Japanese captured the Philippines and my Grandpa became a prisoner of war.

He was sent to a prisoner of war camp in the Philippines where he worked in a machine shop and in the rice fields planting rice for 10-12 hours a day. The prisoners were fed two times a day...mainly small amounts of rice. Sometimes they were given fish head soup with weeds. The men used a small can to collect insects, snakes, weeds...anything they could find to add protein to their diet.

Cecil Cunningham gravestone Spokane (findagrave.com)

Cecil Cunningham POW memorial at his gravesite (findagrave.com)

After 2 1/2 years he was sent on a ship to Japan. (obviously this was one of the infamous "Hell Ships") The ship was so crowded with prisoners that only one man out of three could lie down. He was on the ship for 3 months. Many of the men became sick on the ship because there was little food and no medicine.

He was sent to Yokkaichi prison camp in Japan. There he was forced to work in a copper mine loading big, heavy ore carts and pushing them to the smelter. There was no heat in the buildings (and Japan has a climate much like Spokane with cold, snowy winters) and very little food. He slept on a straw mat that was infested with fleas and lice.

One day he had his picture taken. (I wish I had a digital copy that I could post on here) The picture was sent back to the United States so that people would think that the prisoners were well cared for. In that picture my Grandpa is wearing a nice clean prisoner uniform. But he only wore that uniform for his picture. As soon as his picture was taken, he had to give that uniform to the next man for his picture, and to the next, and the next. His real clothes were ragged and worn out.

In September 1945 the war was over. Grandpa had been a prisoner of war for 3 1/2 years and had lost over 100 pounds during this time. He came back to the United States on a hospital ship. When he regained his strength (he was paralyzed from the lack of nutrition) he returned home to his family. He eventually married my Grandma and began a family.

My Grandpa was very proud to be an American and it showed brightest when he would salute the American Flag. He sacrificed 3 1/2 years of his life so that America would remain free. He did this for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Of course this is a simplified version of what he went through, remember it was originally written for elementary kids. And apparently the kids were so interested that you could have heard a pin drop while my Mom was reading this. Cool!!

I am so proud of my Grandpa. He was not one to talk about his experiences. It just wasn't something he talked about very much. He wasn't boastful and I think that was one reason he didn't feel the need to talk about his time as a POW. I have enjoyed learning more about his time as a POW as I have gotten older. I think it is because I can really appreciate how much he must have endured during those 3 1/2 years.

Thank you to all the Veteran's in my family, and Rick's family. We are very grateful for all you sacrificed for our freedom!!