Ch 3 - Across The Pacific

CHAPTER 3

ACROSS THE PACIFIC

Rumors ran rampant each day at the post, but one morning the BIG rumor was no longer a rumor! Lists were posted! If your name was on the list, get your barracks bag packed, and be prepared to leave the next morning! Men crowded around the numerous bulletin boards. Eventually Spence and I found our names! We almost ran to our barracks to pack. Tomorrow we would be on our way!

During the afternoon we were given detailed instructions for the following morning. Immediately after breakfast the first designated group was to proceed to the dock with their belongings. The remaining groups would follow when instructed.

Needless to say, it was well into the afternoon before Spence and I were ascending the gangplank, barracks bags slung over our shoulders. Upon reaching the deck, we were assigned to ‘F’ deck, and directed to a squad room located there. It was truly a struggle to climb down steep ladders and stairwells with a barracks bag wrapped around your neck, or pulling your arm out of its socket. We crowded into the ‘squad room’ and found bunks that were built three high, on posts that reached from floor to ceiling. We were early enough to grab two lowers and that eliminated climbing to an upper bunk when the ship was rolling in rough water. I informed Spence we were well below the water line and we were in trouble if the ship was torpedoed. He wondered who might torpedo us, and I jokingly suggested the sneaky Japs.

After we had everything in place we discovered another man from the Ft. Hayes bunch that traveled across on the Challenger with us was in a nearby bunk. His name was Bill Bratt, and he was from northern Ohio. He promised to watch our gear while we went up on deck to see what was going on. We took him up on it and we ascended the ladders and stairs up to the main deck. There was much confusion and shouting where the gangplank joined the ship. Men were filing up the sloping walkway, looking around, asking questions, and getting instructions on the whereabouts of their sleeping quarters. Obviously, loading 2250 new recruits onto this boat-uh-ship would take much longer than I would have thought.

We were issued instructions when to eat, where to eat, the location of the PX, the contents of the PX, etc. Spence and I decided to do a walkthrough, testing the instructions indicating just where each of these key locations was. This proved to be a difficult task, mainly because of the confusion aboard the ship and partly due to the quality of the instructions.

We found the mess hall easily but the PX proved to be located in a rather unorthodox place on one of the decks and after asking directions several times we found it! The question was, could we find it again?

More questions, and more directions later, we worked our way aft to the fantail, or stern, of the ship. We were getting excited about the ocean voyage! We learned that this big white ship was the Republic, captured from the Germans during WW1 and converted to a troop carrying ship. Formerly a luxury liner, the Republic was still a clean looking ship, freshly painted white, with huge American flags painted on each side. From our location on the stern of the Republic, Alcatraz and Angel Island were plainly visible, and to our left was Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate.

The pier was crawling with vehicles and people, huge cranes lifting nets full of boxes and crates from the dock below, upward until they cleared the ship’s railing, then lowering the cargo deep into the holds. We watched the activity for some time, then wended our way back thru numerous passages in an attempt to return to our sleeping area. Easier said than done! It would take several days to learn to negotiate the correct routing from the bow to the stern of the ship.

We learned that the ship would sail the next morning. We could hardly wait for the whistle to signal our leaving San Francisco! But now it was time for us to sample the cuisine of a U.S. Army troopship! Once again, there were more than one breakfast, lunch and dinner. We referred to our papers to learn which chow we were assigned to. Filing into the mess hall we gathered in a metal tray, silverware, etc. The food was shoveled into the partitioned recesses by the cooks behind the counter. With loaded tray, we were directed to tables where one stood up and ate. There were no chairs in this mess hall! Each table had a raised ridge around its periphery. Later we would learn the reasons for the strange design! The food was plentiful, and good! After scraping our trays and stacking them, we decided to journey to the bow of the ship. This proved a more difficult task than the trip to the stern! We finally reached our destination. I wondered if we would ever find our way back to our ‘stateroom.’

