James Veneris

Who is James Veneris?

James George Veneris, was a soldier in the American forces during the Korean War, was captured by the Chinese and was one of 21 US soldiers at the end of the war who decided they would rather stay in China than return to the US.

Veneris had served in the South Pacific during World War II, and said he re-enlisted because he couldn't find anything else to do and hoped Army life would provide security. After he chose to live in China, the Army gave Veneris a dishonorable discharge and refused to provide back pay for his time in prison camp. The Chinese gave him a stipend and moved him to Shandong province, where he was given a job in a state-run pulp factory in Jinan that turned discarded cloth shoes into toilet paper for export to Hong Kong. He adopted the Chinese name Lao Wen.

He and fellow former POW Howard Gayle Adams stayed in Jinan through the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution sheltered by their factory co-workers and an announcement by Premier Zhou Enlai calling them "international freedom fighters". In 1963, he was allowed to study at the People's University of China. After graduation, he returned to the same factory.