Private James “Lee” Irons will never forget September 4, 1952. During the Korean War, Private Irons was assigned to the 5th Marines, 3rd Battalion, Company I. On this night, he, along with other men from a United Nations troop, engaged in a battle with a platoon of Chinese soldiers. Irons was captured at the 38th Parallel, and would spend the next eleven months as a Prisoner of War. 

As you read this inspiring and beautiful story about persecution, perseverance, and faith, please remember how James fought through the struggles and persecution so he may live to help others. I hope that you connect somehow to his story as I have. If you allow yourself to connect, it will make a difference in your life or perhaps inspire someone to choose the life of an unborn child.

James Irons was born into a loving, faithful, and hardworking family on July 2, 1931, in Lum, a city in Lapeer County, Michigan. He is the youngest of ten children belonging to Hazel and William Irons. James described his father as a hardworking, loving, but strict disciplinarian farmer who shaped Jim into the man he became. His mother was the stereotypical mother of that time. She was there to give them the nourishment they needed, the love they desired, the healing when they got hurt, and the promise to tell their father when they did wrong, holding them accountable for their decisions, and ultimately teaching them the correct way to live. Raising ten children is no small feat, and it was especially challenging in those days. He learned strong work ethics and how to fight, not allowing defeat to sway him but rather using it to get the job done. Coming from a family of ten children, James did not know his older siblings because they were grown adults and had already moved out of the house. However, they were just like any other siblings; they fought but loved each other to the point of defending them when the need arose.

In 1949, James turned eighteen and had just graduated from high school. The Korean conflict was taking shape, and draft notices were sent to those young men needing to fight for the righteousness of the South Korean people. Once James received his draft notice, he decided not to get drafted but to volunteer and enlist in the United States Marine Corps.

He arrived at Camp Pendleton for basic training with the thought of doing nothing other than to be trained and serve his country. After he completed basic training, he was granted a seven-day pass to see his family before going to advanced infantry training in preparation for entering the war.

After his seven-day pass expired, James reported for advanced training, he said that “I will never forget seeing my mom and dad standing on the old porch in the back of the house as my older brother drove away, taking me to the airport.” As we drove, he distinctly remembers thinking that it might be the last image of his mom and dad because, after his advanced training, he was headed for Korea.

After completing his formal training, he found himself aboard the USS John Pope with other military personnel heading for Korea. It was thousands, maybe even as many as ten thousand men.  They were packed together to maximize space, as comfort was not the objective. He remembers being scared but, at the same time, anxious to put his training to the test, just like many of the other soldiers and Marines on that ship, with no idea what awaited them across the ocean.  

They landed in Japan and were immediately assigned to the unit they would serve in Korea. His unit was the 5th Marines, 3rd Battalion, Company. Their mission was to protect and defend the 38th Parallel and not allow the enemy to cross it at all costs. 

On September 4, 1952, the Chinese “Red Army” began to advance up the 38th Parallel. They were so close that he could smell the cigarettes they were smoking. For him and the rest of the troops, it was about to become very real very quickly. He was barely 21 years of age and on the verge of battle. 

The Chinese held their position at the base of the mountain base with United Nations troops at the top. They had called for backup, but battles ensued as they fought up and down the mountain, and the reinforcements did not show in time. The battles suddenly stopped as both sides had run out of ammunition, but that would not stop the enemy from taking the position. 

They snaked the back of the mountain and surprised the awaiting peacekeeping force. With no ammunition left, the remaining United Nations coalition began to fight with the butts of their guns and anything else they could find. However, the communists had weapons fixed with bayonets. Jim found a trench and stayed silent for the remainder of the evening. Separated from the rest of his comrades and daylight broke, he found himself alone and surrounded by the enemy. He was subsequently discovered and captured, becoming one of the thousands of prisoners of the Korean War.

At the moment of his capture, Jim reflected on the image of his Mom and Dad on that back porch, holding hands and waving goodbye as he left for war. He prayed silently and told himself that he did not want to die in Korea, never seeing his family again. Jim was  exhausted but had enough energy left to fight off the enemy as they searched him for contraband, only finding a Bible and a watch. His mother gave him the Bible on the day he left before going to his advanced training. She handed it to him with a brave look on her face as if to remind him to trust in the Lord in any situation. The watch was a gift from his father upon graduating from high school as a reward for the hard work he had already accomplished. Both of these items would play a critical role in his survival during the next horrific eleven months of his life.

The guards tried to wrestle the Bible and watch from his body, but Jim would have no part of that. Even though the strap broke on his watch, he saved the most crucial part; the face. The enemy finally gave up, and the Bible and watch were still in his possession.

Five Chinese soldiers began to march Private Irons up mountains, through rice paddies, and over rivers for five days. They finally reached their destination, a camp near the Yellow River in China. While on his journey, he noticed a piece of rice paper lying on the ground. He picked it up before anyone noticed, putting it in his pocket for safekeeping. Later on, this paper would become valuable to him and the other POWs he would encounter.