When evening fell, we found that we were exhausted from our enthusiastic explorations of the ship, and the anticipation of crossing the Pacific Ocean. Climbing and descending the ladders, climbing over each of the high ‘sills’ of the watertight doors as we passed from one compartment to the next, this was enough to tax the strength of a chimpanzee. We agreed that tomorrow was another day. The two of us went to bed.

I awoke during the night, I couldn’t get my bearings at first, but finally realized where I was. Dim red lights, behind wire cages helped to light the area. I was itching all over and it was driving me wild. At first I could see nothing, but as my eyes became accustomed to the dim light, I discovered numerous small spots of blood on my sheets. Still I was ignorant of the problem! Then it hit me! Bedbugs! Millions of them! Each time I mashed one, a strong, pungent odor arose! I remembered my mother speaking of the pests, describing the bloodstains and the odor! Now I didn’t know what to do. There was no way that I was going to get back in that bed! I decided to take my (Army) blanket out in the companionway and see if I had any more of the miserable little beasts clinging to my blanket. In the brighter light the little devils were easy to find. When I was satisfied that all of the bedbugs were gone, I rolled up in the blanket against the wall and actually went to sleep!

Again I was roused from my sleep! This time it was the big foot of the Officer of the Day. He wanted to know what I was doing, sleeping in the passageway. I painted him a vivid picture of bedbugs marching in columns across my sheets, and viciously attacking me from every quarter! I informed him that he could hang me from the yard-arm (what ever that was), but I wasn’t getting back into that bed!

He says they won’t hang me this time, but for me to follow him to some different sleeping quarters. I followed him! He led me to an upper deck and down a passageway past many attractive, wooden doors. He finally stopped at one and opened it. I followed him into the room. It was a real stateroom! You know, like in the movies! Well, not that fancy, but pretty fancy. It wasn’t very big but it had a wash basin, a mirror and a BATHROOM! I looked at him, and he looked at me. He told me I would sleep here until further notice, but don’t spread it around! He also told me I may get bumped later, but enjoy it while I can! He departed, leaving me standing, my eyes probably as big as saucers! First, I searched the lower bed for bedbugs. None! Next I peeked into the bathroom. It had all the stuff that bathrooms have. I closed the narrow door and proceeded to the bed. What few hours left of this night, I slept!

I awoke once again amid great clanking sounds. Somehow I struggled into my clothes and opened the door. I remembered to note the number on the door. The doors all looked alike, and I doubt if I would have found my way back to the correct room. I found I was on “C” deck. I would never have known! Following the O.D. in the middle of the night under the circumstances that prevailed, I could well have been in the boiler room.

I chose to find my way down to my original quarters and see if Spence was up. This took awhile, but somehow I managed it. Spence was still in the sack, but he was awake.

“You got up early, huh?” Spence says.

“You wouldn’t believe how early!” I says.

“It’s time to go eat,” he says.

“Yeah,” I says. On our way to the mess hall, I told him my story.

It took a bit of convincing, but I finally did convince him I was now in the upper class on “C” deck, and he should consider himself fortunate to be talking to me, and very fortunate to stand at the same table in the dining hall.

“Mess hall,” he corrected.

Now I begin to wonder why Spence has no bedbug problem. I broach the subject. He claims complete ignorance of any bedbug problems.

“How come, on this giant ship, I got the only bed that’s furnished with bedbugs?” I raved.

“Maybe you brought ‘em with you,” he says.

“I ain’t never seen a bedbug before last night!” I says.

“Whatta they look like?” He says.

“They look like bugs,” I says.

“Show me one!” he says. Now we’re going all the way back down to the bowels of the ship so I can show Spence a bedbug!

“I’m outta my gourd to go all the way down there so I can show you a bedbug!” I declared.

At this time the ship’s whistle gave a blast!

“I wonder what that means,” Spence inquired.

“Maybe there’s a fire,” I suggested. He shakes his head.

“I think we’re gonna leave,” Spence says.

