MAIL CALL

visual and opinionated, brickbats and bouquets, questions answered, answers questioned, punches pulled, hats blocked.

MARILYNNE OCANDO	I discovered your web site quite by accident. I have been researching various lines of my family for some time and renewed my interest in World War II vets when the Memorial was recently dedicated in Washington, D.C. Your web site provided information about Donald Odenga, 21-years old, who was on Corregidor and who deserted along with two others on May 2, 1942--four days before the U.S.troops surrendered to the Japanese. It must have been a horror to live through that capture! I have passed the information along to his brother's wife. Donald's only brother died about 10 years ago and the living know little about the Odenga family history. Keep up the good work on telling the personal stories of Corregidor. It's a history that needs to be told. I'm sure it provides a lot of healing and solace to many survivors and their families. God Bless You in your work and all those who serve(d). Marilynne Ocando
LLOYD MIELENZ	I accompanied my family to Fort Mills in June of 1939 where my father was Post Engineer and was captured May 6,1942. The family was evacuated Mar 1941 to Macon, Georgia, where we awaited dad's return in Oct 1945. Yes, Corregidor was an ideal playground for 13 year old boys. I joined the regimental buglers in the jungle to practice bugle calls. Watched the regimental parades. Made a hike down to Hooker Point and return for a merit badge. Went to Manila only twice, once for a Boy Scout Jamboree and second to board a ship for a scout outing to the Southern Islands for two weeks. School was located at Middleside and we would walk through the long barracks portal to descend to school. I delivered the daily Bulletin to the officers quarters on topside. The Japanese threat was no surprise in the Philippines. A Japanese spy boat was rounded off of Hookers Point. My sister had a date with a Lt. who did not show up until weeks later and told her he was on a mission to find Japanese guns that had been emplaced in the jungle in Cavite Province. This was January 1941. All dependents were out of the Philippines by June 1941 except Mrs MacArthur. My father then was made Engineer in- charge of Harbor Defenses and then constructed the hospital extension in Malinta Tunnel and the Navy Radio Intercept Tunnel. Gen Wainwright promoted him to Colonel 5 April 1942. He was imprisoned with the General in Manchuria to the end of the war August 1945. The Japs never did find the water reservoir in order to destroy it during the battle, It was under the tennis courts on Middleside. Four of the Army Brats went on to attend West Point so their experience living on Corregidor influenced their decision to attend plus, of course, their fathers being POWs or KIA. President Fidel V. Ramos was on the Park Board under President Aquino and really caused the park/memorial to be established. I knew him as Eddie and he was respectful of what Americans had fought and died for . No doubt that prize real estate will be taken over by commercial developers if anymore Estrada’s get into the Presidency. Lloyd Mielenz<
DON VERSAW	I've been in touch with Donald Abbott (503rd RCT) on account of his article"E" CO ATTACK ON BATTERY MONJA. I sometimes have trouble getting connected to the website but I did print out Abbott's great story of that unit's assault on Wheeler and Monja Points. It still grieves me that so many boys were lost over that "lost road" ending at Battery Monja. I had an e-mail from him and he told me, as you did, about how difficult or impossible it was for him to re-explore that battery and its environs. It wasn't quite clear to me just how far South Shore road extends now but I understand it don't go as far as it used to. The maps they had of that area don't agree with my recollection of how the points were named. There was no NO NAME POINT that I can remember. That one is what we all called Wheeler Point and it's where my fox hole was. That was my 'Casa Grande' and I knew every step to and from it in the dark - believe. I shit a brick or two in it straining my eyes out to sea looking for the Jap landing craft that never came. I think I had two bandoleer's of ammo, a couple of hand grenades, some pretty good sized rocks and my piss pot helment and that was about it. Battery Wheeler was right up the cliff over my head and fired a couple times right over the top of me - I thought - that's what it sounded like. Almost tore the legs off my trousers when it did. Whew! what a boom. It looks like they called Monja Point, Wheeler. That don't make a lot of sense to me. If Battery Monja was in the point why couldn't they have just guessed that it would have been named Monja? We called the little rock off the end of it Monja Rock. Maybe when your up topside from Wheeler the only point you could probably see is Monja. Wheeler point might not be visible from there unless you were on the very edge of the cliffs. They went almost straight up from the edge of the road. There were some little dribblely springs leaking out of them there. Good place to take a Whore's bath. Don Versaw
ARTHUR M. WYATT 1 Oct 2000	My name is Arthur M Wyatt. I was deployed on Corregidor for over two months between Dec 87and Jan 88 while with Naval Construction Battalion 74. I was part of a 22 man unit sent from Subic Bay to Corregidor to do repair work to the monument and facilities there. This included a new roof on the school house. There were around 300 people living on the Island along with 3 Philippine Navy personnel and several people at the small Inn there (though we saw no one staying there while we were there.) It seems from what I can gather from your site that it has changed a lot for the worse since I was there. It's a shame. It's sad to hear that they have built a convention center and God knows what else there since I was there. It used to piss me off that all the other guys except one that I was there with did not appreciate where they were and the privilege it was to be actually "stationed" on Corregidor! I was in absolute awe of the place. The only thing that even comes close to the feeling I had there was to stand on the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor and look down on the ship beneath knowing it was the tomb of 1200 sailors. I have great respect and admiration for the people who were there during the war. Many times I stood some where like the operating rooms in the old hospital and would almost go into a trance trying to imagine what it must have been like. I have been haunted by Corregidor ever since. Photo (top) : We camped near the 'flame'. Photo (right) : Darn, didn't bring the M-1 Helmet! Photo (bottom): Loading up, rather than landing at South Beach, Jan 1978. Thank you for keeping the memory of the Rock and the sacrifices made there alive. Arthur M Wyatt
AUBREY L COLLINS – 1 July 2000	Robbie, We don’t find Corregidor to be a haunting place. It is restful, and as peaceful a place of burial as one could ever desire. You should consider visiting it, and lay to rest any fears you have of it. Many of the veterans, once they revisited it once, found themselves returning every time they could. Bill Delich came every year. The last occasion he visited his post (Searchlight No. 1) he had to be carried there on a sedan chair, and then on someone’s back. It was the one place in the world he could find rest and peace. If you visit it once, I feel certain you will visit it again. I’ve found that to be it’s only curse. Regards, Paul Whitman Editor - Corregidor Then and Now ----o0o---- Dear Mr. Whitman, Thank you for your kind note. I understand that times have changed and things are different now. My own son, who is in the Navy, was stationed in the P. I. for several years. He and his wife enjoyed it very much. They even took a tour to Corregidor and made pictures for me. However, I still have very sad memories of a young man who left Lufkin, Texas and never returned. My widowed mother didn't really get over his death and died at the age of 43. I was 5 years old at the time my brother left, but I still remember his big smile. I'm just so sorry that so many good men lost their lives on Corregidor and Bataan. My first cousin, Gerald Redd, was killed during the Death March. Our little community was in turmoil. My Mom would tell me that the only thing that gave her comfort was knowing that my brother loved The Lord Jesus Christ. Sincerely, Mrs. Robbie Bowling ----o0o---- 8 July 2000 Robbie, This may be very important to you - You wrote me about Aubrey being killed about 17 April 1942. Quite coincidentally, I have located a history of his Battery, which is missing the second page. After the missing page, it specifically mentions Aubrey L. Collins as a casualty, and the men who died with him. (He didn’t die on Corregidor, but on Caballo Island, which is about a mile south of Corregidor.) Here is that document. (Enclosed) Do you perchance have a copy of this? With the missing page two? I'm sorry I can't locate the missing page as yet. We may be close. I've put out an APB for it to a few people who might also have a copy of what I sent you. Once we locate missing page 2, we might get closure for you. Regards, Paul Whitman Editor - Corregidor Then and Now ----o0o---- Dear Mr. Whitman, You are wonderful. Yes, my brother did go to the P. I. on the Republic. In fact, he sent a picture of it to my mom. He wrote letters in pencil, which faded after all these years, but several years ago, I tried to go through them. He talks about working in the War Room, about the "Disappearing Gun", and how good his battery was becoming. His last letter said that Japanese planes were overhead, but he didn't think they would be there very long. I called my brother in Texas immediately to warn him about the content of your message. He said by all means send it on. I have one sister in Tucson, Arizona, and as soon as she gets home, I'll warn her and send it on. It really shook me up to know FINALLY how he died. Thank God the Japanese didn't get him. That would have been much worse. Thank you so much for sending all this information. My family and I will always appreciate you and honor you. Sincerely, Robbie Bowling ----o00---- Robbie, It was your brother's Battery "I" that allowed us to track his details down. Do you realize that the men who wrote those Battery History documents did it because they wanted next of kin to know what happened on the island in case they died - which most of the officers corps did when being transported to Japan on the hell ships. The original manuscripts were buried in the soil of the prison camp before they were moved out. I have no idea of what happened to the manuscripts post-war, and this document mentioning your brother only came into my hands in January 2000 from a Corregidor/POW Survivor, Al McGrew of San Diego. He will no doubt be glad that he has had the major role in passing on the word. I don't know if you know, but I'm here in Brisbane, Australia and most of the material for the entire site is contributed from other people's collections and e-mails. There's a small bunch of very, very special people in the US supporting me. I am going off air now for the day. Sleep well. Regards Paul Whitman ----o0o---- Dear Mr. Whitman, I have now passed on your information to my sister and to my brother. They asked me to thank you so very much for your kindness. No, we do not have page 2 of the documents. We have never seen this paper before. In fact up to a few hours ago, we did not know how our brother died. Through the years I have wondered if he died of a wound, from hunger, or was bombed. I have read every thing that I could find on the subject and came to the conclusion that he probably got hit by a bomb. A young soldier came to our house in Texas and my mother asked him, "How did my son die?" He just ran out the door crying. Thank you again, Mr. Whitman. Sincerely, Robbie ----o0o---- I don't deserve the credit, I'm just the latest in a long chain of people who have been involved in this episode. Thanks is due to all of our small bunch of very very special people. Paul Whitman Editor
Steve Bardowsky Mechanicsburg PA. 15 June 00	Paul, After downing a Jap Zero at Clark Field, and fighting during the 192nd Tank Battalions withdrawal to Bataan, my Dad was captured on the Rock, and ironically, the first unit I served with in the Army was the 60th ADA, which was the former 60th CA. While serving on Okinawa, I took leave spending a week in the PI. I hired a car, followed the route of the Death March, then hired a "banka" which took me out to Corregidor. We landed on the North Dock, in fact the pictures of the wooden wharf and beached banka look exactly as I remember them. A very memorable and moving web site! My Dad did indeed survive the war. In fact, he only passed away this April 19. Most of what I know is based on his oral history. If that is good enough, I'll send more. The best tale, perhaps apocryphal, is that after being told to surrender, he addressed his platoon [he was Platoon Sergeant, acting platoon leader since 2LT Winger had been killed by panicky Filipino troops, who mistook his blonde hair for that of a German, which ethnically he was] and said that he did not plan on giving up, and that by hook or by crook, he was going to Corregidor to continue the fight. To a man, all his men wanted to fight on. Taking their four tanks [Company B, 192nd Tank Bn.] down to Mariveles, he was told he could bring his men, but not the tanks, as "..they would be of no use on the island." The irony is, Wainwright gave up when tanks started nosing toward Malinta Tunnel, fearing they would wreak havoc on the wounded inside. What bothered Dad for 58 years is that the first tank landed on the Rock, was his very own M-3A1 Stuart. Sincerely, Steve
