Show c THEY WERE r-H r ExT l lE E fans 4 WHITE 7 cL i run STORY STOny so ui r The TIK rv oi nl I their heir put part In the battle bailie ba tile for lor or the thi- th Philip pines I Is being told br by b lour four our of 01 the live ave naval na vIII officers Om who nil all that Ih t li II tent Of Motor Torpedo host Hint Squadron 3 3 The Theire They ire UI John now I leuten ant int Commander rou n auder I leut It K It II Kelly second command se and rn Anthony A Akers kers and anil tore rore i r. r C. C Cox os Jr The battle bailie for or the pines Ines was near rl over when the Ih e Japs J a IS Invaded Cebu Separated from Irons his hh squad ton ron Kelly lillIy had Iud spent agent the Ihl night g U atthe at atthe the home o of an American civilian When the he Japs began bran their thelt Invasion he fought finish his bis way bark back to 10 the dork dock Where 1 boat was vas tied to 10 learn that thaI he hI bad been blID reported dead cn flat XV XI 4 After Cebu fell tell explained e pl Ined Cox an army aviator arrived arrived- held bed left Cebu that morning He lIe aId hed he'd talked to a Catholic priest who had said burial mass over you rou and another sailor killed In an en en- engagement n And I was very glad to hear he r It It said laid Kelly Because then I r knew that Harris and Reynolds had got got- gotten gotten ten decent burial at the cemetery In Cebu before the Japs arrived But then I asked Wheres Bulkeley You see the last I saw of him he was tearing around the theother theother theother other side of that Japanese cruiser trying to draw Its fire away from fromme fromme fromme me so 10 o I could get In to polish It oft I thought they'd probably got him himI I heard hed he'd turned up later In Min 1 Mindanao danao It rumor but was just a rumor N What actually happened was 1 j this said Bulkeley They didn't e get me but three destroyers chased me until dawn when I pulled away sway into shallow water and we tied up 1 1 under a pier to get some sleep sleep sleep-os as asI 1 I think I said When night came I went on up 1 to IlIgan where I Intended to get gas and go on up to Cebu to see what had happened to Kelly al although al- al although although though I was pretty sure lure he hadn't got out alive But at Iligan I was met by a radioed order from Wain- Wain Wainwright Wainwright wright there were no more torpedoes torpe torpe- torpedoes torpedoes does for the so he couldn't let us have any gas They were needing It all for the planes out to toe f e Australia So there we were were stuck stuck at Ill ill- gun gan an I went on over to headquarters at Del Monte to report the bat bat- battle battle tle tie with the cruiser to General Sharp certain that the end was before us on the island Wed We'd be fighting lighting here hereon on Mindanao with rifles to the end But that morning morning-it morning morning-It It was April 13 13 General Sharp called me ui in to say hed he'd Just got orders ordera from Melbourne that I was ordered to report to Mac- Mac MacArthur MacArthur MacArthur Arthur immediately on the plane prone leaving IDel Del Monte that night For Fora a while I felt rotten Then I figured it another way If U I could get to Australia I t might be able to persuade MacArthur to bring out the rest of the squadron It looked like Ilke It It was wes their only chance Im going to try to get out aU all 11 your officers and key men he had bad said sald Im not going to let you youdie youdie youdie die in a fox hole with a rifle I knew he be had believed the had a areat great reat future In the war So I sent word to the rest I 1 would get them flown own out If possible possible ble and got aboard the bomber that eight aught As we left Ifft the field the Japs it and put one motor out but we got through lIe He left me In charge to said Ak Ak- Akers ers rs and presently General Sharp tent lent me up to Lake Lanao in the middle of Mindanao Island on a ape pe peculiar tuber culiar mission They were afraid the Japs might land seaplanes on onIt onIt onIt It and I was to set up defenses there I was to teach the army how to run the machine guns Cox told me Bulkeley had gone home said Kelly and thinking I Iwas Iwas Iwas was dead bad had made him squadron commander And I didn't know what to do There I was was was-no no crew no boat no Job sob while they were busy dismantling the 41 boat to take It up to t Lake Lanao and sad end the war fighting with the Moros So SoI SoI SoI I decided Id I'd better get up to Del DelMonte DelMonte DelMonte Monte and report to Sharp co so he could tell teU Bulkeley I was alive and end tend in my report by radio to the States Slates on the scrap with the cruiser and what happened to my boat The General was wa amazed to see lee me Bulkeley said you'd been killed in action he be said laid He lIe listened to tomy ton toI n I my report on the battle batUe Ill send lend you ou to he said IBId near the airfield where the planes come in But I warn you theres there's not too much hope bope of getting out Theres There's almost almot no more gas to tot refuel the plants at this thil end so 10 I doubt that they'll send lend any more I said laid I was lure we were getting out out out- out out-MaCAr MacAr- MacAr MacArthur thur had told Bulkeley Bl keley be would do doit doIt doit it if it it was humanly possible The town was Wal forty five miles away and I reported to the army colonel there at noon He asked BIked me why I was wu here bere Waiting trans trans- transportation to Australia I said laid No IJo use getting your hopes up he be said IBId And since Ive I've had no in in- I assume youre you're here on ona ona a duty dut status and am going to put you to work r That's okay I said if I dont don't have to leave the vicinity J I 1 cant can't even guarantee that he said uld Im organizing a pack train to Lake Lanao They're cutting the trail now I 1 have hav another man rounding round In up fifty nf earn baa and driven drivels When he gets geU them you'll be in chart charge of leading the pack trait train e I I lOr 1 didn't dl do siv 51 much I hr hi hiI hrand I and I were ere In for a stio 11 I r didn't intend to miss mus ml n a plane pi me being off oIT T herding a 11 