On December 14, 1944, the Oryoku Maru, or ""December Ship,"" was attacked by U.S. Navy planes who had no way of knowing 1,619 Allied POWs were on board. One of those prisoners was Lt. Arden R. Boellner. Through letters, documents, and interviews with survivors, this is an account of Lt. Colonel Arden R. Boellner's tour of duty, his capture at Mindanao, life in Japanese POW camps in the Philippines, and the horrors of the ""December Ship"" that led to his death. Numerous photos, some published for the first time, show life inside the camps.