Christmas Eve

On December 24 we convinced the guards that it would be to their advantage if they would let the chaplains talk to the men. So Chaplains Neal, Paul W. Cavanaugh and I went to the eighty box cars and spoke to the men. We told them of the latest news we had heard and encouraged them to stay in the cars in case of another bombing because the cars offered a little protection. We advised them to have Christmas services and sing Christmas songs. We went from car to car, until three train loads or about 3,500 had been spoken to. During our rounds, the men asked many questions we could not answer such as:

"Where are we going? What are they going to do with us? Why don't we get food? Don't they know we feed their prisoners better than this?"

Some groups wanted us to stay for a brief service. It was impossible to do more than talk to them a minute or two and have prayer. It was very cold and we had to hold on to the ice-covered steel bars of the cars and speak through small holes or windows. Many told of the prayer meetings they had the night before and about singing Christmas songs. Later, after we were in camp, we heard even more of such things. The American soldiers had asked God to spare their lives while the bombs were falling and since He had done so, they had services of Thanksgiving. Many of them may forget God, but I believe many never will.

One soldier from the West told that his buddies knew he had prayed before the bombing so after it was over, they asked him to lead them in a service. He had never done anything like that in his life, but they had asked so he tried. They sang, he read his Bible and talked to them. Then they asked him to pray for water, bread, and an engine. He did so, not knowing that we were doing the same in our car and others in their cars.