bunch of milk nulU cows s through n Jungle bull but 1 I thought there was iron no use U e IU unreason unreason- unreasonable able now MIl Afler all nil flit fitly was a lot to round up It rt would take lake several se c days s Back Brack at the quarters I f found c an nn anold anold old navy captain who'd hod arrived d the day before used before used to be In n charge chan e of ot the Industrial department at He ftc listened to my story anti Mac Mac- MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthurs MacArthur's Arthurs Arthur's promise and then said The way It looks I 1 dont don't think Im I'm getting out ou Then he talked about the thirty years hed he'd spent In the navy all of ot them training so he would be useful In case of war and you could see It was discoursing discouraging for him to end like this this apparently apparently forgotten by the Ule q h e country he had wanted to serve What had his life lite been for tor On the night of April 22 my hopes were down I was fiddling with the radio and cut in on a news brond broad P Tc f I. I r. r t 7 1 r f t Tell him the end here is draw drawing drawIng II ing pear cast from the States a States a wave short short e station in San Francisco It was the th e navy news release on our fight with the cruiser I II I went to bed sick lick as the silky silky- voiced commentator again repeated his account of our victory when all i out here knew we had only expend expend- expended ed ourselves in the hope that it might slow down a o Japanese victory and we had failed even In this I Next morning the army colonel sent for me Hed He'd had a plane less aviator hard at work who had col col- collected collected thirty nine of the fifty flit cara cars bao Soon the others would be here so I was to start work today today today-a a trailblazing trail expedition to inspect the jungle j path up to Lake Lanao But suppose a plane came came while I was away I didn't even bring it up it seemed so hopeless now I went back to my quarters and had Just packed to go when the phone rang I was to report to General Sharp at atthe atthe atthe the landing field at once and bring everything I had with me It was grim waiting at the air air- airport port The priority list was made up I t In Melbourne and end each man ninn had a 11 I number A plane would mild not nol hold more than they knew kuc butmore but bUI butmore I more than thun a hundred were waiting uniting there Because perhaps two t maybe even n three planes might come clime Or perhaps someone whose liose who ps l' l name was Va called would not lIot show up and your our number num ber might be high enough on tin the list to claim cl lm his sent scat So they waited wait 1 ed all ed-all all young t technicians most matt of ot n f I Ithem them aviators tors for fir this lust I St chance to set iet Letout out so they th y could rould tight light onIt t General Sharp had h d told me he had telephoned Cox nod and Akers that they were on tonight's list why weren't they Uley here At 1030 the list was called called- thirty names mine mille and theirs among them but only I answered present So they put nn an army tank major and an corps air captain In in as substitutes It if they Ule to arrive But Dut at 1035 here they carne came on the therun therun run rim so the captain and the major were turned aside They were wrt to togo togo togo go on the Ue next plane It plane If there was wasa a next Just before we got aboard rd Gen General eral Sharp carne came over ov r to tell te-ll me good good-by bY He lie is n II grand old man all oil six alx feet of him a commanding per person son and every Inch a soldier as liS his father and grandfather were before him I lie He said this was probably thelast the thelast I last plane out and tic he wanted w me meto meto meto to take B I message m to MacArthur I ITen Tell Ten him the end Ind here Is drawing near and If help cant can't be sent In n a few lew days Mindanao will fall fail Of at course coarse probably he understands this and maybe nothing can be bedone done dOlle Then he talked about bout us Ev Everybody v. v left here In Itt the Islands should realize he said that those who are Bre called to Australia are the ones who will be most useful for forthe forthe forthe the work ahead abend Those who leave are the men for the Job regard regardless less of rank end and years of 01 service The rest of us he sold said consider ourselves as being expendable I which Is something that may come cometo to any soldier We are ready fort for tor forit it t and I think they will see sec that we will meet It squarely when it comes Then they called colled my name nome we shook hands and I climbed aboard Each of us who were leaving un un- strapped our and handed them out through the planes plane's windows to the tut fellows who were staying be be- hind They'd be needing them bad bad- badly ly 11 and we And Peggy someone asked There were three seaplanes seaplane sent ent out from Australia to Corregidor atthe at the very the very last lt said Kelly which among other people were to bring out the nurses One of them was hot chat down off Corregidor but the theother theother theother other two loaded and Ind got rot back to Lake Lanao where they gassed liaised up for the big bl homeward hop bop while Sharp held beld the Japs Jape back from the lake lalle One of these two got ot safely away the plane Peggy was wai in cracked up on the take off So now we wont won't ever know But as BI our big command terry bomber swung wung wide out over the I field after the take take off aff you could I see lee the island and then the path of moonlight glistening over the water just as BS we used to watch it glisten from the tunnel entrance at Corregidor dor And suddenly I remembered the last thing she said to me her me-her her voice was wal just as clear clea r as If it had bad been two seconds ego ago instead of many weeks over that tha t signal corps telephone in the army but on Ba Ba- Bateau Bataan after I had told her this was wal goad good by Well W U she he ald said Its ita Jt been awfully nice hasn't it And her ber voice had sounded clear and brave but seemed to come from far away THE END |