Once in the camp, he was stripped of his military uniform and given a thread-barren two-piece cotton suit resembling pajamas. He was thrown into a tiny mud hut that he would call home for the next eleven months of his life. He was allowed out of his prison cell only to work. They would march Lee and the other POWs (about 75, as he recalls) up the mountain to cut trees down. Private Irons’ job was to carry these eight to ten-foot trees to the Yellow River and send them downriver to wherever it was going. They were also paraded in front of the local schoolchildren to show the very people who wanted to kill them. The Chinese used these POWs as tools to indoctrinate the children into hating democracy and freedom-loving soldiers, painting them as murderers. He will never forget the time after Joseph Stalin died in March 1953. He and other POWs were forced to stand in the cold rain, forced to mourn the passing of the genocidal murderer all day long. If they did not comply and show respect to this ruthless dictator, they would be beaten.

As time passed in the POW camp, his solitary confinement seemed to cause one day to blend into the next without any break. He made a conscious decision to make a change to bring hope to himself and the other POWs as they slowly starved to death. He used his father’s watch to time the guard’s movements. After getting the patterns down, he began to read the Bible his mother had given him. This allowed him to read and reflect on Jesus’s words and inspired him to survive for one more day. If he had had the Bible out when the guards could see him, it would have been taken from him. He did not have enough energy, so this was the best way to accomplish his “strength” training.

He began to share the Word and his food, and even though he was starving himself, he felt the other POWs were worse off than he was. The food, he said, was barely passable as food. They would get a tiny bit of sticky rice with things that he couldn’t even identify in it. However, he knew that they were not supposed to be concerned with the amount of food they were given but to be grateful for the food that God had provided.

One day a guard came to his cell and tried to get him to sign a confession, denouncing his American citizenship and embracing the Communist way. Being a Marine, he knew this was not an option. The great thing about that encounter wasn’t the beatings he took because he wouldn’t sign it, but the pen handed to him to sign it. After many feeble attempts and nothing to show for it, the guard stormed off. But he forgot his pen. 

Lee began to write all of the names of the POWs that he knew on the rice paper he had picked on his march to the prison camp. He wrote the names of the ones he knew about and then learned of those he did not know about adding until the paper was filled and no more names could be added. He kept the paper in the Bible that kept him strong in his weakest moments. His goal was to turn the names over to the Department of Defense to identify the names of the other POWs he was imprisoned with. His efforts led to accumulating names of other American soldiers and the names of soldiers from other countries like France and Turkey, to name a few. This knowledge gave him another reason to fully trust in his Savior to get him through this nightmare.

Over time the nightmare seemed to be easing up. He began to get an abundance of food compared to the handful of insect-infested rice he was used to. He noticed they were not being forced to work as hard as they had been, and he was being treated as a human being again. The men were even allowed to hold prayer groups openly; something was happening, and hope began to fill the camp. Finally, in July 1953, guards came to his hut and gathered him up, for he did not know it would be his final day as a Chinese POW. He was put into a vehicle with his hands and feet bound but not as tight as they had bound him on his final leg of the journey to the prison camp.

Later that day, the truck stopped, and he was in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Indian Red Cross assumed possession of U.S. Marine Corp Private James “Lee” Irons, and his ordeal of being tortured, malnourished, and exposed to the elements was over. They nourished the now 100-pound Private Irons back to health enough to be safe enough to travel. From there, he would be reunited with the 38th Parallel, which he had valiantly fought for and defended until he could no longer fight eleven months earlier.

August 27, 1953, Jim arrived at the Freedom Bridge located above the Imjin River, as it was known, where he was exchanged for twelve very well-treated Chinese POWs. Here, he saw the American flag for the first time since that fateful day of September 4, 1952. 

During his captivity, Jim and the other POWs were denied the basic things we take for granted as always going to be there. An awaiting ambulance took him to the medical tents, and the American doctors looked at him thoroughly, and he took a long-awaited bath. During the entire time of incarceration, he had not taken a bath or brushed his teeth. As he enjoyed those most basic needs of life, he felt numb, as if it was not real, but he was very happy. 

After spending enough time with American doctors and being cleared for travel, he found himself on the same ship that carried him to Korea, USS General John Pope. However, this time it was taking him to the place he never thought he would see again during the darkest point of his captivity: home.

The ship arrived at San Francisco, where he purchased a plane ticket to Flint for a much-deserved, and warranted thirty-day leave. When he arrived in Flint, he could not believe his eyes; his brother was standing there waiting to take him home. As they drove, Jim began to share bits and pieces of his story with his brother. However, as they got closer to the farm, he began to prepare himself for what was waiting for him. 

As he stepped from the car, his mother rushed to him, throwing her arms around her mistreated son. She exclaimed, “Praise God! He hears and answers prayers!” He felt an overwhelming sense of peace engulfing him, allowing him to now know he was going to be OK; he was in the arms of his loving mother! 

