Commander Mcoy:
 
     Almost since the day of arrival at Mindanao there had been
 
lurking in my mind the thought of escape, the hope that some avenue
 
would open itself, that some opportunity would be provided. Nothing
 
concrete came of these gropings all through November and December.
 
There were the usual six days of work each week, with Sunday
 
quite often thrown in as a work day when Lieutenant Hosume caught
 
us stealing food.
 
     Early in January, I was assigned as the officer in charge
 
of a detail to work the prison's coffee plantation. In this detail
 
were about 35 officers, all older than forty, and mostly lieutenant
 
colonels. These older men had been assigned to this detail as a
 
 result of considerable undercover maneuvering on the part of the
 
American officials of the prison, in order that they might have a
 
better chance of stealing food enough to keep them alive.
 
     I was assisted on this detail by Mellnik--he and I were
 
the only younger officers in the group--and it was here that Steve
 
and I began to plan our attempt to escape. After I had mentioned
 
the plan to him, Mellnik gave it careful thought, which was his
 
custom. Once he had decided, he never once faltered at any
 
point; in fact, he came up with some of the better ideas that finally
 
 made our escape possible.
 
     At Mellnik's suggestion we wangled two sergeants to
 
assist with the mid-day cooking for our work party--Sergeants
 
Paul Marshall and R. B. Spielman. Marshall and Spielman were
 
 
                                             -65-