The "Rest of the Story"
 

I am often asked for more of the story of how I became involved in this project.
Here it is.
It really is pretty amazing, isn't it? How one small act leads to another, to another, etc. That is much of how this happened. I also believe it is one of God's purpose’s for my life. It began in 2001 when my friend, our Chief of Police, asked if I would help him put together a mentoring program between law enforcement and students. Part of the program had the officers involved in the school, where I worked, helping with the curriculum. One officer shared with me his father's story;
the Death March, disease, starvation and interned in a Japanese Prison Camp.
I can still picture them today, sitting, stunned and many with tears in their eyes as the reality of what these men endured for the freedom of which they (the students) were now privileged.
After presenting, I admit I was surprised at the overwhelming response of the students. They wanted to know more and wanted to write to the veterans. I was able to get addresses of men who had been in the same camp as Wayne Petrie. He is our "featured POW, our own", here in Lewiston.
(Petrie would become the Postmaster, very loved by many. See his story under Biographies).
We had not expected responses, we wrote only to honor them with a thank you letter. Yet we received so many that I felt these "submissions", along with the books, photos and letters they also sent needed to be preserved. So I began the website. Then I was asked to work with a national program, preserving oral and written accounts of veterans. I now hear from people all over the world, send out mailings, help with research, and answer the questions of many who never knew what their loved one endured. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I have no immediate family, other than my children, and yet now I feel like I have a HUGE extended family. Someday I hope to go to the Philippines and see the area and where these men so bravely fought, died and endured to the end of the war, for my freedom, for your freedom.

I sum up the value of my project with this one comment from a former Camp 17 POW.
After having received the letter from the students, he wrote, in part...
"Until I received your letter, I had given up hope that anyone cared."  
To the best of my ability I will not let another ever believe "no one cared".
    July 2005 Linda Dahl

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