War and Brothels
As
a wife and mother of military men, this subject is one that isn't so dear to my
heart, but I do find it interesting and think it is important to look at.
During
WWII and probably every other war, when thousands of men left home to fight and
had to leave the calm of home and family, it is know fact that many found
solace in the arms of other women, and more often than not those women were
hookers.
In
WWI many soldiers dealt with lice and bugs and trench fever among other things,
but the multitudes of men caused an uptick in sexually transmitted diseases. So many men found
escape from the horrors of war in brothels, the French set up the red light
districts and hookers who worked in the brothels were checked for STD's before
they could work there. 150,000 British soldier received care for venereal infection in France. It is said that 171,000 men visited the red light
district in Le Havre 1915 alone.
In
WWII the Japanese had Comfort Women. Some of these women were
lured by the prospect of jobs in laundries and restaurants, most were kidnapped
from their homes in the countries Japan occupied and forced into sexual
slavery. Japan had well-organized and were open to prostitution at home and
decided they should have it on the field as well. The Comfort Women were
employed to keep the Japanese soldiers happy, which in turn was to keep them
from raping other women and should stave hostilities.
While
some Japanese hookers chose to continue servicing the Imperial Army their
numbers were few. It is said some 20,000 (at the beginning) to 350,000 plus
women forced into brothels for the Japanese throughout Asia and the Pacific
Islands. So you could well imagine that kidnapping women and putting them into
sexual slavery didn't promote goodwill.
When
the bases opened on Oahu and the Hawaii islands, prostitution was legal. While
the islanders and the vast number of Asian settlers to the islands found
prostitution to be a necessary evil, views on open prostitution had been
tempered by the 'social purity movement', and laws were put in place, (that
were loosely enforced) to keep the women in line. It became unacceptable to
work as a prostitute unless you worked from a brothel (or boogey house).
Independent hooking was suppressed.
Local
Police regulated the brothels and it was said that they meant the incoming
ships and unescorted woman who were possible madams there to ply their trade,
were handed a list of rules or "Ten Commandments" she was to obey;
She may
not visit Waikiki Beach or any other beach except Kailua Beach [across the
mountains from Honolulu].
She may
not patronize any bars or better class cafes.
She may
not own property or an automobile.
She may
not have a steady “boyfriend” or be seen on the streets with any men.
She may
not marry service personnel.
She may
not attend dances or visit golf courses.
She may
not ride in the front seat of a taxicab, or with a man in the back seat.
She may
not wire money to the mainland without permission of the madam.
She may
not telephone the mainland without permission of the madam.
She may
not change from one house to another.
She may
not be out of the brothel after 10:30 at night.
It is said these 'commandments' were enforced
with a heavy hand. Hooking on the island was a lucrative business. Some women made $25,000 to $30,000. Madam triple that or more. After Pearl
Harbor, many women went back to the mainland and others became nurses, leaving
just when the island was flooded with men.
When the ships came in the lines were long. Locals knew what the
lines were for, but said little about it. Many just walked through the lines as
they went about their everyday lives.
The women began to make so much money
they began to go against the "Ten Commandments" and spend it in
society. When the police tried to enforce the rules, the women ran to the Military. At that point, the military (though they wouldn't admit to it)
somewhat took over the brothels that lines Hotel Street. They said that the
women could be in society and the military even took over the weekly testing for STD's. The women stood up as well saying they were working for the war effort. Which
angered the local police. You can read more about it here.
I
remember walking around the streets of Ephesus as a teenager and finding a foot
engraved into the stones of the old road that gave directions to the nearest
brothel for the sailors arriving at the port there.
Giving
credence to the old adage that "Next to motherhood. Prostitution is the
oldest profession."
Justine Whitcomb, who,
after the missionary compound where she lives is attacked, is left to get
herself and several children off the island of New Guinea. Escaping might be
easier done if she didn't have to get through Japanese lines and fight
Lieutenant Tyler Merrick of the US Navy in the process.
Lt. Merrick is on a mission to find a rogue spy and
Justine's independent nature and knowledge of the island has him believing she
just might be the spy he's after. Were it not for the children she's
protecting, he would've followed his instincts and taken her prisoner already.
Now she wants him to follow her through the jungle. He's not
certain he's ready to trust her. But if they can't put their fears aside and
learn to trust one another, they might not get off the island alive.
