The Life of a P.O.W. Under the Japanese in Caricature was written and illustrated by Colonel Malcolm Vaughn Fortier. Published in 1946, the book contains caricatures drawn by Colonel Fortier while imprisoned in a Japanese P.O.W. camp in the Philippines, from April 9, 1942 to August 20, 1945. The drawings illustrate life as a P.O.W. and include captions to clarify some of the scenes. At the end of the book is a compiled roster of P.O.W.s associated with Colonel Fortier in prison camps. Some names include the soldier's "emergency address" while others detail when that man died and how or where he was buried.

Born on June 23, 1890 in Spokane, Washington to William H. Fortier and Ida G. Fortier, Malcolm Vaughn Fortier was an avid baseball player during his youth. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in 1909. He attended Whitman College, but transfered to Washinton State College in 1911 after a surgical operation. At WSC, he reached the rank of Cadet Colonel in the Washington State college cadets. He graduated from WSC with a BS in horticulture in 1914.

Fortier married Verda Davidson on April 15, 1916. One year later, in July 1917, Fortier enlisted in the US Army. He served as a Captain in World War I and was stationed in Germany as part of the occupying troops. After returning to the States, he returned to service during World War II. He fought in the Battle of Bataan, which lasted four months, from January to April, 1942. The battle ended in Allied surrender and approximately 12,000 Americans and 63,000 Filipinos were captured, Fortier among them.

Col. Fortier was a Prisoner of War from April 9, 1942 to August 20, 1945. P.O.W.s were not allowed to keep journals or diaries in the camps, but Col. Fortier decided to depict camp life through caricatures. Without any artistic training, Col. Fortier's illustrations quickly became not only a past time for himself, but a means of entertainment for other imprisoned soldiers. Many requested that he share his collection if he were to survive the war. He survived his imprisonment and returned to America in October 1945. 

Col. Fortier was awarded the Army Distinguished Service medal, the Silver Star, and the Philippine Gold Cross medal for serving in Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff. He retired in 1950 and moved to Seattle with Verda. 

Col. Fortier died on October 30, 1957 and is buried in Seattle with his wife (d. 1958).

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The Life of a P.O.W. Under the Japanese in Caricature was written and illustrated by Colonel Malcolm Vaughn Fortier. Published in 1946, the book contains caricatures drawn by Colonel Fortier while imprisoned in a Japanese P.O.W. camp in the Philippines, from April 9, 1942 to August 20, 1945.  The drawings illustrate life as a P.O.W. and include captions to clarify some of the scenes. At the end of the book is a compiled roster of P.O.W.s associated with Colonel Fortier in prison camps. Some names include the soldier's "emergency address" while others detail when that man died and how or where he was buried.