Ken Schneider 6 May 2000	Paul, I also just got done reading your revisionist history of purple. I have been one, who has believed for years that Roosevelt knew of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a smart enough man to know the potential danger of Adolf Hitler. I believe that he bullied Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor. When you play hardball diplomacy, you do it from a position of strength, not weakness. First, he transferred the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor against the advice of his admirals, then he sent half the fleet to the Atlantic. What lay in Pearl Harbor was not a deterrent to Japanese aggression, but a big carrot, a great target of opportunity. What he may not have known, was that Kimmel and Short did not know what was happening because they did not have access to the intercepts. He may have assumed that they were on full alert. Of course, they were not and after the magnitude of the attack became clear, the (un)official cover-up began. Poor Kimmel and Short were made scapegoats to protect the President's hide. On December 8th, Congress declared war on Japan. Roosevelt knew that Congress had no reason to declare war on Germany. He would have been hard pressed to convince Congress to do so. In one of the most idiotic decisions in history, Adolf Hitler, against the advice of all of his generals, took care of Roosevelt's dilemma, by declaring war against the United States. One could imagine how the European war would have turned out without the United States. What is far more inexcusable, is MacArthur's stupidity in the Philippines. A full six hours after Pearl Harbor, the entire Far East Air Force was caught on the ground at Clark Field. This terrible disaster sealed the fate of every American soldier in the PI. I am also not a fan of MacArthur's (as you can tell). The disaster on Bataan was one his making. Had he declared War Plan Orange in effect on December 8th, there would have almost a month to stockpile food, medical supplies and ammunition etc on the peninsula. In reality, the quartermasters were only given 48 hours. Such is the disaster that happened in the Philippines. Kenneth L. Schneider E-Mail: [email protected] Ken, Firstly, I am not a revisionist. That is a label generally applied - in this instance - to those who start with a pre-conceived view of history and are willing to twist the evidence into a justification of that pre-conception. Your views (on FDR deliberately pushing the Japanese into a positions where their only option was war) are confirmed in the recent release of Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum's memorandum of October 7, 1940. As a serious student of history of this era, when you inevitably get to read the recently published book "DAY OF DECEIT - THE TRUTH ABOUT FDR AND PEARL HARBOR" by Robert B. Stinnett, be aware that Duane Whitlock, widely quoted as a source throughout, has in correspondence with me entirely disavowed himself from Stinnett's conclusions, and indeed from the book itself. Duane was a traffic analyst on Corregidor and considers that Stinnett has entirely misinterpreted the cryptographic evidence in the book. He hopes to publish a rejoinder. So I would respond -- FDR bullied Japan, yes -- but he didn't have a concealed foreknowledge that Japan's initial move against the US would be to destroy the fleet in Pearl Harbor. I am disappointed how little comment the series on codes and the Secret Corregidor has generated. Editor CT/N
Frank Asturias Special Warfare Group One, USNR 25 March 2000	Paul, After reading the MacArthur section and seeing in the first line his "not unreasonable belief that the US government would send massive reinforcements to him." I had to write in the effort to point out a few facts that are rarely, if ever, discussed. 1) The Navy foresaw a war with Japan as early as 1897, and started planning for the possibility that year. Planning at this point was limited to academic discussions. Immediately after the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-05 the navy based war plans on the premise that the Japanese would attack without warning or declaration of war, as they had with the Russian fleet. War Plan Orange, as it was informally known, was escalated into full time staff work. 2) War Plan Orange staffers had severe limitations on what any American fleet could attempt at the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific. Peacetime budgetary constraints dictated that no substantial naval forces would be available to deploy outside the Aleutian-Hawaii-Panama Triangle in the first year of war without leaving these areas completely undefended. They then had to choose which areas could be defended and which could not. Unfortunately, the Philippines were far outside the defendable area. Navy planners were under considerable pressure to find a way to defend the Philippines at an outbreak of war. The best they could do was design a relief expedition to these islands a few months after the initial attack; this was known as the "Through Ticket". This plan, however, had to be abandoned when enough officers pointed out it would amount to a suicide mission. The Navy did not conceal any of this from the Army. Quite the contrary, MacArthur was keenly aware of all this long before December 1941. His defensive plans relied on strong land and air forces to defeat any invasion force, using large amounts of supplies stockpiled in the Manila area. (Most of these supplies were captured by the Japanese.) This plan ignored two critical facts of island warfare: First, that no defensive forces can successfully hold an island without without naval support; Second, that high level bombers were essentially useless against warships. One bombardier described it as "like trying to drop a marble on a scared mouse"Not until General Kenney took over the 5^th Air Force and perfected mast-level cannon and bombing attacks with medium bombers were the Army Air Forces effective ship killers. Many people have insisted the navy (what was left of it) should have headed straight to Manila to relieve the forces on Bataan and Corregidor. (Japanese carriers outnumbered ours 10 to 3 at this time). It is ironic that if this had been done, the same people would have been asking what moron Admiral would send the only surviving forces in the Pacific to certain destruction, leaving Australia and Hawaii completely defenseless against invasion. Military leaders had, and have, the duty and responsibility to look at all the facts and consider the big picture, which could not possibly have been bleaker in the early months of 1942. As it turned out, we lost most of our surviving naval forces (3 carriers and Lord knows how many cruisers, destroyers and other ships) stopping the Japanese advance through the Southwest Pacific to Australia. By November of 1942, only one operational carrier was available in the entire Pacific. It is my hope that this discussion will not be construed as MacArthur bashing. I believe he was an extraordinary leader who, like every other human, made some mistakes. But to portray him as being callously abandoned by the Navy is just wrong. Frank Asturias Previously Boatswain’s Mate 1^st Class Special Warfare Group One, USNR 25 March 2000 -oOo-
WW2 Veteran	`Paul,` `I (just) visited Corregidor. Unfortunately there were no explosives to blow up several Memorials. I'm surprised they have no memorials to the Turks.` Al McGrew `Dear` Mr. McGrew `You're certainly not the first who hoped for some TNT, and you sure as hell won't be the last! They bulldozed the battlefield on Watertower Hill to put up a monument which should have been put elsewhere. Very elsewhere. Possibly Baguio.- Ed` `(* For some years, until his death, I withheld Al's name. As he was a regular visitor to Corregidor -- he was captured there -- I didn't want him to be subject to criticism from any thin-skinned thought-police.)`
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Scott Harrison	Ed, In October 1940, U.S. Army Captain and Honors West Point graduate Rufo Caingat Romero was arrested and subsequently convicted of attempting to sell for $25,000 ($291,000 in 1999 dollars) classified maps of Bataan and Corregidor to an Army-concocted Mindanao Sultan with implied Japanese connections. Romero, the regimental intelligence and topographic officer for the Philippine Scouts 14th Engineer Regiment, was cashiered and sentenced to 15 years in prison at McNeil Island penitentiary in Washington State. Romero is the only U.S. Military Academy graduate to ever be tried and convicted on espionage charges. Romero's American wife - the former Lorraine Becker of Brooklyn, New York - was a battered spouse but also a witting collaborator in this aborted map selling effort. Mrs. Romero was never charged with a crime and subsequently survived the Japanese occupation of Manila and the destructive liberation of Manila in 1945." I would be interested in corresponding with anyone who possesses knowledge of any of the aforementioned espionage cases and particularly with anyone who knew Captain Romero and/or his American wife Lorraine as I am currently writing a history of this particular espionage case. Scott Harrison `-oo0oo-`
`Jason E. Rogers`	`Ed,` My grandfather was one of the Navy code breakers stationed on Corregidor during WWII. I was very pleased to come across your pages, and found some photos and accounts which I was able to share with him. Thank you for your efforts. Your inclusion of Duane Whitlock's accounts led me to search for other information regarding Duane Whitlock, allowing me to find even more sites of interest to my grandfather and myself. I am writing to ask if you happen to come across any texts which mention either my grandfather, Russell "Jose" Rogers (he was always known as Jose), or the On The Roof Gang (of which he was a part), could you please bring them to my attention? I'm sure my grandfather would get great pleasure out of reading any texts which mention the role played by Naval crypto analysts in the Pacific Theater. The only regret I have ever heard him voice is that, due to the sensitive nature of his role in the war, no one ever knew what men like him had done. There were no parades for the code breakers - they never received the heroes welcome they deserved, in my opinion. `Thank you, Jason E. Rogers` `-o00o-`
`Lt. Donald E. Abbott, then the executive officer of Coy E, 2nd Battalion, 503rd RCT led the third stick out of his C-47.` `His decision to delay the jump until the plane was almost across the parade ground LZ meant that the high winds blew his stick only to the edge of Btty. Wheeler.` `Colonel Jones required exec officers of the 2nd wave to jump with the first wave, so that they could be fully familiar with the situation before their men landed`.	`Ed,` Am I the first 503RCT person to check in with you? I jumped with the first wave of paratroopers who landed on Corregidor on 16 February 1945.I was one of the lucky ones and did not get a purple heart on the Island. I was, however, evacuated on 1 March with a case of hepatitis. In the meantime we had one skirmish or another most every day. Our most difficult time was on 26 February when we attempted to take Battery Monja on the South Shore Road at Wheeler Point. We killed a lot of Japs and had a bunch of casualties. After WW II ended I got out of the Army and worked in a large paper company. After retirement, we travelled. One of the trips, in 1984, was to Australia where we had spent about a year in 1942/43. During one period in 1943 we spent about six weeks in Brisbane (actually I spent most of that time at the jungle school and assigned to an Australian Army Company). While in Gordonvale in 1984 I learned about the 503rd Parachute RCT Association, joined and have been active ever since. My first trip back to Corregidor was in 1987 when I spent about 10 days on the Island. In total I think I have been back 8 times. Several of those times I've spent about a month. I believe I probably know more about the place than any other paratrooper. As you may have learned there is a fairly large group of people who are very knowledgeable about the harbor defenses of Manila Bay including, of course, the star--Corregidor. I note that you have taken the "Brief History of the 503rd RCT", I wrote, from "The Drop Zone" Good--I like to have people know who we were. Your web page has some great photos. A number of these I have or know about but the private collection is very interesting. `Don Abbott` `Unfortunately, not everyone shares our views. When some individuals restrict history on the World Wide Web for their own ends, history suffers. Fortunately there are still those who believe that you can't own history, only hold it in trust for your children. - Ed` `[This letter was the first of many from Don, who has become an active contributor not just on matters involving the 503rd, but in the general history of the island. Go to the 503pcrt JUMP STATION- Ed]` `-oo000oo-`
`The scan was provided courtesy of Don Abbott. It has been used throughout the website.`	`This 503rd Rock Patch is something that you're going to see a lot more of around here as I start to publish contributions from members of the 503rd. Since getting this site together, I've been overwhelmed with the various and many kindnesses, and the patience which they have extended to CORREGIDOR - THEN AND NOW. Thanks guys, I sure hope I get through this thing without losing my mind, and that in time you'll be proud to accept us as one of the crowd.` `Bouquets also go to the Defenders of Corregidor, represented by Al McGrew, who is also giving me a long overdue education on the Rock. Watch in weeks to come for more articles which will fill in the colour of life at Ft. Mills prior to the war. Already we have a page of fresh information and reports on the tunnels "re-found" during the last few years, as well as some corrections to the 'legends' of Corregidor.` `Ed` `-oo000oo-`
`Al McGrew, "H" (Hartford) Battery, 60th CAC (AA)`	`"We were located at Middleside, just in front of Battery Ramsey (Unmanned).I have a large archive of material. I have visited Corregidor eight times, and my wife and I are preparing to leave for the Philippines April 2nd. I look forward to matching tales with other survivors.` `Take care, Al McGrew` `[Since he wrote this letter, Al has returned to us many times and has become one of our most significant contributors. His contributions include how he became the last bugler of "H" Btty at our "The Story Behind The Story Behind Taps" and a series of photographs which he took from a helicopter (Skinny's Views"). -Ed.]` `-oo000oo-`
