A Short Road to Manhood My Journey Before, During, and After WWII—Japanese Prison Camp Experiences

by Pinebrook, William Edward; Pinebrook, Sharon Holub

• ISBN13: 9781667873725
• ISBN10: 1667873725
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2022-12-12
• Publisher: BookBaby

Summary

William "Bill" Pinebrook's journey to manhood starts as a result of WWII in the colonial Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). The story begins with a brief history of the generations before him and the hardships and challenges they endured. Bill recounts the joy he felt as a boy living in the hot, humid tropical island that smelt of a fresh fruit salad. He shares memories of a happy life which is his paradise. His good times with the local children, playing with animals he loved, and adventures with his cousins would soon end abruptly.

As the Japanese enter Java during WWII, the streets that had once been busy with locals sharing stories and joking among themselves, and vendors selling fragrant, freshly made sate and sados, become forbidding roads with Japanese soldiers carrying rifles and demanding people bow when they would approach. The feeling of joy turns into fear and uncertainty. As the Japanese engulf the island, the Dutch, Indonesians, and Indo-European citizens' customs and traditions are denied.

Life changes dramatically and Bill recounts the fear and turmoil he feels as a prisoner in both Camp Tjideng and Camp Tjimahi. The writing details the journey as Bill moves from Camp Tjideng, the women and children's camp, with an unexpected and abrupt departure to Camp Tjimahi, the men and boys' camp. The road to manhood is accelerated.

Finding his mother and sister after the war, Bill is assisted by a British soldier in securing safe passage out of the chaos of the Indonesians' fight for independence. Bill, along with his mother and sister, become refugees in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He describes how his life and actions after the war are influenced by events both prior to and after life in the Japanese internment camps.

As a refugee, Bill shares the feeling of being a child again with the freedoms and adventures he can now have. His family is reunited with his father in an environment Bill had briefly experienced as a young boy—the Netherlands. Now this will be his home and he is apprehensive. With impressive resilience, he will adapt and succeed in his endeavors.

The hardships and blessings before, during, and after the war are woven into this vivid journey. The book traces the lasting effects of war by recounting the loss of innocence in Bill's childhood as he becomes a survivor.

Author Biography

William "Bill" Edward Pinebrook was born in Singapore on September 13, 1933. His early years were spent in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. After WWII Bill, his mother, and sister were relocated by his father to a refugee camp in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The family soon reunited in the Netherlands, where Bill graduated from high school and attended the Royal Dutch Naval Academy. He served as an electrical officer and submariner prior to immigrating to the United States, where he became a citizen.

Bill worked as a flight instructor, scuba instructor, and deep submergence test pilot before becoming an international project manager and technical problem solver. He traveled the world until age 42 when he decided to return to school. Bill received his master's degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Atlantic University and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston. He was a faculty member at Texas A&M in Galveston, the University of Houston, and the University of Maryland. Bill was a co-founder of PHA, a consulting company headquartered in Houston, Texas. This provided him and his wife the opportunity to live in many international locations. He spoke 7 languages and thus was immediately at home wherever he landed.

Bill passed away peacefully October 9, 2019, at his home in Sardinia, Italy with his wife Sharon at his side. Sharon Holub Pinebrook was born in El Campo, Texas on September 16, 1947. She lived her early life in Newgulf, Texas. Sharon graduated from the University of Houston with BBA and BS degrees in Marketing and Industrial Technology. She received her MS degree from Texas A&M at Prairie View University and her Doctorate in Vocational and Organization development from Virginia Tech.

Sharon was a faculty member at Purdue University, the University of Houston, and the University of Maryland. She directed a joint undergraduate program in engineering technology between the University of Houston and the University of the West Indies. She was also Vice President of Academic Affairs at the International University of Grand Bassam.


Sharon co-founded PHA, a consulting company in 1990 with her husband, Bill Pinebrook. She is Professor Emeritus at the University of Houston. Her international consulting work provided the opportunity for extensive travel. Sharon lives between Italy and Houston, Texas.