During World War II, just fewer than half a million Axis prisoners of war were held in the United States. This summer, 12 University of Nebraska-Lincoln students and four professors will have the opportunity to explore these prisoners’ living conditions.
Students attending the 2012 UNL Summer Field School in Archaeology will receive six credits, while documenting three different archaeological sites, including a German POW camp in Red Willow County, Neb.
“It’s kind of where you get out of the classroom and learn the series and the background of the field,” said Allison Young, a graduate student of anthropology. “You get outside and get your hands dirty and learn how to do archaeology.”
Young will be documenting information from the Indianola POW camp to use in her graduate thesis. She recently traveled to Maryland to complete research using the national archives. Indianola held about 3,000 prisoners, Young said. The majority of these prisoners were Germans, who were captured while serving in Africa.
“The U.S. Army adhered to the Geneva Convention and the prisoners were treated fairly well,” Young said.
Peter Bleed, an emeritus professor of anthropology, said internment really mattered in the 20th century. Millions of people spent time in POW camps, but little is known about the lives they led while in these camps.
“Allison is doing very innovative research that will add to our understanding of these very important kinds of sites,” Bleed said.
While she has had the chance to briefly walk through the camp, Young looks forward to the five days dedicated to in-the-field research. Students will map the site for important features and use metal detectors to find artifacts left behind.
“Some of it will be personal debris that soldiers left behind, hid or lost,” said Douglas Scott, an adjunct professor of anthropology. “The things we leave behind everyday tell us about how we lived our lives. You can look at how prisoners actually lived there and what the guards’ lives were like.”
While there are military documents of German POWs, there are few specifics of their lives in Nebraska because most did not speak English, Young said.
Many German prisoners were sent to the Midwest to help with agricultural work, according to Scott. American men were fighting abroad and few farmers were left to provide food for the public. German prisoners were paid for their help on farms.
Scott said most Americans know there were POW cites in the United States, but most Nebraskans are yet unaware of the camp in Indianola.
“It’s something that’s faded from memory and most of the people who participated are gone,” Scott said. “I think it’s really important that it’s quite intact. This one seems to be one of the best preserved of any in the state at the present time.”
However, Young’s work will not be done when she leaves Indianola. She will process, clean, label, organize and analyze data before she begins writing her thesis.
Bleed estimated Young will be able to write numerous reports with the information she finds.
“She’s really interested in the long term, so I think she’ll be able to use her research here to study other camps in America, Europe and Asia,” Bleed said. “She will be publishing it in local outlets like ‘Nebraska History,’ but I think it will attract the attention of people around the world — both archaeologists and people interested in history.”
While Young is most excited to explore the POW camp, two other sites may suit students with different interests.
The first portion of the field school will focus on discovery and field documentation techniques. Matthew Douglass and LuAnn Wandsnider, both professors of archaeology, will lead this section titled “High Plains and Sand Hills Archaeology.” It will take place May 28 through June 15 at the Hudson-Meng Museum and Research Center Facility on the Oglala National Grassland, near Crawford, Neb.
Students will end their archeological adventures at The Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico. With the help of Scott and Bleed, students will investigate the prehistoric and historic Pecos pueblo. Some believe this area was the camping site for Coronado’s visit and attack on the pueblo in 1541.
Because most field schools only complete research at one site, Scott said UNL students are lucky to focus on three different places.
“It’s a wide-ranging project, working with different instructors and different field methods,” Scott said.
In addition to $1,249 in tuition and fees for six anthropology credits, students will be charged a field school fee to cover transportation and other costs. The estimated total for the trip is $1,524.
All majors are welcome to apply. Applications are due Sunday, April 15.
Young urges any student who enjoys nature to apply.
“I feel like archaeology has the ability to speak to things that often get overlooked in other disciplines, in this case history,” Young said. “These guys (POWs) were here and they’ve been overlooked. I think it’s a really important part of Nebraska’s history that will come to light.”
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