[©1999 John Gainer Educational use of these photographs is encouraged. Other uses permitted with acknowledgment`. Ed]` .	`These photos were contributed by John Gainer, Greenville TX, whose grandfather (John Thomas Gainer) was an artilleryman stationed at Ft. Mills in the 1909-1911 period. Some years ago, John saw the photographs in his great-aunt's collection and had the presence of mind to photograph them. When his great-aunt died, the original went missing, but thankfully we now have these three pictures available to us, and maybe posterity.` `He thinks the two "X's" mark where his grandfather lived. John is ex-Army in the 1960's. Besides the photos of buildings, his grandfather also mailed back a photo of the troopship he went overseas in and another of his bunk with all of his equipment laid out. John writes` `"I am very anxious to see all of these places where my grandfather must have been on the island. He died when I was about four, so I never got to know him. That is why I am trying to piece together his life now. I am incorporating this in a family history for my children. If you ever come across any information on the early days of the U.S. Army on Corregidor, I would appreciate it if you would share it with me."` `-oo000oo-`
Scan of the '36 Map	`Does anyone know why the Battery which was recorded as "Smith No. 2" in the 1936 Corps of Engineer Map (1937) map is known to us now as Btty Hearn?` `Well, we've had a response from Don Abbott (of the 503rd) who gets us closer to the answer than I once was. "Originally, the most modern guns on the Island were placed and named Smith 1 and Smith 2. Later Smith 2 was named after a CA Officer named Hearn. I forget the rest of his name and why they felt he should have a battery named after him."` `Our other faithful 503rd contributor, John Lindgren also fills in some of the blanks:` Ed, Someone asked [I think it was you] how Battery Smith #2 got its name. Before the name change the batteries were called the Smith Brothers, a play on the name of the two Smith Brothers [their names were Pat and Pending] manufacturers of a popular brand of cough drops. The battery was renamed " in honour of the late Brigadier Clint C. Hearn. The authority was General Orders No.11, Headquarters Harbor Defense Manila and Subic Bays, Fort Mills, P.I. [i.e. Philippine Islands] dated October 29,1937. Work on the 12" battery began September 1918 and was completed June 2t,1921. The cost of the battery and magazine was $148,105.32 or more than 2 million in today's dollars. Source: Report of Completed Works dated November 1,1921. [n.b. The entry on the renaming of the battery was added in a longhand note at the bottom of the document. `Jungle Fox` `-oo000oo-` `Thanks Don, Thanks John. Looks like I'll have to come up with another question to challenge you experts!`
George Munson	`Paul,` `I greatly appreciate your web site. You are performing a good service for those of us who are interested in the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays.` I first got interested in Corregidor as a young boy in the 1950s. Then while I was in college, the Belote brothers' book was published. It was wonderful and perked my interest. I first visited Corregidor in 1972. I didn't know a soul who had much interest in the island and the only map available was in the Belote brothers' book. It took me 5 years before I found anyone who had much of an interest in the island. Millie Wood Kennedy, Jim Black, Lee Skinner, Rico Jose, and I were the only ones researching and exploring the island. We never had the opportunity to meet Millie before she died. `Jim, Lee, and Rico lived in the Philippines and did most of the exploring. I did most of the research. After 27 years, many nights and Saturdays in the National Archives, thousands of dollars being spent, many phone calls and interviews, and thousands of hours of research, all of which took a terrible toll on my family, I have a good idea of what happened on the forts. I say this because many old enlisted men have written their stories.` `Articles and books have been published and fiction is being believed as gospel. And I don't like history being rewritten.` `Battery Reyson came from the imagination of some Filipino. This battery never existed! I will go one step further and say the only reliable Filipino scholar is Rico Jose. Unless your source is a former Philippine Scout, and many of them are too old to remember, don't waste your time.` `Battery Smith had three guns: Smith number 1, Smith number 2 and a 155mm GPF. I believe that the 155mm gun was Battery Monja, but I have never been able to confirm it. Smith number 1 and number 2 were so far apart that they operated tactically as two separate batteries. Thus, they were split up into two batteries. Battery Monja was transferred to the 92d Coast Artillery and in 1941 & 1942 was manned by Battery G.` Howard Brown's claim in the book The American Magic, that he could predict the Foto Joe flights and passed this information on to the the AA batteries resulting in about six planes being shot down is a lie. After obtaining all the 60th Coast Artillery unit histories, interviewing numerous officers, and enlisted men there is no evidence that this took place. I have numerous interviews with battery commanders who knew nothing about Brown's claim. Their communication cables were frequently cut by bombs and shells. They seldom if ever fired at Foto Joe as they wanted to conserve shells and fuses. Also Foto Joe did not climb as he crossed Corregidor. He was already at his operational altitude. `Gold and silver. The gold is all gone. It was never stored in Malinta Tunnel or Navy tunnel. The Army stored it in a vault on the south side of Topside along with the paper money. I'm not sure where the silver coins were stored, but I assume they were in the same location. Also, why would the U.S.S. Trout need 25 tons of balast before it could submerge? Submarines have ballast tanks that they fill with sea water when the want to submerge.` `There were no secret tunnels or vaults in Malinta and Navy tunnels. The people were stacked in those tunnels like cords of wood. There was no privacy. You couldn't do anything without dozens of people watching you. I could go on and on, but I won't. I appreciate truth more than fiction and those who rewrite history.` `Sincerely, George Munson June 18 1999` George, I'm not a naval architect and the only maritime experience I've ever had is with a young lady at a boat party, so I don't have anything more than a layman's understanding of the ballast issue. Trout probably needed stability ballast. Submarines have at least two types of ballast - buoyancy ballast which is pumped in and out to make the craft submerge and rise, and stability ballast (situate at the lowest points of the hull, and kept 'dry') to make sure that "up" remains "up" at all times. As the amount of water ballast is finite, if the boat is too light, it still might not dive at its designed parameter. `Ed` `-oo000oo-`
	`Ed,` My father, Holger L. Holm of New Hartford, Iowa (dec'd May, 1995) was a private stationed with Battery Chicago, 60th Coast Artillery (AA) and was captured with the fall of the island. He was imprisoned at Cabanatuan, Bilibid, Palawan and at Funatsu, Japan. He was taken to Japan aboard the Canadian Inventor. I have some video tapes of him talking at schools on Veteran's Day about his experiences. The talks deal mostly with his experiences as a POW. We have some letters from him written to his sister in law which were written before May 1941 when he arrived on Corregidor and the surrender in May 1942. I also have a diary of my dad's which lists members of his unit with home addresses and the addresses of others with whom he had contact during prison. He also has interesting notes about the contents of Red Cross packages received and a history of his travels from the time he left home until he arrived back home from Japan. Dad was awarded 2 Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts and various other medals for his actions prior to surrender. I would be happy to share anything that we have of Dad's. `Vern Holm, Parkersburg,IA.` `-oo000oo-`
Landing Zone "A"	`E-mails go round and round, and where they stop, nobody knows. Sometimes we get a good one. CORREGIDOR - THEN and NOW has received a poem, originally via Jack Herzig (but original source unknown) called 'Just a Simple Soldier' which deserves a page of it's own, and now gets one.` `-oo000oo-`
©1996 The War Times Journal. All rights reserved. `Manila 1945 - It looks like the Congress Building to me, but I wasn't there then. Can anyone clarify where it is, and what building the photo has been taken from? Photos courtesy of Mrs. W.A. Campbell found at the War Times Journal, used by permission.`	`Ed,` Regarding my father's Corregidor service--we have copies from the St. Louis archives of the original recommendations for medals won for gallantry. My dad had a rather mundane job with Chicago Battery (60th CA). He strung telephone wire which coordinated the firing of the batteries guns. This got a little more than mundane when the Japs started shelling their positions from Bataan. Dad also was involved in the rescue of several injured soldiers who were hit by artillery fire and were in exposed positions. I will try to put together some information and forward it to you. It runs against my dad's self-deprecating nature to pat himself on the back for his service (but he was always my hero). I have become a semi-ardent WW11 historian because of him (and mostly of events associated with Corregidor, the POW camps, Japanese atrocities). My dad never held any long-term ill will toward the Japanese (my brother's son was stationed on Okinawa with the Marines and wound up marrying a Japanese girl and now lives on Okinawa as a civilian employee of the Air Force). I learned of the ADBC web site by reading my mother's copy of The Quan. Mom and Dad attended one ADBC reunion in Albuquerque several years ago. I always wanted to go to Corregidor with Dad but never had the opportunity. I was at Clark AB in the PI in 1970 to go through Air Force survival school on my way to Da Nang, South Viet Nam where I was a radio operator on an AF reconnaissance plane but did not have the opportunity to travel to Cabanatuan or Corregidor. I would really like to visit Funatsu in Japan some day, too, to see where Dad spent his time there. `Vern Holm 7 April '99` `-oo000oo-`
`Kirk J. Poole 10 June 1999`	`Ed,` `I think it was back in the 4th grade in the school library that I ran across Falk's book about Bataan. That is where it all started for me. I guess the shock of Americans surrendering, starving, and being tortured and killed by their captors riveted a kid like me. I was already reading WWII history by then, so this was an extension of that.` Over the years, I would watch every movie or documentary that I could. In addition, I bought every book I could lay my hands on, and consolidated my knowledge over the years. While serving on the USS Enterprise from '83 - '85, I had the luck of being on a WestPac deployment that brought me to Olongapo twice. They had the "cheap" tour package to Corregidor, and I took advantage of that tour, both in June and in November 1984. Alas, it was only the quick 2-hour tour, with the 2-peso San Miguel on board the bus. I didn't travel on my own and come back with a buddy then. It was during the Manila riots, and perhaps I felt nervous about straying outside of a "canned" tour package. I would like to go back again and explore on my own, but I'm still young and have to raise my family first, make a living, etc.,etc. I'm 36, an accountant, a full-time night student ten-months away from getting my B.S. in Business Management. I still voraciously read and buy everything I can on Bataan and Corregidor. Oh, and we have two little ones,20-months and 5-months. `Kirk J. Poole` `-oo000oo-`
Enquiries about map copies to Ed. The cost will be US$20.00+$5.00 postage & handling.	`Some people wonder how extensive the Navy section of Malinta was, and there's been a lot of treasure-hunting speculation as to where the entrance to the southern section actually is. Here is your answer. On a map at least! The entire Navy section has remained sealed since the Japanese exploded it. Landslides covered the southern entrance. Does anyone want to bid on the shovel concession? [Be very patient when you load this file - it's 486K, but it illustrates how detailed the 1937 Map is.]` `-oo000oo-`
	`To many of us, this is an "invitation" to discovery. Unfortunately it seems that someone within the Corregidor Foundation has a policy of filling up entrances with debris, or in this case, garbage, rather than excavating them. These tunnel entrances are under the big tree at the rear of the Museum (between Topside and the Telephone Exchange.) I have no idea where they lead.` `-oo000oo-`
`Minter Dial`	`Ed,` I am the grandson of Lt N. Minter Dial of USS Napa, who was captured at Corregidor and later perished (Dec. 13, 1944 on his way to Japan) .I am trying to reconstruct his existence in prison camps while in the Philippines. He was a prisoner of Cabanatuan POW camps #1 and #3 and Bilibid (Manila) during that time. I would dearly love to have any news from anyone who might have known him during that time. I have so far come up with nothing in all my searches. Thank you for anything you might be able to give me ... clues to other sources, etc. `Yours truly, Minter Dial (Yale '87)` `[ I have directed Minter to the good guys at the Battling Bastards of Bataan website whom I hear have detailed records that cross-reference dates of death with shipping losses, and can trace prisoners who never made it home. I have also passed him the details of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor website. - Ed.]` `oo000oo-`