When he was home, it was filled with incredible reunions and well-wishes from the people who knew Private Jim Irons. He continued to nurse slowly back to health and began to feel better. The thirty-day leave had expired, and the time had come that he had to leave once more. At least this time, his orders were to a Navy Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where he would spend the winter recovering from his time in captivity. He would have to stay at the hospital for the entire winter to correct the problems caused by his inhumane treatment at the enemy’s hands.  

Jim had to suffer through two open-heart surgeries to repair a badly damaged aortic valve. He had extensive dental work done to replace the teeth that had fallen out. These, among other issues that he encountered during his imprisonment, were traced back to malnutrition he suffered and the withholding of fundamental human rights such as basic hygiene. After Jim fully recuperated, he was immediately discharged from the United States Marine Corps, obtaining a corporal’s rank. This is by no means the end of this incredible Michigander’s life; it is only the beginning of the second phase.

He remembers the first time he saw Ms. Bonnie Curtis. The butterflies began to flutter, and something began to happen to him he could not explain. As he began to get to know her, he fell in love with this remarkable woman and married her on April 22, 1955. From this love came three children: Rex (Ronnie), William, and Dennis. Their children blessed the couple with two grandchildren. His family had always influenced how Jim lived his life; however, it was the absolute love for Jesus Christ to whom he gave all the credit for who he truly is.

He still has the same Bible today that his mother gave him as he went off to war. Although the cover is worn and tattered,  he still reads from it daily.  The gold plate on the front was tarnished and unreadable because of all of the weather it was exposed to during his time as a POW. However, with a slight choked-up pause, he described the inside pages as immaculate as the words it contains. After reflecting on his time in Korea and China, he thanked our great Lord for getting him through the most horrible experience a human being could endure.  

Shortly after this reflection, he woke from a sound sleep and, without hesitation, proclaimed his love for Jesus Christ. He knew this was a special moment when he heard these words: “You are not saved.” He realized that Satan did not talk to sinners; he was no longer a sinner but a repentant sinner. He began to grow in his faith rapidly and became a humble servant of God. He began doing random acts of kindness, mercy, and love for perfect strangers without expecting anything in return.

These random acts of kindness, mercy, and love were allowing him to give back to God for sparing him from the hands of the Chinese. As he navigated through life supporting his family, he worked as a barber for twelve years and later retired from Ford Motor Company in Pontiac, Michigan, after twenty-nine years of service. He believes that everyone and every place prepared him for the next part of his march through life and an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. He was given a chance to love Bonnie for more than fifty years. In her memory, he continued doing random acts of good.

He recalled one day in a local store when he noticed an elderly couple buying hearing aid batteries. He had never met them before, but something told him, as he often listened, he called the clerk over to ask him a question while they struggled to decide what they could afford to buy. After the clerk told him this, Jim inquired what would be the best solution to their problem. The clerk told him the answer, Jim reached into his wallet, handed him the money for the batteries, and walked away. 

Later that afternoon, in a different store in the same town, he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned around, and there they were. The couple he paid for the batteries were standing in front of him. The wife asked if he was the man that paid for their batteries. Reluctantly and humbly, Jim said that he was. She gave him a hug, saying that was the greatest act of kindness that anybody had ever done for her. With tears in their eyes, he shook the husband’s hand, and they walked away, never to see each other again. Through love and mercy, he knew that he had made a difference in this couple’s life, simply reminding us how powerful love for one another and everything is paramount to our existence. No matter the size of the gesture.

He’d buy a young or elderly couple’s meal without their knowing who bought it. He didn’t need to see the reaction on their face or get a thank you. Knowing he was imitating Christ was good enough for him. He knew he’d be rewarded one day for all of his kindness, love, and mercy, something he didn’t get in the eleven months in China, with God giving him a great gift! He had been doing these acts throughout his life ever since that fateful day he allowed and committed to God’s work.

The gift came in 2002 while looking through a military magazine and an article placed by a former American POW. As he read the article, he remembered the individual’s name because he was one of the names he wrote on the rice paper he acquired during his journey to the camp in September 1952. Since Lee did not have a computer, he went to the local library in Owosso, told the librarian the story, gave her the email address, and through tear-filled eyes, she sent this message to Mr. George Epson. Jim and George corresponded for several years, and they tracked down other POWs, reigniting their compassion and brotherhood. Through the Grace of God they made it through together.

In 2005, Lee, George, and most of the other POWs met in Florida for a reunion,  fifty-two years after being released and surviving their persecution at the enemy’s hands. The reward for all of Lee’s efforts to humanity was finally given to him with this reunion.

Lee is now eighty-six years old! He is a lifetime member of the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign War, and Ex-Prisoner of War organizations. Jim takes great pride in his service to his country and family, but he cares for the preservation of life the most. He considers life to be the most precious gift to humanity. It constantly reminds him that in an instant, while in the Chinese camp, his could have ended several times. The only thing that kept him alive was the watch that his father gave him on graduation, the Holy Bible given to him by his mother, and those two voices that kept him strong and gave him the determination to see them one more time.