We decided to go back to the fantail and look for bedbugs later. We could watch Frisco fade into the mist, if there is any mist, that is. We headed for the stern. We arrive at the stern without mishap, and discovered that the dock folks are already unroping the Republic and decided that we didn’t get here a moment too soon. Soon the Republic would be ready to begin the long voyage. We saw that two tugboats had appeared, and were moving in close to the ship. The mooring ropes were free and we were moving!

“It’s been so long,” Spence mumbled, “I forget where we’re going.”

“Panama,” I muttered. Very slowly, we moved out into the channel, and slowly we turned toward the west, toward the Golden Gate, and its magnificent bridge. Now the ship is picking up some speed. To our right is Alcatraz, the gray walls, and the guard towers clearly visible. Grim looking place, Alcatraz.

“You know what day it is?” Spence mumbled. I shook my head.

“Nope, what day is it?”

“UH-it’s April First bonehead, April Fools Day!”

“You mean were sailing on April Fools Day?”

I gasped, “But sailors say you should never sail on April Fools Day!”

He grinned, “Yeah, but there’s no sailors on this tub. It’s an Army vessel!” I gave up on that one and turned to watch the city drop behind us.

To our left we can see Ft. Mason, and we can scan the hills of San Francisco, a fascinating city. We will soon be passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, and our great voyage will have begun! We hardly anticipated the next turn of events! Spence and I were standing on the fantail of the Republic as she drove thru the ground swells rolling into the Golden Gate from the Pacific. As we moved away from the great bridge, I realized the motion of the ship gave one the notion the bridge was slowly moving up and down. The bridge seemed to rise, then fall as we moved farther away. Spence mentioned that he was going to go down and lay down for awhile.

I told him, “Ok, I think I will go forward and see what’s going on up there.” He didn’t look so good when he walked away, but I thought nothing of it until later.

I made it to bow of the ship and found that the wind was cold and I certainly needed a coat. It turned out that a ‘music’ room was located on the foredeck and I ducked in there. There were numerous musical instruments, also a large number of books. I was told the instruments were there for our entertainment. If some of the men wished to put together a group, everything was available.

Since I had some time on the drums I decided to try them out. To keep the noise down, I picked up the brushes and tried them out on the snare. I was soon able to strike up some rhythm on the snare and the cymbals, and on the base. It sounded pretty good and some of the others came over, and there was a lot of toe tapping going on. We eventually did put together a small group. In the Army one will always find musicians.

Before lunch I decided to go down and get Spence and go eat. I found him in his bunk, his color was close to that of his sheets. I felt rather stupid asking him what the problem was.

“Seasick” he mumbled.

“But you told my dad that you could manage it, and I would get sick!” I says. He says thru his teeth, “Get me some of those lemon drops to settle my stomach, will ya? You know the ones I mean!” I took off on the first of many trips to bring lemon drops. Matter of fact, my friend Spence lived on lemon drops all the way to Hawaii! Each morning he would appear to feel better, that is, until he got to his feet.

He always maintained those were the longest five days of his life, from San Francisco to Hawaii. Meanwhile, I still had my nice room, but I heard that I would lose it when we reached Honolulu, but I certainly would enjoy it till then. I had scrounged some books out of the music room and I tried to talk Spence into moving up to the room where he would be comfortable, but the farthest he would venture from his bunk was the head. The only way I could help him was to bring more lemon drops.

As we neared Hawaii, the weather grew warmer. I finally managed to talk Spence into coming up on deck a few hours out of Hawaii. He was quite pale but he seemed to perk up in the sea air. He had little taste for food though, and wouldn’t go near the mess hall. He said the thought of food made him sick, and I didn’t press it. A short time later, after I returned from the mess hall, someone spotted an island and everyone scurried about trying to get close to the rail for a better view.

As we sailed into Honolulu we could see Diamond Head, and what a sight it was. Just like the pictures! What a majestic view. High mountains in the background, beautiful beaches strung out along the shore. Everyone was high on shore leave, and the recruits were mapping out strategy for their invasion of Honolulu!