`Don't believe the Light and Sound in the Malinta Tunnel which suggests that all the tunnels were dimly lit. It's nothing but theatre hijacking history once again. They were garishly lit by the new lamp technology that we don't normally associate with the pre-war period - the fluorescent tube.`	`Capt. Duane Whitlock U.S.N. (Ret'd) has an article on cryptography and the role that Corregidor played in it entitled The Silent War Against the Japanese. We've now secured the kind permission of the Naval War College to put the article on site.` Whitlock agrees that there were some JN-25's decrypted pre Pearl Harbour, but he certainly doesn't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that the code had been so effectively broken well prior to December 7 that some persons in high places within the USN had failed to advise FDR of the true extent of what was known. Conspiracy aficionados and revisionists will no doubt claim that Mr. Whitlock is USN trained, therefore the article is disinformation, and that the USN still conspires with the NSA (and the equivalent bodies of the British and Australian governments) to conceal the real extent to which the contents of pre-war JN-25 messages were known. The conspiracy theory is contained in Betrayal at Pearl Harbour by James Rusbridger and Eric Nave, Summit Books, 1991. A more detailed discussion can be found on this site. The conspiracy theory is comprehensively debunked by the new book "Marching Orders" by Bruce Lee. `-oo000oo-`
`B.W. Smith Editor Coast Defense Study Group Journal`	`Ed,` I enjoyed your web site on Corregidor. In partial answer to your request for information about Battery Morrison: It was commenced in December of 1907 and completed and turned over to the coast artillery on November 10, 1910. Cost to date of transfer: $79,845.99 Main source of power was central power plant. Battery also had one 25 kW gasoline motor-generator. Guns: Two 6-inch model of 1905 (Watervliet Arsenal) on disappearing carriage model of 1905MI (Watertown Arsenal). #1: gun # 31 on carriage # 12; #2: gun # 32 on carriage # 13. Battery Commander's station and plotting room located on and in hill directly to rear of battery (it was unusual to have a separate plotting room for a 6-inch battery). Source: Report of Completed Works, January 1, 1920. `I too have visited Corregidor, and I hope our group will revisit in 2002 (5 years from last visit). ... I just finished Devlin's book on retaking Corregidor, but did not think it as good as Flanaghans. Do you have a copy of Bunker's diary? (You probably know that Bunker commanded the seacoast defenses.) It is pretty interesting, for those of us who care about such things.` `B.W. Smith Editor Coast Defense Study Group Journal` `-oo000oo-`
`CORREGIDOROS ROSTER:`	`How do you qualify to be a Corregidoros? Well, I figure that you have got to have been on Corregidor at least seven days. People who haven't made it on the Rock for all of 7 days can be called "Corregidoros J.G.'s" ? Hey, it's my Website! I gotta right to be fickle! - Ed` `-oo000oo-`
`Nancy LeClear Easterling April 16, 1999`	`Ed,` `My name is Nancy LeClear Easterling, I am looking for information about my father, Lt. Francis Earl LeClear, who was a prisoner of war; we believe he was captured on Corregidor. Where can I go to locate information?` `Thank You. Nancy Via: DEAN EASTERLING [mailto:[email protected]]` `[ I will post your letter in the forum in case it jolts somebody's memory. I do not have any roster material. You should try the Battling Bastards of Bataan site, and the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor site, both of which have links on this site. - Ed.] Also look at the links page, which now has info on these, and of the American EX-POW's organization.` `-oo000oo-`
`Suzan Speropoulos`	`Ed,` My father was a Prisoner of War and was held captive for approximately 4 years. I believe but might be mistaken though that he was captured shortly after the war started. He fought on Bataan and was in the death march. He talked very little of his experiences while held captive therefore I do not know very much. I know of a ship that he mentioned the Oki Maru I think was the name or something similar. I believe that was the ship that he was on while being transported to prison camp. He also mentioned being only about 50 miles from Hiroshima while in prison. He past away last year and I have tried to obtain his military records but I was told they were destroyed in a fire in St. Louis. I do not know what ever became of any records that he may have had himself. Do you possibly know of another route I could take in finding any information on his military years. He also was an active member in the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. His name was Dewey R. "Red" Smithwick and lived in Hampton, VA. I also know the following members of the ADBC - Howard Morgan, Harold Feiner, Paul Harmon and ? Aquino. Can't remember his first name. I would appreciate any help that you may be able to give me. `Suzan Speropoulos` `-oo000oo-`
`Kirk J. Poole Portland, Oregon 10 June 1999`	Ed, I've spent 25 of my 36 years reading and researching every shred of documentation I can find on the situation on Bataan and the siege of Corregidor. I have found your site in the past week and have now bookmarked it. You have plenty of material I have not seen or read before. New pictures I have never seen, and the excitement of a newly discovered tunnel to the NE of the Malinta system. (Don't thank me for this one, it's to Danny Howell's credit - Ed) I should like to return to Corregidor one day. I made 2 visits in '84 while in the Navy when we pulled into Subic. Only 2 hours each time. Very angry I didn't take greater advantage by being there to explore more. Thank you for your time. I have become a junky on your site. I eagerly await any updates that are forthcoming. `Kirk J. Poole` `-ooOOoo-`
`Kenneth L Schneider 3 April 1999`	`Ed, Thank you for creating this website. I have been studying both campaigns for years and finally I can see where these events took place. Do you have any plans to include Bataan, or the other fortified islands (especially Fort Drum)?` `Kenneth L Schneider` `[I have not spent sufficient time on Bataan to be familiar with it. There would have been a page on Ft. Drum had Manila Bay not been so choppy on the morning Art and I arranged a boat. Perhaps next visit, unless someone who has been there wants to make a contribution...Ed.]` `-oo000oo-`

