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Show VERNAL DOUGHBOY TELLS OFSURRENDER OF OIL OFSURRENDER ' SURRENDER OF 600 JAPS lAPS DAPS WITH THE 37TH INFANTRYDIVISION INF INFA A 4TR TRY TRYDIVISION ' DIVISION ON LUZON - Arinteresting An Ar Aninteresting Aninteresting interesting prelude to the sur surrender surrender surrender render of 600 800 Japanese on north northern northern northern ern Luzon was the story told to tc toa tca toa a Pacific War Correspondent orrespondent by bya bya bya a doughboy in 10 the 148th Infantty Infantry InfanttyRegiment InfantryRegiment InfantryRegiment Regiment of the 37th DivisionPrivate DIvIsIOn DIvIsIOnPnvat DivisionPrivate Pnvat Private First Class Garr L Jonesof Jones Jonesof Jonesof of Vernal VernalI I was sitting slttmg on a high hillabout hillabout lull hill lullabout about 1700 yards beyond ouroutpost ouroutpost our ouroutpost outpost with six other members membersof of our squad talking talkmg over the thetImes thetimes thetimes tImes we would have when we weall weall weall all got back home again cigam The war warwas warwas warwas was over but the Japanese in the thefoothIlls thefoothills thefoothills foothIlls and mountainous count country country country ry bordering the Cagayan Valley Val Valley Valley ley did not seem seLm to be aware ofthe of ofthe ofthe the fact We had a large V Vshap shaped shap shapcd shaped cd ed sign erected erectd erect -d d < - as a guide to theJapanese the theJapan theJapanese Japan Japanese ( ' < ; e so < ; 0 that when they didhear dId dIdhear didhear hear that the war was over they theywould theywould theywould would know where we were set setup setup setup up and could be reached to ar arrange arrange arrange range surrender termsWe termsWe terms termsWe We were beginning begmnmg to won wonI wonder wonder wonder der if they didn dldn t I intend mtend commg coming comingin commgm I m in to surrender surrLnder Then a abam again am wedidn we weI wedldn wedidn dldn didn t know if they had everheard ever everheard everheard I heard that the war was over Wewere We Wewere Wewere were really hoping hopmg thit th'lt thlt th-ut th ut ' - thLY they theywould theywould thLYwould would start coming com 109 in m as theprospect the theprospect theprospect prospect of going gomg into mto the moun mountains mountwins mountains tains twins and bringing brIngmg them out was wasnot wasnot wasnot not very inviting IOvltmg Before the war warended warended warended ended we had been runnmg running runnmgnumerous runningnumerous runningnumerous numerous patrols into mto the outer outeredge outeredge outeredge edge of the thickly wooded woodedmountainous woodedmountainous woodedmountainous mountainous area and therewere there therewere therewere were many spots where the Jap Jap- Japanese Japanese Japanese - anese could easily set up an anmbush dm am ambush -mbush mbush dmbush - bush The more we thoughtabout thought thoughtabout thoughtabout about it the worse it looked lookedOne lookedOnt One 00 Ont < . of the fellows suddenly suddenlyspotted suddenlyspotted suddenlyspotted spotted a small party of Japs at atthe atthe atthe the foot of a hill about 1000 1000yards 1000yards 1000yards yards off to our front They were weremovmg weremoving weremoving movmg moving along slowly and there therewere therewere therewere were just seven of them tht'm thtm ' If thev they theyhadn thevhadn thevhadn hadn t heard that the war wasover was wasover wasover over and were looking fortrouble for fortrouble fortrouble trouble at least the odds wereeven wert were wereeven ' even A fight was the tht ' last thingwe thing thingwe thingwe we wanted now though as thatwould that thatwould thatwould would only defeat our purposeThey purposeThey purpose purposeThey They disappeared in 10 a small smallwooded smallwooded smallwooded wooded area but a few moments momentslater momentslater momentslater later we spotted them again as asthey asthey asthey they moved toward a small smallshack smallshack smallshack shack located on the edge of a abanana abanana abanana banana grove almost at the footof foot footof footof of the hill on which we weresitting were weresitting weresitting sitting Just as they reached theshack the theshack theshack shack one of them looked upand up upand upand and saw us They stopped acting acting act acting ing very confused not seeming seemingto to know whether to come in andsurrender andsurrender and andAs surrender ItIAs or make a run for It ItI I As we watched them they seem seemed seemed seemed ed to be talking it over Finally Finallyone Finallyone seemI ) I one of them fashioned a flagout flag flagout flagout out of an old piece of cloth andstarted and andstarted andstarted started waving it it . . We motioned for lor them tocome to tocome tocome come up up the hill Four of theCroup the thegroup thegroup group moved slowly towards us usthe usthe usthe the other three remaining be be- - behind behind behind - hind By this time we had bad made madeout madeout madeout out that three of them had bad rifles As they came nearer a couple ofthem of ofthem them started shouting shoutmg some someth.ing something something th.ing thing . We counldn t make it out outat outat outat at first but then we got it they theywere theywere theywere were hollering hollermg 0 OK K 0 O OKThey K KThey KThey They were walking towards us usin usin 10 in single file the third man Inline in inlIne Inline lIne started waving his amis arms go go- going go109 gomg - - ing 109 mg through many peculiarmotions peculiar peculiarmotIOns peculiarmotions motIOns At first we couldn 1 1understand tunderstand t tunderstand understand what he was doingBut doing doingSut doingtaut Sut taut ! then one of the men figuredit fIgured It out The Jap was trying totalk to totalk totalk talk to us by using uslOg semaphore semaphoresIgnals semaphoresignals semaphoresignals sIgnals We couldn t make out outwhat outwhat outwhat what he was trying to say but butwe butwe butwe we kept waving wavlOg them inI inAs inAs in inAs As they nearcd