The ship docked and very shortly the speakers spread about the ship came alive!

“Now hear this! Contrary to all the rumors, there will be no shore leave for enlisted men. The good news is that entertainment will be brought aboard in a short time. There will be music, and dancing girls.”

There was a stunned silence after the announcement! The men could not believe they could not go ashore! Hawaii! We would not see Hawaii, any of it. It just wasn’t fair!

It was a heavy blow, but there was little we could do. An hour later two buses drove along the pier, and up to the gangplank. When the folks inside began to unload, the cheers and whistling became an uproar! There were hula dancers coming aboard the Republic!

The speakers informed us the show would be on the aft well deck, and that’s where we headed. The gals and the musicians were already up on the hatch cover which would serve as the stage. The Hawaiian Troupe put on a great show. The hula dancers were wonderful and the performance eased some of the pain of our failure to get ashore at Honolulu. We saw Waikiki from the ship. We learned that the next morning we would sail for Manila.

The weather was warm and pleasant. I was bumped from the room by officers and somehow I didn’t care. I asked if I could sleep on deck up forward, next to the music room. I heard no nays so I corralled myself a nice corner and proceeded to fashion myself a bed. Thru a series of additions to the padding, scrounged from corners, and of course the music room. There, I found the remnants of a wrestling pad which proved to be the mainstay of my bed padding. At this time, my friend Spence appeared. He quizzed me with some toughies! Like, what the hell was I doing out here. Did I really intend to sleep out here? What if a storm came up, etc., etc.

I informed him that I certainly was intending to sleep out here under the stars, and you know, all the standard stuff you say when you’re sleeping out on deck. He suggested that the folks in the white coats would probably be along soon, and I if should require assistance, not to call him, he would call me. I invited him to join me here on deck. I gave him the full gamut. You know, sleeping out in the fresh air, just like camping, and we were close to the mess hall too! I shouldn’t have mentioned food, that was an unmentionable at this time. His skin color reverted to a tinge of green. Food was definitely not a good subject.

“Why you turning green, we’re still at the dock!”

He claimed that he was just a little pale, that he would be ok when we were under way, the salt air and all. I claimed it was all in his mind, then he declared he was going to shove me overboard once we were out of sight of land. I says he might be too weak from his lack of sustenance. Now he wants to know, what is sustenance. I tell him if I answer that he’ll throw up. He says he feels like throwing up when I say throw up.

I finally convinced him to move his stuff up here next to the music room. Now I have to help him carry all his belongings from the black hole of “F” Deck, up all those ladders and steps to my ‘camp’ here on the bow of the ship. Spence was dreading the departure of the Republic. He was positive that he would get sick again.

“You got it licked now,” I says.

“I sure am empty!” He says. He finally went to the mess hall with me and ate like a horse!

That evening there was a movie, a Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire spectacular. Lots of singing and dancing. Later, we climbed into our “beds” and talked about home until we slept.

The following morning we visited the mess hall, then retired to our little ‘place’ on deck and watched the proceedings as the crew prepared to sail. A large tug guided the ship out into the channel and the ship slowly got underway. I did not suspect that five very long years would grind by before I would stand at the rail of another ship, very alone, and eye the shoreline of Waikiki and the skyline of Honolulu.

We were underway, several thousand miles of water between us and the Philippines. With the fresh air, Spence’s sickness had departed and he was back to normal.

We inspected one of the large anti-aircraft guns cabled to the deck behind the music room. Little did I know I would be assigned to just such a gun when my training was completed on Corregidor!

