I Was Fifteen, And A Prisioner Of War
March is Women’s History Month. Wesley Homes is proud to feature resident Margaret Squires, in honor of her experience as a POW during World War II.
[display_podcast] Click the arrow above to hear Margaret describe her life in the Philippines at the time of her capture, and details of her internment and rescue.
It was early in 1942 and Margaret Whitaker Squires was a 15-year old high school girl when she was boarded, with her family and their American and British neighbors, into trucks to be taken to the Santo Tomas Internment prison camp in the Philippines as POW’s during World War II. She was also interned at the Los Bano Internment south of Manila the last three months of her imprisonment.
“In the last days of the internment, before we were rescued, the Japanese were not feeding us at all even though people were dying from starvation at the rate of two a day” said Margaret.
“We were rescued the morning of the day we were all to be executed,” said Margaret, “I was 18 years old at the time.” One of Margaret’s rescuers later became her husband of 52 years.
“Martin was with the 11th Airborne. He says he remembers seeing me during the rescue,” said Margaret,” but I must have looked 10, as I only weighed 80 lbs.”
Margaret and her husband lived in Burien for 30 years until Robert retired from Boeing. “It was through our church connections and RV club that we found Wesley Homes, and of the eight couples in the RV club, seven of use moved into Wesley Homes,” said Margaret.
According to Margaret, Wesley Homes is perfect as a home base for travelers. “We might be gone months at a time but we don’t have to find house sitters because we know our homes are secure.”
A widow at age 82, Margaret is still very active in her community. One of the things she says she enjoys most about the Wesley Homes environment is how they incorporate their residents in the community at large. Margaret is a member of the Des Moines community accountability board for troubled teenagers. “We advise first-time offenders and involve their parents and grandparents in the youth’s restitution and rehabilitation,” explained Margaret.
- Ilene Little for Wesley Homes
March 16th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Margaret, Thank you for sharing your story. I was happy to
be entroduced to you on Sunday. Thanks for being such a positive new friend.
Sara
August 8th, 2011 at 9:38 am
I ran across this piece online and I thought I would say hi.
I was a 4th grade student in Mrs. Squires class at North Hill Elementary School in 1974. I am 47 now, and I teach high school English in Las Vegas.
I was sorry to hear about her husbands passing. I met him about ten years ago at their 50th anniversary.
Anyway, I was very happy to run across this article on her life and the work she has done with troubled teens.
Very Sincerely,
Steven Smith