Enemies in the Backyard

Enemies in the Backyard: An Overview of Mid-America World War II Axis POW Camps evocatively examines the soldiers interned in a rapidly scaled-up America dealing with the sudden influx of enemies torn from fresh WWII battlefields. Often gobsmacked by the sheer scale of America, such weary and wary POWs landed on the East Coast then often experienced mid-America regions teeming with Whitmanesque proportions. Many POWs pursued a frenetic life, from soccer games to work in buzzing canneries. All the while, they experienced a place of idiosyncratic customs, plus religious values and community traditions binding the fabric of a country that imported workers from Jamaica and Barbados but shunned the civil rights of African-Americans. POWs traded black market goods, constructed art, and made music while experiencing an America of canned sundries and chocolate bars, an America smitten with Western movies and sandwiches. As such, the internment of these men has remained part of the lore, heritage, and memories that continually shape discussions about prisoner treatment, democracy, rehabilitation, war, and acts of kindness.