About The Program
To instill in students a desire to become lifelong learners through reading, James Parkinson, a Coachella Valley attorney, and Douglas P. Miller, an Associate Justice in the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, have developed a 75-minute presentation especially geared toward high school students. Mr. Parkinson is the co-author of the book Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts and Congress, and Mr. Parkinson and Justice Miller use this book to illustrate history, politics, and the law, combined with the message that the key to a successful life is the ability to read and discern.
In their presentations, the two show their innate ability to connect with students. Students leave the room feeling like they have come away with a new sense of their country’s history and how it affects them today.
Following are some quotes from participating educators and students:
"After talking to my students…I realize they not only were able to see government in action…but they were also motivated to learn on their own. As one student put it…’I learned that it really pays off to be smart!’ I recommend Mr. Parkinson’s program to any high school social studies teacher.” – Beth Higginbotham – Jordan High School, Sandy, Utah
”The lecture on literacy was my favorite part, it made me want to be smart and do what it takes to be smart…read!” Erica Stenovik, student, Jordan High School, Sandy, Utah.
”Thank you ever so much for spending two days of your time to speak to some of the classes at Coachella Valley High School. It was truly a treat to watch you interact so effectively with a diverse group of students. Your emphasis of both history and literacy, combined with visuals, fresh donuts and a wonderful sense of humor are appreciated and welcome anytime you would like to return.” Jenny Braithwaite, Social Studies Department Chairman, Coachella Valley High School
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Click on the video titles below to watch each video.
Click the link below to learn more about this documentary.
"…I would like to extend the most heartfelt thanks for the presentations you made to our students and faculty. We would like to work with you again next year on the same program. The message you bring to our students inspires hope and direction for our students.” Manuel Arredondo, Principal, Coachella Valley High School.
How to Schedule a Program
Schools wishing to have a Literacy 21 presentation in their school should contact James W. Parkinson at 760-772-4550.
There is no charge for his presentation.
How the Program Works
The program lasts 75 minutes and at the conclusion of the program each student is presented with a signed copy of ”Soldier Slaves…” for them to keep as part of their personal library. For many of the over 2000 students who have heard Jim’s presentation it is the first book they ever owned!
Mr. Parkinson is fluent in Spanish and relates well with ESL students.
The cost of the books are underwritten by various local organizations. In the Coachella Valley, Youth Town Hall provides for the books. Youth Town Hall is a program of Desert Forum, Inc. a nonprofit corporation – 501 (c)(3). Desert Forum also produces the stellar speaker series Desert Town Hall – Indian Wells.
Web sites: www.youthtownhall.org
www.deserttownhall.org
About the Book
Soldier Slaves: Abandoned by the White House, Courts and Congress recounts the true story of thousands of American Soldiers who were enslaved by the Japanese during World War II. Six decades after, they attempted to gain acknowledgement and redress from the private Japanese companies that used them as slave labor from 1942 through 1945.
The book is divided into two parts, with chapters alternating between ”then” and ”now.” The ”then” chapters chronicle the soldiers’ capture by the Japanese when the Philippines and the rest of the Pacific Theater fell in the early days of the war, followed by their 3 l/2 year collective ordeal as slaves of war. The ”now” chapters - beginning in 1999 - chronicle the efforts of these former POWs and their prominent personal injury lawyers to confront their former ”employers,” - in U.S. courts of law - and obtain from them an apology and compensation for their forced labor.
The personal history, and subsequent involvement in the court actions of one soldier, Spec. Sgt. Harold Poole of the 20th Pursuit Squadron, U.S. Army Air Corps, is used to personify the nearly 30,000 U.S. servicemen taken captive by the Japanese. As an airplane arms mechanic, Harold was at Clark Field on December 8, 1941 when the Japanese first attacked the Philippines; he was part of the 90,000-strong Allied force that defended the peninsula of Bataan until surrendering on April 9, 1942. Harold Poole participated in the infamous 85-mile forced-march known as the Bataan Death March and was held captive at three prison camps in the Philippines. In 1943, he was put in the bottom of a ”hell ship” and taken to Japan. In Japan, Harold Poole worked as a slave laborer at a steel mill and a shipyard, both run by Nippon Steel.
The story is told in first person by James W. Parkinson, a personal injury attorney from Bermuda Dunes, California, and one of several dozen attorneys who befriended the veterans and embraced their cause.
The History:
Soldier Slaves is an important source book about World War II in general and the Pacific Theater in particular. The book provides valuable insight into the unsung sacrifices so many American soldiers made for their country during World War II and how difficult it was to arrive at something approaching justice once the war concluded.
Among the book’s historical illuminations:
Japanese code of Bushido:
(The code of the samurai, stressing unquestioning loyalty and obedience and valuing honor above life.) An American soldier who surrendered was considered almost less than human by the Japanese Imperial Army. Throughout the course of the war, even when defeat was inevitable, virtually no Japanese soldiers surrendered to the Allies, preferring death to capture. Conversely, more than 133,000 Allied soldiers surrendered to the Japanese, including 29,350 American. Their post-surrender treatment, including starvation diets and slave-like working conditions, reflected the contempt felt for them by the Bushido-following Japanese.
The MacArthur Myth:
General Douglas MacArthur was commander-in-chief when the Philippines were attacked, when Bataan and Corregidor Island were surrendered, and when the Philippines were retaken some three years later. A ”spin master” before his time, MacArthur’s self-promotion as a great leader in the Philippines does not square with the facts as observed under the microscope of history.
The often sorry plight of POWs:
Upon their return from captivity, the Pacific Theater prisoners-of-war were ordered by the U.S. government to keep quiet about the brutality inflicted upon them by their Japanese captors and the Japanese corporations who used them as slave labor.
The political treaty of 1951:
When the U.S. and 47 other Allied nations came to terms with Japan in 1951, the resultant treaty had much more to do with stopping Russian expansion and the spread of communism than with addressing the wrongs inflicted on servicemen who were used as slaves by private Japanese corporations during the war.
The three branches of government: As the former Japanese prisoners-of-war battled for their constitutional rights the roles and agendas of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government are clearly defined.
Historical ironies:
The Pacific Theater POWs’ - American soldiers - were unsuccessful in their bid for compensation and recognition. The 1.5 million Europeans who worked as slave laborers for German companies during World War II were awarded a collective $8 billion for their slave labor. The more than 120,000 Japanese-American civilians who were interned during World War II in America were awarded a collective $1.25 billion by the U.S. government to compensate them for the stripping away of their individual constitutional rights.
The Debate:
Soldier Slaves poses the intriguing debate about where to draw the line when attempting to right wrongs and make amends for abuses that occur not just during wartime, but whenever people strip away the rights of others.
It also begs the question of the proper treatment of the military. Are soldiers, by definition, dogs of war, expected to make whatever sacrifices are required of them by their commanders and their country, without complaint and compensation? Or are they to be treated with all of the constitutional rights and privileges accorded to ordinary citizens?
Conclusion:
Soldier Slaves is an important book with enormous potential as a teaching tool. The greatest generation is rapidly disappearing. The only way these great Americans will be remembered and have their sacrifices properly acknowledged is if someone tells their story. Soldier Slaves tells an important part of that story.