As the days rolled by our daily routine was a monotonous, but there were many enjoyable hours leaning over the rail and watching the dolphins play in the bow wave, and watching the flying fish darting from wave to wave. Then one night a great storm struck the ship! We put our gear into the music room and tried to get comfortable there. Unfortunately, loose objects were abundant in the music room and as the ship pitched and rolled, large and small masses were flying back and forth across the deck. We decided to retreat up to the next deck where the great ballroom was located. That was a very bad decision! The ballroom was completely filled with folding cots. Yes, there were men in the cots, or, in many cases, under the cots. The flimsy wooden beds were sliding enmasse! As the ship rolled left, the cots slid left, and men were cursing and yelling. We decided that there must be a better place to seek shelter on the rolling ship. We quickly found that negotiating the long companionways was a real loser! We experienced a severe battering from side to side as the ship rolled, and opted to take our chances in the music room, if we could get there that is!

First, it was imperative that I visit the head, and that, once more, was a another bad decision! We entered the head and immediately wished that we hadn’t! Many visitors had preceded us, and the remnants of their dinners were strewn across the tile floor (deck). The odor was overpowering! Water from the long urinal was sloshing back and forth. Somehow we managed to make use of the facilities and retreat from the confines of the smelly interior of the ghastly place!

“Back to the music room” we decided. Getting the heavy, steel bulkhead door open proved to be a difficult task, but we did get out on the deck. But once again we found mass chaos! One of the AA guns had broken loose from it’s moorings and was rolling back and forth! The guns were mounted on four big rubber-tired wheels, and the outriggers were folded on the carriages. Several of the guns were being transported to Manila, and part of the lot were located on the foredeck just aft of the ‘music room’. A horde of men were scrambling around trying to block it long enough to get cables attached to the hooks on the frame of the carriage. We saw large ropes strung back and forth across the deck and realized the purpose of these were for handholds to keep the men from being swept overboard.

Somehow, clinging to the ropes, we found a path thru the obstacle course and entered the music room. Except for the clanging and clatter of objects banging about, the music room wasn’t such a bad place after all. I took a look out the window (porthole) and saw that the uproar was still in progress on deck. It appeared that the gun carriage was in danger of going overboard!

Spence wondered what the odds were that the music room might come loose and also go over the side. I assured him the room was welded to the deck and it was unlikely that it would come loose!

The shouting finally died down and I peeked out to find that the crew had managed to attach cables on the gun and were tying it down. The storm was still raging and it was obvious that we would have little sleep this night! It was hard to believe that Spence had endured the foregoing experience without getting sick. I am convinced that the fresh air was the answer. Perhaps he could have avoided the five days of misery out of San Francisco if I had managed to get him up on deck.

The following morning the storm had somewhat abated, but the ocean was still rough, and the clouds were low and ominous. I was hungry and asked Spence if he could handle the mess hall. He decided to try, reluctantly. Needless to say, the mess hall was not heavily populated! The ship was still pitching about and it was not unusual to have the bloke next to you upchuck in his tray. Now this triggered the guy across the table to follow suit! At times, this in turn affected others nearby, causing a domino effect! Strangely, none of this affected my healthy appetite, and I ate on. Not so for Spence. He beat a hasty retreat! At times I was forced to hold on to the table with one hand and hang on to my tray with the other. It was tricky eating, and if any of the food was a bit soupy, it tended to infiltrate other depressions in the tray. It was not unusual to have your oatmeal inundated with gravy! During the storm, I became accustomed to various mixtures of foodstuffs.

We now understood the purpose of the raised ridges around the edges of each table. We also learned how to lean at 30 degrees, hold on to your tray, hold on to the table, and eat, all at the same time!

These conditions in the mess hall lasted for another day or two and it was a welcome relief for all when the sea calmed. The worse problem for me were the necessary visits to the head. Each trip was a trial, but I escaped sea sickness, thankfully.

The remainder of the voyage was uneventful. The sea was calm, and we devoted our time to playing the musical instruments, writing letters and cards and reading. An announcement that we were very near to the Philippines blared from the speakers, and we would be entering the San Bernardino Strait early the next morning. This was exciting news!

