An act of compassion in the dark annals of war

Tim Ruse’s grandfather survived the grueling Bataan Death March during World War II, only to find himself starving to death in a Japanese prison camp. Ruse knew that a Japanese boy had helped keep his grandfather alive. Now, seven decades later and armed only with a grainy photo, he made it his mission to find him.

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March 25, 2011

Tim Ruse, 27, of Centreville looks through the documents he inherited from his grandfather, Carl Ruse, a survivor of the Bataan Death March and a prisoner of war held by the Japanese. The documents sparked his interest in his grandfather's history and spurred his quest to find the boy who helped his grandfather survive.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

March 25, 2011

This letter was sent to Pvt. Carl Ruse by his father. The stone was picked up by Tim Ruse when he visited the camp where his grandfather was held.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

March 25, 2011

Ruse, 27, has researched and written a book that tells his late grandfather's story. Carl Ruse survived the 60-mile march across the Philippines that killed thousands, as well as a Japanese prison camp, and eventually died at age 89.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

A photo of the prison camp from the beach shows Tim Ruse's grandfather, Pvt. Carl Ruse, waving his crutches, which had been fashioned from two-by-fours. He had broken his leg during the 1944 earthquake. When Carl Ruse boarded the USS Rescue in September 1945, he stripped the filthy clothes from his emaciated frame and threw his crutches into the sea. He was given the photo years later after meeting another veteran who had been aboard the airplane.

Courtesy of Tim Ruse

March 25, 2011

This letter from his father was sent to Carl Ruse while he was in the prison camp. Ruse had broken a leg in an earthquake and was no longer able to work, withering to 80 pounds. But a Japanese boy slipped him extra food whenever he got a chance.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

March 25, 2011

A letter was sent to Carl Ruse by his father while he was in the POW camp.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

March 25, 2011

Tim Ruse traveled to Japan in November to try to track down the boy who had helped save his grandfather. His grandfather had never known the boy's name.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

This photo was the only record of the Japanese boy that Tim Ruse had to go on. Shortly before Carl Ruse's rescue, after American planes dropped food for the POWs, Carl Ruse carried extra food to the family of the boy. As a gesture of thanks, the boy pressed his photograph into Carl’s palm.

Courtesy of Tim Ruse

This photo of Tim Ruse's grandfather, Carl Ruse, was taken upon his arrival in Japan in 1944.

Courtesy of Tim Ruse

March 25, 2011

Tim Ruse sits with his two sons, Holden Carl Ruse, 3, named after Tim's grandfather, left, and S. Fount Ruse, 17 months. During his recent trip to Japan, Ruse met a man who believes the Japanese boy was his brother. He gave Ruse a name -- Fumio Nishiwaki -- to go with the photo. But that was all Ruse would get; Nishiwaki died of a respiratory illness at age 30.

Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post

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