Stark Decency

November 1944 - Two POWs held captive in a prison camp located just outside Berlin decided to tunnel their way to freedom. They cut a hole in the floor below a bunk, fixing it so the wooden plank could be replaced. Beneath that they dug a pit that served as a place to store their provisions and as a starting point for the tunnel. They spent Sundays and evenings digging, removing sand, and depositing it in the crawl space under the barracks floor. They managed to pilfer some wire, which they attached to the overhead light in their room to provide light in their tunnel. They almost made it. Their 30-foot long, two-foot high, 18-inch wide tunnel was a scant 10 feet from their goal, a drainage ditch under the guard tower, when an informer turned them in.

While many attempted to escape, only one POW successfully made it out and remained free because he learned to blend in with the population. The others didn't really expect to get away. They just wanted some time away from the camp. Despite the hard labor, they were well treated for the most part. POWs, guards, and townspeople actually developed a fondness and respect for one another. Ladies from town brought new socks for the prisoners and the prisoners made toys for guards' children. If one had to be a POW, this was not the worst place to spend the war.

The camp was Camp Stark, located in the town of Stark, approximately 20 miles northwest of Berlin, New Hampshire!

Stark Decency is a lesson in history and a lesson in humanity. Allen V. Koop, the author, paints a complete picture of POW camps in the United States. He presents the general background and then hones in on Camp Stark. You'll learn why the U.S. government finally agreed to accept POWs after adamantly refusing. You will learn that the prisoners at Camp Stark were not ordinary soldiers and how that fact made the entire experience unique. You may well find yourself amazed as you learn new information about this part of history as it played out in the United States.

For instance, when the war with Germany was over, public opinion turned against the POWs. Meat rations were cut to civilians because the military was still fighting the Japanese. At this time, the public also learned that the British were suffering terribly due to shortages. When the public learned that the rations to POWs in the U.S. remained the same, they accused the government of "coddling" them. The government reacted swiftly. Not only did it reduce POW rations, it also replaced the guards with soldiers who spent time in German prison camps. They thought that these men would be much harder on their German counterparts. This plan backfired. Oftentimes friendships developed between the guards and the prisoners. The government didn't realize that the guards and prisoners had an unusual bond, one in which understanding a shared experience negated the need for revenge.

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