MARILYNNE OCANDO

I discovered your web site quite by accident. I have been researching various lines of my family for some time and renewed my interest in World War II vets when the Memorial was recently dedicated in Washington, D.C.
Your web site provided information about Donald Odenga, 21-years old, who was on Corregidor and who deserted along with two others on May 2, 1942--four days before the U.S.troops surrendered to the Japanese. It must have been a horror to live through that capture! I have passed the information along to his brother's wife. Donald's only brother died about 10 years ago and the living know little about the Odenga family history. Keep up the good work on telling the personal stories of Corregidor. It's a history that needs to be told. I'm sure it provides a lot of healing and solace to many survivors and their families. God Bless You in your work and all those who serve(d).

Marilynne Ocando

LLOYD MIELENZ

I accompanied my family to Fort Mills in June of 1939 where my father was Post Engineer and was captured May 6,1942. The family was evacuated Mar 1941 to Macon, Georgia, where we awaited dad's return in Oct 1945.

Yes, Corregidor was an ideal playground for 13 year old boys. I joined the regimental buglers in the jungle to practice bugle calls. Watched the regimental parades. Made a hike down to Hooker Point and return for a merit badge. Went to Manila only twice, once for a Boy Scout Jamboree and second to board a ship for a scout outing to the Southern Islands for two weeks. School was located at Middleside and we would walk through the long barracks portal to descend to school. I delivered the daily Bulletin to the officers quarters on topside.

The Japanese threat was no surprise in the Philippines. A Japanese spy boat was rounded off of Hookers Point. My sister had a date with a Lt. who did not show up until weeks later and told her he was on a mission to find Japanese guns that had been emplaced in the jungle in Cavite Province. This was January 1941.

All dependents were out of the Philippines by June 1941 except Mrs MacArthur.

My father then was made Engineer in- charge of Harbor Defenses and then constructed the hospital extension in Malinta Tunnel and the Navy Radio Intercept Tunnel. Gen Wainwright promoted him to Colonel 5 April 1942. He was imprisoned with the General in Manchuria to the end of the war August 1945.

The Japs never did find the water reservoir in order to destroy it during the battle, It was under the tennis courts on Middleside.

Four of the Army Brats went on to attend West Point so their experience living on Corregidor influenced their decision to attend plus, of course, their fathers being POWs or KIA.

President Fidel V. Ramos was on the Park Board under President Aquino and really caused the park/memorial to be established. I knew him as Eddie and he was respectful of what Americans had fought and died for .

No doubt that prize real estate will be taken over by commercial developers if anymore Estrada’s get into the Presidency.

Lloyd Mielenz<

DON VERSAW

I've been in touch with Donald Abbott (503rd RCT) on account of his article"E" CO ATTACK ON BATTERY MONJA. I sometimes have trouble getting connected to the website but I did print out Abbott's great story of that unit's assault on Wheeler and Monja Points. It still grieves me that so many boys were lost over that "lost road" ending at Battery Monja. I had an e-mail from him and he told me, as you did, about how difficult or impossible it was for him to re-explore that battery and its environs. It wasn't quite clear to me just how far South Shore road extends now but I understand it don't go as far as it used to.

The maps they had of that area don't agree with my recollection of how the points were named. There was no NO NAME POINT that I can remember. That one is what we all called Wheeler Point and it's where my fox hole was. That was my 'Casa Grande' and I knew every step to and from it in the dark - believe. I shit a brick or two in it straining my eyes out to sea looking for the Jap landing craft that never came. I think I had two bandoleer's of ammo, a couple of hand grenades, some pretty good sized rocks and my piss pot helment and that was about it. Battery Wheeler was right up the cliff over my head and fired a couple times right over the top of me - I thought - that's what it sounded like. Almost tore the legs off my trousers when it did. Whew! what a boom.

It looks like they called Monja Point, Wheeler. That don't make a lot of sense to me. If Battery Monja was in the point why couldn't they have just guessed that it would have been named Monja? We called the little rock off the end of it Monja Rock. Maybe when your up topside from Wheeler the only point you could probably see is Monja. Wheeler point might not be visible from there unless you were on the very edge of the cliffs. They went almost straight up from the edge of the road. There were some little dribblely springs leaking out of them there. Good place to take a Whore's bath.

Don Versaw

ARTHUR M. WYATT

1 Oct 2000

My name is Arthur M Wyatt. I was deployed on Corregidor for over two months between Dec 87and Jan 88 while with Naval Construction Battalion 74. I was part of a 22 man unit sent from Subic Bay to Corregidor to do repair work to the monument and facilities there. This included a new roof on the school house.

There were around 300 people living on the Island along with 3 Philippine Navy personnel and several people at the small Inn there (though we saw no one staying there while we were there.)

It seems from what I can gather from your site that it has changed a lot for the worse since I was there. It's a shame. It's sad to hear that they have built a convention center and God knows what else there since I was there.

It used to piss me off that all the other guys except one that I was there with did not appreciate where they were and the privilege it was to be actually "stationed" on Corregidor! I was in absolute awe of the place. The only thing that even comes close to the feeling I had there was to stand on the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor and look down on the ship beneath knowing it was the tomb of 1200 sailors.

I have great respect and admiration for the people who were there during the war. Many times I stood some where like the operating rooms in the old hospital and would almost go into a trance trying to imagine what it must have been like. I have been haunted by Corregidor ever since.

Photo (top) : We camped near the 'flame'.

Photo (right) : Darn, didn't bring the M-1 Helmet!

Photo (bottom): Loading up, rather than landing at South Beach, Jan 1978.

Thank you for keeping the memory of the Rock and the sacrifices made there alive.

Arthur M Wyatt

AUBREY L COLLINS –

1 July 2000

Robbie,

We don’t find Corregidor to be a haunting place. It is restful, and as peaceful a place of burial as one could ever desire. You should consider visiting it, and lay to rest any fears you have of it. Many of the veterans, once they revisited it once, found themselves returning every time they could. Bill Delich came every year. The last occasion he visited his post (Searchlight No. 1) he had to be carried there on a sedan chair, and then on someone’s back. It was the one place in the world he could find rest and peace.

If you visit it once, I feel certain you will visit it again. I’ve found that to be it’s only curse.

