Show r THEY WERE ERE 5 s r E E- E 2 I Ib b 7 P M 0 WHITE Y r TIlE STORY SO FAR The story o of their part rf In the battle for the Philippines Philip Philip- pines t f told wid by four tour of the five fi naval hav who are all aU that Is left lef of Torpedo 1 t Boat float Squadron 3 S. They are arc re il I ut ut John Bulkeley now Lieuten- Lieuten Lieutenant ant nt Commander squadron commander R R. R B. B Kelly Itchy second in command In-command and md Ensigns Anthony Akers and Geor George e E. E Cox Jr The battle for the Philippines Philip Philip- pines was nearly over when the Japs invaded Cebu Separated from his squad ron eon ron Kelly KeUy had spent the night at atthe atthe atthe the home borne of ot an American civilian When the tto Japs began beran their Invasion he fought his Ms way back to tl the e dock where s boat boit was tied to learn that he be bd bad a been reported dead C CHAPTER CHAFTER t TER XV J After Cebu fell explained to Cox ox an aviator arrived arrived- S I bed hed left Cebu that morning He laid aid hed he'd talked to a Catholic priest who had said burial mass over you and another sailor killed in hi an nn engagement en en- And I was very glad to hear it sold said Kelly Because then I knew that Harris and Reynolds had gotten gotten gotten got got- ten decent burial at nt the American ce 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 other side of that Japanese cruiser trying Vying to draw Its fire away from fromme fromme fromme me so I could get In to polish it off oft I thought they'd probably got him I heard hed he'd turned up later loter In Mindanao Mindanao Min Min- danao but it was Just a rumor What That actually happened was this said Bulkeley They didn't get me but hut three destroyers chased me until dawn when I pulled away Into shallow water and we tied up under a pier to get some sleep sleep sleep-as as asI I think I said When night came I went on up to Iligan where I Intended to get gas and go on up to Cebu to see what had happened to Kelly although although although al al- al- al though I was pretty sure he be hadn't got out alive But at Iligan I was met by a radioed order from Wainwright Wain- Wain wright Tight there were no more torpedoes torpedoes torpedoes torpe torpe- does for the MTh's so he couldn't let us have any gas They were needing It all for the planes out to Australia So there we were were stuck stuck at Ili Ili- gan gun I went on over to headquarters at Del Monte to report the battle battle battle bat bat- tle with the cruiser to General Sharp certain that the end was before us on the Island Wed We'd be fighting here hereon on Mindanao with rifles rilles to the end But that morning morning morning-It It was April 13 13 General Sharp called me in to say hed he'd just got orders from Melbourne that I was ordered to report to MacArthur MacArthur MacArthur Mac- Mac Arthur Immediately on the plane leaving Del Monte that night For Fora a while I felt feU rotten Then I figured it another way If I could get to Australia I might be able to persuade MacArthur to bring out the rest of the squadron It looked like it was their only chance Im going to try to get out all your officers and key men he had bad said Im not going to let you youdIe youdie die dicta In a fox hole with a rifle I knew he be had believed the had a great future hi in n the war So I sent word to the rest I would get them flown out i if possible possible ble tle and got aboard the bomber that night eIght As we Ift the field the Japs It and put one motor out but we got through He left me In charge said Akers Akers Akers Ak Ak- ers and presently General Sharp tent lent me up to Lake Lanao in the middle of Mindanao Island on a peculiar peculiar pe pe- culiar mission They were afraid the Japs might land seaplanes onIt on 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 hod gone home said Kelly and thinking I Iwas Iwas Iwas was dead 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 while they were busy dismantling the 41 boat to take It 11 up to Lake Lanao and 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 end and report to Sharp so EO he could tell Bulkeley I was alive and tend send In my report by radio to the States on scrap with the cruiser and what happened to my boat The Genera General was amazed to see me ald you'd been killed In jn action he said He listened to tomy tomy my nay report on the battle battIe Ill Til send you to he said Bald near the airfield where the planes come In But I 1 warn you theres there's not too much hope of ot getting out Theres There's almost no more gas gal to refuel the planes at this end so soy I doubt that they'll send any more I 1 said I was sure jure we were getting out out MacAr Mac Ar Arthur thur had bad told Bulkeley he would do doIt doit doit It i If It was humanly possible The town was forty five miles away awny and nd I reported to the army colonel there at noon He asked me why I was here Waiting transportation trans to Australia I said P II I No use getting your hopes up he be said said- And since Ive I've had no instrUctIons in in- I assume youre you're here on ona ona a duty status tatu and am going to put you ou to work If That's okay I said it lf f I dont don't have to leave the vicinity II I i 1 cant can't even guarantee that he Im organizing a 8 Jj said aId I ack train to Lake Lanao Lanno They're P I have another the trail now cut rutting tin g grasa rounding up fifty and rasa man an drivers When he be gets et them you'll be In charge of leading the pack unD train t It i IJ J r I didn't soy say much I figured he be and I were In for Cor a showdown I didn't intend to miss a plane being off herding a bunch of milk cows through