Silva recalls 'day of freedom' as a POW 64 years ago

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Duane Silva survived for years as a Japanese POW.

Sixty-four years ago this month Duane Silva, 89, of Mountain Home, became a free man.

After being a prisoner of war for nearly four years since the fall of Corregidor in the early months of WWII, Silva knew the war was over when the Japanese prison guards at the POW camp in Osaka shouldered their rifles and marched out of camp. Shortly afterwards, B-29 bombers began dropping drums of food supplies into the camp.

It was an emotional moment for Silva then -- and remains so today. He still tears up thinking of that time -- and the fellow POWs who didn't survive the harsh treatment from their captors.

See the Mountain Home News for the complete story.

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God Bless you Duane Silda and thank you so much for your service to your country! You are a true hero!

-- Posted by airforcewive on Wed, Aug 19, 2009, at 10:21 AM
God Bless you Mr. Silva, we can't thank you enough.

Jesse Miller

-- Posted by jessiemiller on Fri, Aug 21, 2009, at 10:15 AM
Thank you does not seem enough but its all I have, so Thank You. You are a hero in my eyes.

-- Posted by jtrotter on Fri, Aug 21, 2009, at 4:42 PM
All the years I have personnally known Duane Silva, I never knew about him being a POW. I am so honored to know him and would like to say thank you for being a hero.

Lisa Schoen (MacLean)

-- Posted by Maclean on Tue, Aug 25, 2009, at 4:29 PM
Great story. You have always been my hero.

-- Posted by Butch (JDW) on Sat, Dec 18, 2010, at 8:06 PM

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