See where armed soldiers once watched over Amache’s incarcerated residents day and night.
Stop 6 Audio
Transcript
When we first got to Amache, one of the scariest things to get used to were the armed soldiers that patrolled the camp entrance and manned the guard towers. There were over a hundred military police that lived in their own fenced off section of the camp. They were responsible for manning the main entrance, checking passes when people went in and out of Amache, and inspecting packages for contraband.
They were also responsible for manning Amache’s uniquely eight sided guard towers. The whole residential area that we lived in was surrounded by barbed wire, and there were eight guard towers spread out around the perimeter. The tower stood 16 feet above the ground and the soldiers would climb up and down long ladders to get to their lookouts at the top.
The soldiers in the towers were armed with guns and searchlights so they could find anyone who tried to escape. After a while we got used to the guards and they got used to us and it wasn’t as scary. Some of us little kids used to sneak under the barbed wire fence to catch turtles, or search for treasure, or play games.
We thought we were being really bold and smart, but maybe the guards knew all along. They just didn’t care, because they knew we weren’t going to run away.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: To continue to Stop #7, follow the road to the east. In about 700 feet you will see a reconstructed barrack on your left. Stop here to hear about living conditions in confinement.