Text Version


 
 
          He launched into a long tirade against the United States
 
and particularly against President Roosevelt, during which we
 
learned that he was referring to the American air raid on Japanese
 
 cities (later we learned that this was the Doolittle raid, with
 
planes which took off from a carrier in the Pacific). At every
 
paulo in his tirade, we would get in a few words protesting our
 
innocence.
 
            The Japanese officer finally indicated that he had
 
finished his tongue-lashing. As we turned to go he said, "There
 
are fifteen hundred of you out in that stockade. If I thought a
 
one of you sympathized with the bombing of Japanese cities, I
 
would turn machine guns loose on you". There was not the slightest
 
doubt in our minds of his sincerity.
 
          The next day, when the sun had reached its zenith, we began 
 
our march of twelve miles to our prison camp. Not one of us
 
was fit for marching. For five months we had been under siege on
 
Corregidor, under constant strain. During more than three weeks
 
of captivity the Japanese had not provided us with a single decent
 
 meal. Many of us were ill.
 
             As we passed small Philippine barrios, or villages, on
 
the march, the inhabitants seemed anxious to help us. Small
 
children darted to our side and gave us balls of boiled rice.
 
Those that were caught by the guards, however, were cuffed un-
 
mercifully.
 
                 After we had gone about eight miles, I began to suffer
 
intolerably. The heat was unbearable. My heart was pounding and
 
                                                 -25-
 
 
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