I awoke very early the next morning and could hardly wait to dress before I hurried to see if land was in sight. Land was on both sides of us! The Republic had entered the strait already! We were in the Philippines!

I rushed into the music room to tell Spence the news. He was still in a stupor. I decided to go eat breakfast before the rush so I would not miss anything on deck. Spence groped for his clothes and dragged along behind. After eating, we returned to our spot on the rail to watch the passing sights. The jungle seemed to grow right down to the water. The land gradually rose upward to some very high mountains, and the greenery seemed to dominate everything. When we sailed past Mt. Mayon, the mountain was truly incredible! It has been called the most perfect volcano cone in the world and I have never doubted it. Little did I think I would also experience the magnificent sight of Mt. Fuji!

The voyage thru the beautiful Philippine Islands was an experience that I would never forget. Strangely, I remember little of the trip back thru the islands on a Navy transport ship in 1945! I suppose the impact was much greater on the original voyage, my first venture from the U.S. One must consider all that happened since that marvellous time in 1941, we were eighteen, and our eyes were wide with wonder. In 1945 I was very old for my age. I had witnessed sights, and experienced unmentionable horrors. Perhaps when I sailed from the Philippines, the boat ride home was anticlimactic. I suppose we shall never know.

As we slid between the picturesque islands we were told that they were 7000 in number, some uninhabited. The ship’s bulletin explained that we would pass very near to the island of Mindoro and past Batangas into Manila Bay. We were almost there! We wondered what would we face in this strange land, so distant from our homes? The Republic slid past land, green with verdant growth, dense forests that covered the islands, and the mainland of Luzon which lay to our right.

After sailing past Marinduque Island, we approached Mindoro Island to the west. Details of the land were indistinct, but it was obvious that it was very large and extensive.

We were soon approaching Batangas, a large province located on Luzon, and the ship’s speakers announced we would soon enter the Verde Island Passage between the two land masses. We learned these romantic names from the maps posted on the bulletin boards throughout the ship. The Philippines indeed boasted of 7000 islands, some quite small, and a few very large.

The ship passed very near Verde Island which appeared to be uninhabited, and plowed onward toward Lubang Island dead ahead of the Republic. Slowly, excitement among the men began to build as the ship moved closer to Manila. Most of the ‘soon to be’ GI’s were above deck, anxiously scanning the horizon for objects matching the descriptions announced by the ships speakers. Spence and I were very excited, peering ahead for Lubang Island. The speaker informed us the ship would sail to the east of Lubang, then turn toward the entrance of Manila Bay!

An hour and a half later the speakers blared out that soon the Island of Corregidor would be visible! Some of the ship’s crew pointed out the very indistinct shape, still well ahead of our position. Spence and I continued to stare as the island slowly took shape. The island resembled a gigantic whale, partially awash, head pointing to the China Sea, a large pointed hump behind it’s long, low head, and it’s long tail lying low in the water.

A shout sounded, then many others. Men forward of where we were standing were very excited. Shortly, we could see the object causing all of the excitement. It was a battleship! Well, it looked like a battleship!. It was headed out of Manila Bay as the Republic sailed by. Again, the speakers blared forth! We were startled to learn that this was Fort Drum, the concrete battleship! Little did we know at the time that some of our number would eventually be stationed on this strange, impregnable appearing fort!

A small, rocky peak named El Fraile had originally thrust from this remote location in Manila Bay. The rock had been cut off at the water line and this incredible concrete battleship constructed. Two large turrets pointed to the China Sea and two heavy gun barrels protruded from the near side of the squat fort.

As the Republic moved past Ft. Drum we could see what seemed to be a bow wave, and yes, it did seem the fort was under way, heading out into the China Sea! I learned that the bow wave appeared each time that the tide entered Manila Bay.

Little could I guess that forty-one years later I would stand on that same concrete deck, surveying the damage from countless Japanese 240mm artillery shells that struck the awesome concrete structure, and three years later, heavy bombs dropped by attacking American bombers, and intense shelling from an American light cruiser!

