Show SS C THEY WERE r white i I so Tin- of their in for the iv being told by four of the five officers who arr thai Is left of Motor Torpedo 3 They t arc- John squadron it 15 and Fusions Anthony and Cx The battle for he Philippines was over when the Japs Invaded Separated from bis squad I Kelly had spent the night at L the home of an American civilian When the Japs began their Invasion he fought t way back to the dock where boat was tied to learn that he I gad been reported CHAPTER XV Cebu explained f army aviator arrived he'd left t He said he'd talked to a Catholic priest who had said burial mass over you arid another killed in an i I was very glad to hear said then I knew I Harris and Reynolds had gotten decent burial at the American cemetery in Cebu before the Japs But then I m You the last I saw j of him he was tearing around the d other side of that Japanese trying to draw its fire away from I so I could get in to polish it thought they'd probably got W I heard he'd turned up later in Min- but it was just a M actually happened was said didn't I get three destroyers chased I until when I pulled away t into shallow and we tied up under a pier to get some sleep as f I think I night came I went on up to where I intended to get 4 gas and go on up to Cebu to see what had happened to al- 1 though I was pretty sure he hadn't got out But at Iligan I was 1 met by a radioed order from Wain- there were no more torpe- does for the so he couldn't v let us have any They were a needing it all for the planes out to el there we were stuck at I went on over to at Del Monte to report the tie with the cruiser to General Sharp j certain that the end was before us i on We'd be fighting here 1 en Mindanao with rifles to the But that morning it was April 13 General Sharp called me in to say just got orders from Melbourne that I was ordered to report to immediately on the plane leaving Del Monte that For ft while I felt I figured it another If I could get to I might am be able to persuade MacArthur to bring out the rest of the Knit looked like it was their only lil going to try to get out a all your officers and key he A had not going to let you die in a fox hole with a I knew had believed the had a i great future in the I sent word to the rest I Would get them flown out if and got aboard the bomber that I As we left the the Japs it and put one motor S but we got left me in said Ak- presently General Sharp tent me up to Lake Lanao in the f of Mindanao Island on a pelf culiar They were afraid PJ the Japs might land seaplanes on fit and I was to set up defenses plO 1 was to teach the army how to run machine i told me Bulkeley had gone said thinking I had made him squadron And I didn't know n at to There I was no no while they were iky dismantling the 41 to 10 Lake Lanao and end war fighting with the So I'd better get up to Del Bonte and report to Sharp so he tell Bulkeley I was and in my report by radio to the on the si rap with the cruiser Td what happened to my General was amazed to see gah It- said you'd been killed he said He listened to m report on the battle send vu to Kala am he TyR airfield where planes come f But I warn there's not too hope of potting There s no mi re to refuel the at this so I doubt that send any I raid I was we were getting out MacAr- FK ne would do Bt was humanly WaS miles and I reported to the army there at He asked Phy 1 was VU to I 0 use getting your hopes fe since I've had no toil I assume you're here on status and am going to put 1 to okay I I don't to leae the f iff 11 even guarantee he IV I- organizing a train to Lake They're trail I have another up fifty arid t Vers When he gets you'll P charge of leading the pack didn't say I figured he and I were In for a showdown I didn't intend to a plane being off herding a bunch of milk cows through a but I thought there was no use being unreasonable After fifty was a lot to round It would take several at the quarters I found an old navy captain who'd arrived the day before used to be in charge of the industrial department at He listened to my and Mac-Arthur's and then way it I don't think I'm getting Then he talked about the thirty years he'd spent in the all of them training so he would be useful in case of and you could see it was discouraging for him to end like this apparently forgotten by the country he had wanted to What had his life been On the night of April 22 my hopes were down I was fiddling with the radio and cut in on a news broad- l i i if S y tk k w I ml him the end here is drawing cast from the States a short-wave station in San It was the navy news release on our fight with the went to bed sick as the silky-voiced commentator again repealed his account of our when all out here knew we had only expended ourselves in the hope that it might slow down a Japanese and we had failed even in morning the army colonel sent for He'd had a plane-less aviator hard at work who had collected thirty-nine of the fifty Soon the others would be so I was to start work today a trail-blazing expedition to inspect the jungle path up to Lake But suppose a plane came while I was I didn't even bring it it seemed so hopeless I went back to my quarters and had just packed to go when the phone I was to report to General Sharp at the landing field at and bring everything I had with was grim waiting at the The priority list was made up in Melbourne and each man had a number A plane would not hold more than they but more than a hundred were waiting Because perhaps maybe even planes might Or perhaps someone whose name was called would not show and your number might be high enough on the list to claim his So they wait ed all young most of them for this chance to get so they could fight General Sharp had told me he had telephoned Cox and Akers that they were on tonight's why weren't they the list was called thirty mine and theirs among but only I answered 1 So they put an army tank major and an air-corps captain in as if they failed to But at 10 35 here they came on the so the captain and the major were turned They were to go on the next plane if there was a before we got General Sharp came over to tell me i good-by He is a grand old all six feet of a commanding person and every inch a as his father and grandfather were before said this was probably the j last plane and he wanted me to take a message to him the end here is drawing and if help can't be in a few days Mindanao will Of probably he understands and maybe nothing be he talked about left here in the islands should he those who are called to Australia are the ones who will be most useful for the work Those who leave are the men for the regardless of rank and years of The rest of he ourselves as being which is something that may come to any soldier We are ready for and I think they will see that we will meet it squarely when it they called my we shook and I climbed Each of us who were leaving our and handed them out through the plane's windows to the fellows who were staying They'd be needing them badly and we someone were three seaplanes sent out from Australia to Corregidor at the very said among other were to bring out the One of them was shot down off but the other two loaded and got back to Lake where they gassed up for the big homeward hop while Sharp held the Japs back from the One of these two got safely the plane Peggy was in cracked up on the So now we won't ever as our big ferry-command bomber out over the field after the you could see the island and then the path of moonlight glistening over the just as we used to watch it glisten from the tunnel entrance at And suddenly I remembered the last thing she said to me her voice was just as clear as if it had been two seconds instead of many over that signal-corps telephone in the army hut on after I had told her this was i she been awfully hasn't And her voice had sounded clear and but seemed to come from far I THE END |