Regards,

Paul Whitman

Editor - Corregidor Then and Now

----o0o----

Dear Mr. Whitman,

Thank you for your kind note. I understand that times have changed and things are different now. My own son, who is in the Navy, was stationed in the P. I. for several years. He and his wife enjoyed it very much. They even took a tour to Corregidor and made pictures for me. However, I still have very sad memories of a young man who left Lufkin, Texas and never returned. My widowed mother didn't really get over his death and died at the age of 43. I was 5 years old at the time my brother left, but I still remember his big smile. I'm just so sorry that so many good men lost their lives on Corregidor and Bataan. My first cousin, Gerald Redd, was killed during the Death March. Our little community was in turmoil. My Mom would tell me that the only thing that gave her comfort was knowing that my brother loved The Lord Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Robbie Bowling

----o0o----

8 July 2000

Robbie,

This may be very important to you - You wrote me about Aubrey being killed about 17 April 1942. Quite coincidentally, I have located a history of his Battery, which is missing the second page. After the missing page, it specifically mentions Aubrey L. Collins as a casualty, and the men who died with him. (He didn’t die on Corregidor, but on Caballo Island, which is about a mile south of Corregidor.) Here is that document. (Enclosed) Do you perchance have a copy of this? With the missing page two? I'm sorry I can't locate the missing page as yet. We may be close. I've put out an APB for it to a few people who might also have a copy of what I sent you. Once we locate missing page 2, we might get closure for you.

Regards,

Paul Whitman

Editor - Corregidor Then and Now

----o0o----

Dear Mr. Whitman,

You are wonderful. Yes, my brother did go to the P. I. on the Republic. In fact, he sent a picture of it to my mom. He wrote letters in pencil, which faded after all these years, but several years ago, I tried to go through them. He talks about working in the War Room, about the "Disappearing Gun", and how good his battery was becoming.

His last letter said that Japanese planes were overhead, but he didn't think they would be there very long. I called my brother in Texas immediately to warn him about the content of your message. He said by all means send it on. I have one sister in Tucson, Arizona, and as soon as she gets home, I'll warn her and send it on. It really shook me up to know FINALLY how he died. Thank God the Japanese didn't get him. That would have been much worse. Thank you so much for sending all this information. My family and I will always appreciate you and honor you.

Sincerely,

Robbie Bowling

----o00----

Robbie,

It was your brother's Battery "I" that allowed us to track his details down. Do you realize that the men who wrote those Battery History documents did it because they wanted next of kin to know what happened on the island in case they died - which most of the officers corps did when being transported to Japan on the hell ships. The original manuscripts were buried in the soil of the prison camp before they were moved out. I have no idea of what happened to the manuscripts post-war, and this document mentioning your brother only came into my hands in January 2000 from a Corregidor/POW Survivor, Al McGrew of San Diego. He will no doubt be glad that he has had the major role in passing on the word.

I don't know if you know, but I'm here in Brisbane, Australia and most of the material for the entire site is contributed from other people's collections and e-mails. There's a small bunch of very, very special people in the US supporting me. I am going off air now for the day. Sleep well.

Regards

Paul Whitman

----o0o----

Dear Mr. Whitman,

I have now passed on your information to my sister and to my brother. They asked me to thank you so very much for your kindness. No, we do not have page 2 of the documents. We have never seen this paper before. In fact up to a few hours ago, we did not know how our brother died.

Through the years I have wondered if he died of a wound, from hunger, or was bombed. I have read every thing that I could find on the subject and came to the conclusion that he probably got hit by a bomb. A young soldier came to our house in Texas and my mother asked him, "How did my son die?" He just ran out the door crying.

Thank you again, Mr. Whitman.

Sincerely,

Robbie

----o0o----

I don't deserve the credit, I'm just the latest in a long chain of people who have been involved in this episode. Thanks is due to all of our small bunch of very very special people.

Paul Whitman

Editor

Steve Bardowsky
Mechanicsburg PA.
15 June 00

Paul,

After downing a Jap Zero at Clark Field, and fighting during the 192nd Tank Battalions withdrawal to Bataan, my Dad was captured on the Rock, and ironically, the first unit I served with in the Army was the 60th ADA, which was the former 60th CA. While serving on Okinawa, I took leave spending a week in the PI. I hired a car, followed the route of the Death March, then hired a "banka" which took me out to Corregidor. We landed on the North Dock, in fact the pictures of the wooden wharf and beached banka look exactly as I remember them. A very memorable and moving web site!

My Dad did indeed survive the war. In fact, he only passed away this April 19. Most of what I know is based on his oral history. If that is good enough, I'll send more.

The best tale, perhaps apocryphal, is that after being told to surrender, he addressed his platoon [he was Platoon Sergeant, acting platoon leader since 2LT Winger had been killed by panicky Filipino troops, who mistook his blonde hair for that of a German, which ethnically he was] and said that he did not plan on giving up, and that by hook or by crook, he was going to Corregidor to continue the fight. To a man, all his men wanted to fight on. Taking their four tanks [Company B, 192nd Tank Bn.] down to Mariveles, he was told he could bring his men, but not the tanks, as "..they would be of no use on the island."

The irony is, Wainwright gave up when tanks started nosing toward Malinta Tunnel, fearing they would wreak havoc on the wounded inside. What bothered Dad for 58 years is that the first tank landed on the Rock, was his very own M-3A1 Stuart.

Sincerely,
Steve

Ken Schneider

6 May 2000

Paul,

I also just got done reading your revisionist history of purple. I have been one, who has believed for years that Roosevelt knew of the impending attack on Pearl Harbor. He was a smart enough man to know the potential danger of Adolf Hitler. I believe that he bullied Japan into attacking Pearl Harbor.

When you play hardball diplomacy, you do it from a position of strength, not weakness.

First, he transferred the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor against the advice of his admirals, then he sent half the fleet to the Atlantic. What lay in Pearl Harbor was not a deterrent to Japanese aggression, but a big carrot, a great target of opportunity. What he may not have known, was that Kimmel and Short did not know what was happening because they did not have access to the intercepts. He may have assumed that they were on full alert. Of course, they were not and after the magnitude of the attack became clear, the (un)official cover-up began.

Poor Kimmel and Short were made scapegoats to protect the President's hide. On December 8th, Congress declared war on Japan. Roosevelt knew that Congress had no reason to declare war on Germany. He would have been hard pressed to convince Congress to do so. In one of the most idiotic decisions in history, Adolf Hitler, against the advice of all of his generals, took care of Roosevelt's dilemma, by declaring war against the United States. One could imagine how the European war would have turned out without the United States.

What is far more inexcusable, is MacArthur's stupidity in the Philippines. A full six hours after Pearl Harbor, the entire Far East Air Force was caught on the ground at Clark Field. This terrible disaster sealed the fate of every American soldier in the PI. I am also not a fan of MacArthur's (as you can tell).

The disaster on Bataan was one his making. Had he declared War Plan Orange in effect on December 8th, there would have almost a month to stockpile food, medical supplies and ammunition etc on the peninsula. In reality, the quartermasters were only given 48 hours. Such is the disaster that happened in the Philippines.

Kenneth L. Schneider
E-Mail: [email protected]

Ken,

Firstly, I am not a revisionist. That is a label generally applied - in this instance - to those who start with a pre-conceived view of history and are willing to twist the evidence into a justification of that pre-conception. Your views (on FDR deliberately pushing the Japanese into a positions where their only option was war) are confirmed in the recent release of Lieutenant Commander Arthur McCollum's memorandum of October 7, 1940. As a serious student of history of this era, when you inevitably get to read the recently published book "DAY OF DECEIT - THE TRUTH ABOUT FDR AND PEARL HARBOR" by Robert B. Stinnett, be aware that Duane Whitlock, widely quoted as a source throughout, has in correspondence with me entirely disavowed himself from Stinnett's conclusions, and indeed from the book itself. Duane was a traffic analyst on Corregidor and considers that Stinnett has entirely misinterpreted the cryptographic evidence in the book. He hopes to publish a rejoinder.

So I would respond -- FDR bullied Japan, yes -- but he didn't have a concealed foreknowledge that Japan's initial move against the US would be to destroy the fleet in Pearl Harbor.

I am disappointed how little comment the series on codes and the Secret Corregidor has generated.

Editor CT/N

Frank Asturias

Special Warfare Group One, USNR

25 March 2000

Paul,

After reading the MacArthur section and seeing in the first line his "not unreasonable belief that the US government would send massive reinforcements to him." I had to write in the effort to point out a few facts that are rarely, if ever, discussed.

1) The Navy foresaw a war with Japan as early as 1897, and started planning for the possibility that year. Planning at this point was limited to academic discussions. Immediately after the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-05 the navy based war plans on the premise that the Japanese would attack without warning or declaration of war, as they had with the Russian fleet. War Plan Orange, as it was informally known, was escalated into full time staff work.

2) War Plan Orange staffers had severe limitations on what any American fleet could attempt at the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific. Peacetime budgetary constraints dictated that no substantial naval forces would be available to deploy outside the Aleutian-Hawaii-Panama Triangle in the first year of war without leaving these areas completely undefended. They then had to choose which areas could be defended and which could not. Unfortunately, the Philippines were far outside the defendable area.

Navy planners were under considerable pressure to find a way to defend the Philippines at an outbreak of war. The best they could do was design a relief expedition to these islands a few months after the initial attack; this was known as the "Through Ticket". This plan, however, had to be abandoned when enough officers pointed out it would amount to a suicide mission.

