Sgt. James Cullens Henderson, USMC, Ex POW WW ll and Reiki

My mother's cousin Jimmie as he was called in our family was 2 years older than my mother. They were very close. During WW ll, both he and his sister Hope joined the USMC. He was shipped out to the Pacific theater, serving with the 4th Marine Regiment, Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion on the Island of Corregidor. In May 1942 he became a POW with the fall of  Corregidor, in the Phillipine Islands to the Japanese. Along with many prisoners they were taken to Osaka Japan on one of the notorious Hellships, the Tottori Maru where they endured horrible conditions with little food, water and many died in route. He was a prisoner of war for over 3 years and endured much suffering and ill health. He was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal.

When my mother found she was pregnant with twins, his mother said, "if we name one of the babies after Jimmie it will assure him to come home". I was named Barbara Cullens Reid and Jimmie did make it back to Texas after the war ended in Sept 1945. My mother taught him how to be a book keeper and got him a job.

Towards the end of Jimmie's life, Jean initiated him into 1st Degree Reiki in El Paso, Texas. He was open to receiving a healing tradition from Japan to free himself of all his wounds caused by the Japanese. He said to my mother, he could not believe the light that would come out of Jean's eyes when she was teaching the class. He lived until he was 81.

This Veteran's Day, I will honor Jimmie, Hope, Jean, my father Bob and myself for serving our country and for having Reiki in our family.