How would I go about finding these records?

[grasswire]

My uncle was at Corregidor when the Japanese took the island. He was a POW for nearly three years. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross, among other medals. His leg was injured during the initial attack; gangrene set in, and an Army surgeon sawed off his leg in one of the caves or tunnels.

When he returned from the war, he brought diaries that he had kept on fish can labels -- diaries of the war crimes against GIs. Those diaries were sent to Washington as evidence.

No family member now alive ever read those diaries, although some of his siblings did before they were sent to Washington.

I would like to know if it is likely that those diaries exist in the archives of the evidence. And I wonder if they would be stored as identifiable by his name.

Anyone have any ideas? I believe that we honor those who suffered when we know what they endured. We validate their sacrifice.

[Angry Dragon]

1. You could enlist the aid of your congress people

[denbot]

2. Which branch of service was your uncle in?

Each branch has an archivist division, usually in Washington D.C. If he is a Navy vet, I have the e-mail address to a naval archivist in D.C.

[grasswire]

4. U.S. Army

92nd Coast Artillery, Philippine Scouts

[riverwalker]

3. link to National Archives info request

be sure to mention the fish can notes. I have used this in the past with success.

http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html

[grasswire]

5. I'll try that, thanks.

I did learn that the War Department took great care to preserve documents pertaining to P.O.W.s, and I think the diaries exist somewhere, still.

[denbot]

6. If you are able to obtain copies..

If it is not too painful could you please scan and repost them here?

[grasswire]

7. I'll consider that, yes.

I have the letters that he wrote home prior to the fall of Corregidor, and the several postcards that he was able to send via the Red Cross while a P.O.W. -- heavily censored of course by the Japanese. He always added a particular way of signing his name so that his family would know it was genuine.

I recently read the book "Unbroken" written about the Olympic runner who was captured in the Pacific and spent years as a P.O.W. My interest in getting as much of my uncle's story as possible is heightened. He hoped that no one would forget Pearl Harbor or the subsequent courage of G.I.s.

[James48]

8. Here.

Here is how you find records from Japanese War Crime trials within the National Archives record system:

http://www.archives.gov/iwg/japanese-war-crimes/introductory-essays.pdf

good luck.

[grasswire]

9. I read those essays the other day

Very interesting.