The Navy did not conceal any of this from the Army. Quite the contrary, MacArthur was keenly aware of all this long before December 1941. His defensive plans relied on strong land and air forces to defeat any invasion force, using large amounts of supplies stockpiled in the Manila area. (Most of these supplies were captured by the Japanese.)

This plan ignored two critical facts of island warfare:

First, that no defensive forces can successfully hold an island without without naval support;

Second, that high level bombers were essentially useless against warships. One bombardier described it as "like trying to drop a marble on a scared mouse"Not until General Kenney took over the 5^th Air Force and perfected mast-level cannon and bombing attacks with medium bombers were the Army Air Forces effective ship killers.

Many people have insisted the navy (what was left of it) should have headed straight to Manila to relieve the forces on Bataan and Corregidor. (Japanese carriers outnumbered ours 10 to 3 at this time). It is ironic that if this had been done, the same people would have been asking what moron Admiral would send the only surviving forces in the Pacific to certain destruction, leaving Australia and Hawaii completely defenseless against invasion. Military leaders had, and have, the duty and responsibility to look at all the facts and consider the big picture, which could not possibly have been bleaker in the early months of 1942. As it turned out, we lost most of our surviving naval forces (3 carriers and Lord knows how many cruisers, destroyers and other ships) stopping the Japanese advance through the Southwest Pacific to Australia. By November of 1942, only one operational carrier was available in the entire Pacific.

It is my hope that this discussion will not be construed as MacArthur bashing. I believe he was an extraordinary leader who, like every other human, made some mistakes. But to portray him as being callously abandoned by the Navy is just wrong.

Frank Asturias
Previously Boatswain’s Mate 1^st Class
Special Warfare Group One, USNR
25 March 2000

-oOo-

WW2 Veteran

Paul,

I (just) visited Corregidor. Unfortunately there were no explosives to blow up several Memorials. I'm surprised they have no memorials to the Turks.

Al McGrew

Dear Mr. McGrew

You're certainly not the first who hoped for some TNT, and you sure as hell won't be the last! They bulldozed the battlefield on Watertower Hill to put up a monument which should have been put elsewhere. Very elsewhere. Possibly Baguio.- Ed

(* For some years, until his death, I withheld Al's name. As he was a regular visitor to Corregidor -- he was captured there -- I didn't want him to be subject to criticism from any thin-skinned thought-police.)

Congratulations!

Your website, has been selected as a featured site in StudyWeb as one of the best educational resources on the Web by our researchers. You will be able to view it in our History:War: World War II section very soon.

StudyWeb is one of the Internet's premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers. Since 1996, our expert reviewers have scoured the Internet to select only the finest sites to be included in StudyWeb's listing of educational links. Each site in studyWeb includes a detailed review describing its editorial and visual merits.

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StudyWeb

-oOo-

Scott Harrison

Ed,

In October 1940, U.S. Army Captain and Honors West Point graduate Rufo Caingat Romero was arrested and subsequently convicted of attempting to sell for $25,000 ($291,000 in 1999 dollars) classified maps of Bataan and Corregidor to an Army-concocted Mindanao Sultan with implied Japanese connections. Romero, the regimental intelligence and topographic officer for the Philippine Scouts 14th Engineer Regiment, was cashiered and sentenced to 15 years in prison at McNeil Island penitentiary in Washington State.

Romero is the only U.S. Military Academy graduate to ever be tried and convicted on espionage charges. Romero's American wife - the former Lorraine Becker of Brooklyn, New York - was a battered spouse but also a witting collaborator in this aborted map selling effort. Mrs. Romero was never charged with a crime and subsequently survived the Japanese occupation of Manila and the destructive liberation of Manila in 1945."

I would be interested in corresponding with anyone who possesses knowledge of any of the aforementioned espionage cases and particularly with anyone who knew Captain Romero and/or his American wife Lorraine as I am currently writing a history of this particular espionage case.

Scott Harrison

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Jason E. Rogers

Ed,

My grandfather was one of the Navy code breakers stationed on Corregidor during WWII. I was very pleased to come across your pages, and found some photos and accounts which I was able to share with him. Thank you for your efforts. Your inclusion of Duane Whitlock's accounts led me to search for other information regarding Duane Whitlock, allowing me to find even more sites of interest to my grandfather and myself. I am writing to ask if you happen to come across any texts which mention either my grandfather, Russell "Jose" Rogers (he was always known as Jose), or the On The Roof Gang (of which he was a part), could you please bring them to my attention? I'm sure my grandfather would get great pleasure out of reading any texts which mention the role played by Naval crypto analysts in the Pacific Theater. The only regret I have ever heard him voice is that, due to the sensitive nature of his role in the war, no one ever knew what men like him had done. There were no parades for the code breakers - they never received the heroes welcome they deserved, in my opinion.

Thank you, Jason E. Rogers

-o00o-

Lt. Donald E. Abbott, then the executive officer of Coy E, 2nd Battalion, 503rd RCT led the third stick out of his C-47.

His decision to delay the jump until the plane was almost across the parade ground LZ meant that the high winds blew his stick only to the edge of Btty. Wheeler.

Colonel Jones required exec officers of the 2nd wave to jump with the first wave, so that they could be fully familiar with the situation before their men landed.

Ed,

Am I the first 503RCT person to check in with you? I jumped with the first wave of paratroopers who landed on Corregidor on 16 February 1945.I was one of the lucky ones and did not get a purple heart on the Island. I was, however, evacuated on 1 March with a case of hepatitis. In the meantime we had one skirmish or another most every day. Our most difficult time was on 26 February when we attempted to take Battery Monja on the South Shore Road at Wheeler Point. We killed a lot of Japs and had a bunch of casualties. After WW II ended I got out of the Army and worked in a large paper company. After retirement, we travelled. One of the trips, in 1984, was to Australia where we had spent about a year in 1942/43. During one period in 1943 we spent about six weeks in Brisbane (actually I spent most of that time at the jungle school and assigned to an Australian Army Company). While in Gordonvale in 1984 I learned about the 503rd Parachute RCT Association, joined and have been active ever since. My first trip back to Corregidor was in 1987 when I spent about 10 days on the Island. In total I think I have been back 8 times. Several of those times I've spent about a month. I believe I probably know more about the place than any other paratrooper. As you may have learned there is a fairly large group of people who are very knowledgeable about the harbor defenses of Manila Bay including, of course, the star--Corregidor. I note that you have taken the "Brief History of the 503rd RCT", I wrote, from "The Drop Zone" Good--I like to have people know who we were. Your web page has some great photos. A number of these I have or know about but the private collection is very interesting.

Don Abbott

Unfortunately, not everyone shares our views. When some individuals restrict history on the World Wide Web for their own ends, history suffers. Fortunately there are still those who believe that you can't own history, only hold it in trust for your children. - Ed

[This letter was the first of many from Don, who has become an active contributor not just on matters involving the 503rd, but in the general history of the island. Go to the 503pcrt JUMP STATION- Ed]

-oo000oo-

The scan was provided courtesy of Don Abbott. It has been used throughout the website.

This 503rd Rock Patch is something that you're going to see a lot more of around here as I start to publish contributions from members of the 503rd. Since getting this site together, I've been overwhelmed with the various and many kindnesses, and the patience which they have extended to CORREGIDOR - THEN AND NOW. Thanks guys, I sure hope I get through this thing without losing my mind, and that in time you'll be proud to accept us as one of the crowd.

Bouquets also go to the Defenders of Corregidor, represented by Al McGrew, who is also giving me a long overdue education on the Rock. Watch in weeks to come for more articles which will fill in the colour of life at Ft. Mills prior to the war. Already we have a page of fresh information and reports on the tunnels "re-found" during the last few years, as well as some corrections to the 'legends' of Corregidor.

Ed

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Al McGrew, "H" (Hartford) Battery, 60th CAC (AA)

"We were located at Middleside, just in front of Battery Ramsey (Unmanned).I have a large archive of material. I have visited Corregidor eight times, and my wife and I are preparing to leave for the Philippines April 2nd. I look forward to matching tales with other survivors.

Take care, Al McGrew

[Since he wrote this letter, Al has returned to us many times and has become one of our most significant contributors. His contributions include how he became the last bugler of "H" Btty at our "The Story Behind The Story Behind Taps" and a series of photographs which he took from a helicopter (Skinny's Views"). -Ed.]

-oo000oo-

These photos were contributed by John Gainer, Greenville TX, whose grandfather (John Thomas Gainer) was an artilleryman stationed at Ft. Mills in the 1909-1911 period. Some years ago, John saw the photographs in his great-aunt's collection and had the presence of mind to photograph them. When his great-aunt died, the original went missing, but thankfully we now have these three pictures available to us, and maybe posterity.

He thinks the two "X's" mark where his grandfather lived. John is ex-Army in the 1960's. Besides the photos of buildings, his grandfather also mailed back a photo of the troopship he went overseas in and another of his bunk with all of his equipment laid out. John writes

"I am very anxious to see all of these places where my grandfather must have been on the island. He died when I was about four, so I never got to know him. That is why I am trying to piece together his life now. I am incorporating this in a family history for my children. If you ever come across any information on the early days of the U.S. Army on Corregidor, I would appreciate it if you would share it with me."

-oo000oo-

Scan of the '36 Map

Does anyone know why the Battery which was recorded as "Smith No. 2" in the 1936 Corps of Engineer Map (1937) map is known to us now as Btty Hearn?

