unbroken-laura-hillenbrand

then race in to choose his victim. Sitting far from the door
didn’t ensure safety; the Bird loved to leap through open
windows. Men were told to always be ready, speak of him
only in whispers, and agree in advance on a subject to
switch to if the Bird ran into the room demanding to be told
what they were talking about. Men were advised to say that
they were speaking of sex, because the subject interested
and distracted him.
The Omori barracks were arranged in two lines separated
by a central avenue. At the avenue’s end stood the Bird’s
office, placed so that the corporal could see the entire
avenue through his large front window. To get anywhere in
camp, other than the benjos behind the barracks, POWs
had to step into the Bird’s view. One of his demands was
that men salute not only him but his window. He often left the
office vacant and hid nearby, baseball bat in hand, ready to
club men who failed to salute the window.
Among the POWs, there was an elaborate sentry system to
monitor the Bird’s movements. When he was in his office,
men would say, “The Animal is in his cage.” When he was
out, they’d say, “The Animal is on the prowl.”
“Flag’s up!” meant that the Bird was coming. Men were so
attuned to the Bird’s presence that they instantly recognized
the clopping sound his clogs made in the sand. The sound
usually triggered a stampede to the benjos, where the Bird
seldom went.
As he absorbed the advice on coping with the Bird, Louie
learned something else that surely sank his heart. He had
thought that since this was a POW camp, he would be able
to write home to let his family know he was alive. Once,
Omori POWs had been allowed to write letters, but no
longer. The Bird didn’t allow it.