As Fort Drum fell astern, our eyes searched the horizon ahead for a glimpse of Manila. We were informed that less than twenty miles ahead, to our right, we would see the Cavite Navy Base. The U.S. Navy Submarine and Destroyer Fleets were based there in 1941-2.

Little could be seen of the base as the Republic slid past, but we craned our necks anyway, hoping to see a submarine. We were less than ten miles from Manila and we quickly lost interest in Cavite. Already, features on the shoreline began to take shape. We were almost there! Manila! Our mysterious destination. We were anxious to depart this boat, with its smelly heads, its bedbugs, and standing to eat, but I was still thankful that we were permitted to sleep on deck in the fresh air. It surely seemed that months had passed since we sailed from San Francisco! The big white ship soon neared a large pier on the Manila waterfront. We found disembarking would be a slow process. Matter of fact, a very slow process! Only a few men would leave the ship today, the rest tomorrow, (we hoped).

That evening we learned many of us would be transported to Corregidor the next day, and the Army had two boats that shuttled people between Manila and Corregidor. We were told the two boats would make the fifty mile round trip many times, and that we would have to be patient.

Spence and I were fortunate. We were listed in the second group the next morning. Our orders were to get our belongings (we each had a barracks bag containing our worldly belongings), and we were ordered to stand-by on the aft well deck the next morning after breakfast. I pulled everything from my bag and examined each item for bedbugs, very carefully! That night, neither of us could hardly sleep. We were quite anxious to get to Corregidor!

At 5:00am the next morning we were leaning over the rail watching the noisy unloading operation in progress on the dock below. The removal of the AA guns from the deck to the dock below was hardly a problem. Next, the hatch covers were removed and the unloading crew really began in earnest. We tore ourselves away and went to the galley for breakfast. First in, and first out, that was us. After eating, we grabbed our barracks bags and made our way to the staging area.

A sergeant blew a whistle and quiet fell. The sergeant began calling names. He stood on a stair way and shouted the names, each name twice. When he hit the B’s, Spence’s name was called. As the M’s rolled around, my name was called. After the M’s the sergeant stopped. He said, “All men whose name I called, form a line and as you start down the gangplank, check with the sergeant as you leave the ship. We were lined up in a column of four’s when we reached the dock below.

We were herded along the long pier, gawking and talking, trying to see anything and everything, but really seeing nothing of interest.

“Wonder why they aren’t taking us in trucks?” I says.

“Trucks won’t run on water,” Spence says.

“You got any idea what we’re doing here?” I says.

“We signed a paper, and I don’t think it was a mortgage!”

Our column reached the end of the huge pier and we were broken into groups of fifty or sixty and again we were on the march. Somebody asked one of the noncoms where we were headed for and he said, “The Army Dock”.

That’s where we were going alright. It was a smaller pier, and there was a boat parked next to it, and stacks of boxes and crates were in the process of loading. A nearby noncom informed us that the boat was the Gen. Miley, and we would be boarding shortly for the island of Corregidor. We were almost there!

After about an hour wait, the sergeant again called names and we grabbed our bags and crossed the gangplank to the deck of the “Miley” as we later called the boat. Another hour passed before we got underway.

The Miley chugged through the breakwater, and headed to the west, and the entrance of Manila Bay. The Cavite Navy Base soon came into view on the left, but again we could see little except two giant radio towers and numerous buildings. Little could be seen on either side of the boat as it chugged westward in Manila Bay. A short time later we heard that Corregidor was dead ahead, and naturally all of us craned our necks. Soon we could see the low profile of the island rising from the water ahead, and just to the left of the bow.

At our point of origination, Ft. Hayes, we were assigned to different regiments. At the time, that meant little to either of us, but now as we neared our final destination, our concern surfaced. Different regiments meant different locations! Would we be assigned to sites located far apart? Perhaps we would see each other only on rare occasions. Soon we would know.

CHAPTER 4

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