a n jungle but I thought t there w was s no use being unreasonable unreasonable unreasonable unreason unreason- able now After all fifty was a lot to round up It would take several days Back at nt the quarters I found an nn anold anold old navy captain who'd arrived the day before used before used to be in charge chorge of the industrial department at Cavite He lIe listened to my story and MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthurs MacArthur's MacArthurs MacArthur's Mac- Mac Arthurs Arthur's promise and then said The way it looks I dont don't think Im I'm getting out Then he talked about the thirty years hed he'd spent in the navy all of them training so he would be useful In case of war and you could see it was discouraging for him to end like this this apparently apparently forgotten by the country he had wanted to serve What had his life been for On the night of April 22 my hopes I were down I was fiddling j with the radio and cut ut in on a news broad broad- 4 y a 1 S r rr r z FM r r t F Y Tell him the end here Is drawing drawing draw draw- ing near cast from the States States States-a a wave short-wave station In San Francisco It was the navy news release on our fight with the cruiser I II I went to bed sick as the silky silky- voiced commentator again repeated hIs account of our victory when all out here knew we had only expended expend expend- ed ourselves in the hope that It might slow down a Japanese victory and we had failed even In this Next morning the army colonel sent for me Hed He'd had a plane-less plane aviator hard at work who had collected col collected thirty-nine thirty of ot the fifty cara i bao Soon the others would be here so I was to start work today today today-a a trail blazing expedition to Inspect the jungle path up to Lake Lanao But suppose a plane 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 rane I was to report to General Sharp a athe at atthe atthe the landing field at once and bring everything I had with me It was grim waiting at the airport nit alt port The priority list was made up in Melbourne and each m man n had a number A plane would not hold more than thirty they knew but butmore butmore butmore more than a hundred were waiting there Because perhaps two maybe even three planes might come Or perhaps someone whose name was called would not show up and your number might be high enough on the list to claim his seat So they waited wait wait- ed all ed-all all young technicians most of them aviators for this last chance to get out so they could fight again again- General Generl Sharp had told me he had telephoned Cox and Akers that they were on tonight's list why weren't they here At 1030 the list was called caned thirty names mine and theirs among them but only I answered present So they put an army tank major and an air air corps corps captain in as substitutes i if they failed to arrive But at 1035 here they came on the therun therun therun run so the captain and the major were turned aside They were to togo togo togo go on the next plane plane plane-if If there was wasa a next Just before we got aboard General General General Gen Gen- GenI I eral Sharp came over to tell me good good by He Is a grand old man all I six feet of him a commanding person person person per per- son and every inch a soldier as his father and grandfather were before him He said this was probably the thelast thelast I last plane out and he wanted me meto meto meto to take a message to MacArthur I Tell him Mm the end here is drawing I near and If help cant can't be sent In a afew afew few days Mindanao will fall Of Ot course probably he understands I this and maybe nothing can bedone be bedone done Then h he hJ talked about us Everybody Ev Everybody Ev- Ev left here In the islands I should realize he said that those who are called to Australia are the ones who will be most useful for forthe forthe I Ithe the work ahead Those who leave I Iare are the men for the Job regardless regardless regardless regard regard- less of rank and years ears of service The rest of us he said consider ourselves as being expendable which is something that may come cometo cometo come cometo to any soldier We are ready for forIt forit It ft it and I think they will see that we I will meet It squarely when It comes Then they called my name 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 fellows who were staying be be- hind They'd b be needing them badly badly bad bad- ly and we And Peggy someone asked There were three ree seaplanes sent out from Australia to Corregidor at atthe atthe atthe the very last said Kelly which among other people were to bring out the nurses One of them was shot down off Corregidor but the theother theother theother other two loaded and got back to Lake Lanao where they gassed up for the big homeward hop while Sharp held the Japs back from the lake One of these two got safely away the plane Peggy was In cracked up on the take So now we wont won't ever know I But as our big ferry-command ferry bomber swung wide out over the I field after the take off you could see the island and then the path of I moonlight glistening over the water just as ns we used to watch It glisten gUsten from the tunnel entrance at Corregidor dor And suddenly I remembered the last thing she said to me her me-her her voice was just as clear as if it bad had been two seconds ago ngo Instead of I many weeks over that signal-corps signal telephone in the army hut but on Bataan Bataan Bataan Ba- Ba after I had told her this was good Well she said it its been en i I awfully nice hasn't It in And her I voice had soun sounded ed clear and brave I but seemed to come from far away THE END |