neared us we putour put putour putour our rifles rif1 .s s < . to one side to showthem show showthem showthem I them that we didn dldn t intend 10tend toshoot to toshoot toshoot shoot them They would walk alittle a alIttle alittle lIttle ways and stop One of theJaps the theJaps theJaps Japs was a real short fellow andthe and andthe andthe ! the other three kept pushing him himiout himout himout iout out ahead He would try to drop dropbut dropback dropback ' back but they would stop and andIChase andchase andchase chase him outIahead out Iahead , ahead againA again againA IChase A short Olstance distance from us usthey usthey usthey theIrIshirts they stopped and removed theIr theirshirts theirshirts Ishirts shirts We saw then that three ofthem pf pfthem f fI'them ' them were carrying revolversbut revolver revolvers revolversbut I'them Ithem but they deposited them on theground the theground theground ground with their clothing Thelittle The TheIlttle Thelittle Ilttle little fellow even removed hispants hIS hISpants hispants , pants I guess he wanted to be beIsure besure besure Isure sure that we knew he didn t hav have havea ( ' a weapon weaponThey They spoke a little httle Enghsh English Enghshand Englishand Englishand and started asking us about tht the thelarge thelarge ' Ilarge large V sign We explamed1c explained explamed 1c tc tcthem 1cthem tthem ( , them that the war was overThis over overThIs overThis ThIs seemed to be news to themand them themand themand and they all started jabbering InJapanese In InJapanese inJapanese Japanese After a while theyquieted they theyqUIeted theyquieted qUIeted down and asked us fora for foria ia a cigarette We gave them some somecigarettes somecigarettes somecigarettes cigarettes and watched them themlight themlight ' light up Their hands were shak shaking shaking 109 ing quite a bit and I guess they theywere theywere theywere were pretty nervous The . , Clg cig Clgarettes cigarettes cigarettes arettes helped though and theysoon they theysoon theysoon soon became very friendly fnendly bowing bow bowtog 109 tog and saluting salutmg us usThey usI usThey I They wanted to know whatwould what whatwould whatwould would become of them Theysaid They TheysaId Theymid saId mid they wanted to be sent backto back backto backin to in Japan I guess they too were werepretty werepretty werepretty pretty anxious to be home agam again agamThe againI'lie againThe The I'lie Ilie ' little fellow was quite com corn comIsal cornsal cornisal Isal sal said he had never seen any anyAmerican anyAmerican anyAmerican American soldiers before Seems Seemsthey Seemshey Seemsthey they hey ! would dig in a position and andas andis andas as is our troops moved up , the Japswould Japs Japswould Japswould would draw back He said thishappened this thishappened thisiappened happened iappened so often that about allhe all allhe he e did was : die dig hole holes holesAfter holesAfter * waa:1Fn waa1Fn waa:1Fnholes : After talking talking g with them awhile a awhile while thatlthey longer , we decided thatl that thathey thatthey ) they hey must have been sent out as asi asa a aSIa i Theylold reconnaissance patrol They Theytold Theyl Theytold aSI told old us they had one radio in intheir inheir in'their intheir ' their heir group but it was broken brokenOur brokenur brokenOur droppingleaflets droppinglea Our ) ur planes had been droppingeaflets dropping lea eaflets ets telling or the surrenderbut surrender surrendertut , but tut hacljalien none of the leaflet leaflets lea ets * baa haclj hadfallen ! I | fallen alien in the th area where theywere theywere they theywere were getthem located We tried to they/ they Cetthem get / ) them hem to tell us where their mainiody main mainbody mainbody body iody of troops was located but butibout butabout about ibout all aU we could eet get was a arough aough arough rough ough idea They did tell tell us that their captain wanted to contact con contact contact tact one of the officers in ouicompany our ourcompany company so we arranged tcmeet to to'meet tomeet 'meet meet ' meet them the following ' norn morn norning morning ! ing at 8 9 o 0 clockWe clockWe clock clockWe We then told them to go goback goback goback back to their outfit and impress impressled impressed led ed on them that we would meet meetIthem meetthem meelthem Ithem them the following : day As they theydeparted theydeparted theydeparted ! departed we gave them a fewmore few fewmore fewmore more cigarettes and one bananathat banana bananaIthat bananathat that we had They wrapped upthe up upthe upthe Ithat the banana and the cigarette ina in ina ina a small piece of cloth and toldus told toldus toldus us tojtheIr they were going to give it totheir toj to totheir theIr captain They seemed tohave to tohave , have a high regard for him and andof andof ' of their other officersAs officersAs officers officersAs As they walked off down the thehill thehill thehill hill they kept turning around aroundand aroundand aroundand and waving back to us Afterthey After Afterthey Afterthey they had left we returned to theoutpost the theoutpost theoutpost outpost and made final arrange arrange- arrangements arrangements arrangements - - ments for the meeting the nextday next nextday nextday day A plane was sent out todrop to todrop todrop drop leaflets over the area wherewe where wherewe wherewe we figured they were locatedThe locatedThe located locatedThe The meeting the next day daywas daywas daywas was carried off smoothly A Aweek Aweek Aweek week later the Japs Jap/ Jap Japstarted / ! started com corn commg cornmg corning mg in 10 to the outpost They seem seemed seemed ' ed ad to come from every direc direr direrLion direction direction tion Lion It was three days beforethe before beforethe beforethe the entire group had surrendered surrender ed They re practically all innow in innow innow now and am I happy happyPrivate happyPrivate happyPrivate Private Jones is the son of Mrand Mr Mrand Mrand and Mrs Edgar C Jones of Ver VerI Vernal Vernal Vernil I nal nil I |