My mom and I have always been close. All through life I told her everything. She knew me well and I thought I knew her too. One day we were visiting, talking about nothing in particular. She was standing at the kitchen sink and just stared out the window. She looked like she was in another place. “You looked like you were somewhere else, Mom.” She turned to look at me and then she said, “I was somewhere else. I was back in the war.” “What war?” I asked. Then, she told me her secret. “I was eight years old when the Japanese captured my island of Guam during World War II and I was a prisoner for almost three years in a concentration camp.” That was the beginning of many conversations she and I had about her captivity. That was also the beginning of Natural Destiny. In about two weeks, you will be able to read all about Mom’s experiences during that challenging time.
1 Comment
Judy Chamberlain
Dear Mrs. Dixon,
I saw the article in the Summerville Journal Scene last week, looked it up tonight. I just wanted to let you know that there is another book by Chris Perez Howard about his mother titled Mariquita (A Guam Story). She was older than your mother I think.
I lived in Guam from 1975 to 1986. I worked for the civilian Hospitals and Dept. . of Public health and Social Service. I don’t know how much you want to know about what happened in Guam at that time but your welcome to read my copy or try to obtain your own copy. Publisher: PPh&Co., P.O. Box 928, Agana, Guam 96910.
First Edition: June 1982. Hope this info is useful.