Well, we've had a response from Don Abbott (of the 503rd) who gets us closer to the answer than I once was. "Originally, the most modern guns on the Island were placed and named Smith 1 and Smith 2. Later Smith 2 was named after a CA Officer named Hearn. I forget the rest of his name and why they felt he should have a battery named after him."

Our other faithful 503rd contributor, John Lindgren also fills in some of the blanks:

Ed, Someone asked [I think it was you] how Battery Smith #2 got its name. Before the name change the batteries were called the Smith Brothers, a play on the name of the two Smith Brothers [their names were Pat and Pending] manufacturers of a popular brand of cough drops. The battery was renamed " in honour of the late Brigadier Clint C. Hearn. The authority was General Orders No.11, Headquarters Harbor Defense Manila and Subic Bays, Fort Mills, P.I. [i.e. Philippine Islands] dated October 29,1937. Work on the 12" battery began September 1918 and was completed June 2t,1921. The cost of the battery and magazine was $148,105.32 or more than 2 million in today's dollars. Source: Report of Completed Works dated November 1,1921. [n.b. The entry on the renaming of the battery was added in a longhand note at the bottom of the document.

Jungle Fox

-oo000oo-

Thanks Don, Thanks John. Looks like I'll have to come up with another question to challenge you experts!

George Munson

Paul,

I greatly appreciate your web site. You are performing a good service for those of us who are interested in the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays.

I first got interested in Corregidor as a young boy in the 1950s. Then while I was in college, the Belote brothers' book was published. It was wonderful and perked my interest. I first visited Corregidor in 1972. I didn't know a soul who had much interest in the island and the only map available was in the Belote brothers' book. It took me 5 years before I found anyone who had much of an interest in the island. Millie Wood Kennedy, Jim Black, Lee Skinner, Rico Jose, and I were the only ones researching and exploring the island. We never had the opportunity to meet Millie before she died.

Jim, Lee, and Rico lived in the Philippines and did most of the exploring. I did most of the research. After 27 years, many nights and Saturdays in the National Archives, thousands of dollars being spent, many phone calls and interviews, and thousands of hours of research, all of which took a terrible toll on my family, I have a good idea of what happened on the forts. I say this because many old enlisted men have written their stories.

Articles and books have been published and fiction is being believed as gospel. And I don't like history being rewritten.

Battery Reyson came from the imagination of some Filipino. This battery never existed! I will go one step further and say the only reliable Filipino scholar is Rico Jose. Unless your source is a former Philippine Scout, and many of them are too old to remember, don't waste your time.

Battery Smith had three guns: Smith number 1, Smith number 2 and a 155mm GPF. I believe that the 155mm gun was Battery Monja, but I have never been able to confirm it. Smith number 1 and number 2 were so far apart that they operated tactically as two separate batteries. Thus, they were split up into two batteries. Battery Monja was transferred to the 92d Coast Artillery and in 1941 & 1942 was manned by Battery G.

Howard Brown's claim in the book The American Magic, that he could predict the Foto Joe flights and passed this information on to the the AA batteries resulting in about six planes being shot down is a lie. After obtaining all the 60th Coast Artillery unit histories, interviewing numerous officers, and enlisted men there is no evidence that this took place. I have numerous interviews with battery commanders who knew nothing about Brown's claim. Their communication cables were frequently cut by bombs and shells. They seldom if ever fired at Foto Joe as they wanted to conserve shells and fuses. Also Foto Joe did not climb as he crossed Corregidor. He was already at his operational altitude.

Gold and silver. The gold is all gone. It was never stored in Malinta Tunnel or Navy tunnel. The Army stored it in a vault on the south side of Topside along with the paper money. I'm not sure where the silver coins were stored, but I assume they were in the same location. Also, why would the U.S.S. Trout need 25 tons of balast before it could submerge? Submarines have ballast tanks that they fill with sea water when the want to submerge.

There were no secret tunnels or vaults in Malinta and Navy tunnels. The people were stacked in those tunnels like cords of wood. There was no privacy. You couldn't do anything without dozens of people watching you. I could go on and on, but I won't. I appreciate truth more than fiction and those who rewrite history.

Sincerely, George Munson June 18 1999

George, I'm not a naval architect and the only maritime experience I've ever had is with a young lady at a boat party, so I don't have anything more than a layman's understanding of the ballast issue. Trout probably needed stability ballast. Submarines have at least two types of ballast - buoyancy ballast which is pumped in and out to make the craft submerge and rise, and stability ballast (situate at the lowest points of the hull, and kept 'dry') to make sure that "up" remains "up" at all times. As the amount of water ballast is finite, if the boat is too light, it still might not dive at its designed parameter.

Ed

-oo000oo-

Ed,

My father, Holger L. Holm of New Hartford, Iowa (dec'd May, 1995) was a private stationed with Battery Chicago, 60th Coast Artillery (AA) and was captured with the fall of the island. He was imprisoned at Cabanatuan, Bilibid, Palawan and at Funatsu, Japan. He was taken to Japan aboard the Canadian Inventor. I have some video tapes of him talking at schools on Veteran's Day about his experiences. The talks deal mostly with his experiences as a POW. We have some letters from him written to his sister in law which were written before May 1941 when he arrived on Corregidor and the surrender in May 1942. I also have a diary of my dad's which lists members of his unit with home addresses and the addresses of others with whom he had contact during prison. He also has interesting notes about the contents of Red Cross packages received and a history of his travels from the time he left home until he arrived back home from Japan. Dad was awarded 2 Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts and various other medals for his actions prior to surrender. I would be happy to share anything that we have of Dad's.

Vern Holm, Parkersburg,IA.

-oo000oo-

Landing Zone "A"

E-mails go round and round, and where they stop, nobody knows. Sometimes we get a good one. CORREGIDOR - THEN and NOW has received a poem, originally via Jack Herzig (but original source unknown) called 'Just a Simple Soldier' which deserves a page of it's own, and now gets one.

-oo000oo-

Manila 1945 - It looks like the Congress Building to me, but I wasn't there then. Can anyone clarify where it is, and what building the photo has been taken from? Photos courtesy of Mrs. W.A. Campbell found at the War Times Journal, used by permission.

Ed,

Regarding my father's Corregidor service--we have copies from the St. Louis archives of the original recommendations for medals won for gallantry. My dad had a rather mundane job with Chicago Battery (60th CA). He strung telephone wire which coordinated the firing of the batteries guns. This got a little more than mundane when the Japs started shelling their positions from Bataan. Dad also was involved in the rescue of several injured soldiers who were hit by artillery fire and were in exposed positions. I will try to put together some information and forward it to you. It runs against my dad's self-deprecating nature to pat himself on the back for his service (but he was always my hero). I have become a semi-ardent WW11 historian because of him (and mostly of events associated with Corregidor, the POW camps, Japanese atrocities). My dad never held any long-term ill will toward the Japanese (my brother's son was stationed on Okinawa with the Marines and wound up marrying a Japanese girl and now lives on Okinawa as a civilian employee of the Air Force). I learned of the ADBC web site by reading my mother's copy of The Quan. Mom and Dad attended one ADBC reunion in Albuquerque several years ago. I always wanted to go to Corregidor with Dad but never had the opportunity. I was at Clark AB in the PI in 1970 to go through Air Force survival school on my way to Da Nang, South Viet Nam where I was a radio operator on an AF reconnaissance plane but did not have the opportunity to travel to Cabanatuan or Corregidor. I would really like to visit Funatsu in Japan some day, too, to see where Dad spent his time there.

Vern Holm 7 April '99

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Kirk J. Poole 10 June 1999

Ed,

I think it was back in the 4th grade in the school library that I ran across Falk's book about Bataan. That is where it all started for me. I guess the shock of Americans surrendering, starving, and being tortured and killed by their captors riveted a kid like me. I was already reading WWII history by then, so this was an extension of that.

Over the years, I would watch every movie or documentary that I could. In addition, I bought every book I could lay my hands on, and consolidated my knowledge over the years. While serving on the USS Enterprise from '83 - '85, I had the luck of being on a WestPac deployment that brought me to Olongapo twice. They had the "cheap" tour package to Corregidor, and I took advantage of that tour, both in June and in November 1984. Alas, it was only the quick 2-hour tour, with the 2-peso San Miguel on board the bus.

I didn't travel on my own and come back with a buddy then. It was during the Manila riots, and perhaps I felt nervous about straying outside of a "canned" tour package. I would like to go back again and explore on my own, but I'm still young and have to raise my family first, make a living, etc.,etc. I'm 36, an accountant, a full-time night student ten-months away from getting my B.S. in Business Management. I still voraciously read and buy everything I can on Bataan and Corregidor. Oh, and we have two little ones,20-months and 5-months.

Kirk J. Poole

-oo000oo-

Enquiries about map copies to Ed. The cost will be US$20.00+$5.00 postage & handling.

Some people wonder how extensive the Navy section of Malinta was, and there's been a lot of treasure-hunting speculation as to where the entrance to the southern section actually is. Here is your answer. On a map at least! The entire Navy section has remained sealed since the Japanese exploded it. Landslides covered the southern entrance. Does anyone want to bid on the shovel concession? [Be very patient when you load this file - it's 486K, but it illustrates how detailed the 1937 Map is.]

-oo000oo-

To many of us, this is an "invitation" to discovery. Unfortunately it seems that someone within the Corregidor Foundation has a policy of filling up entrances with debris, or in this case, garbage, rather than excavating them. These tunnel entrances are under the big tree at the rear of the Museum (between Topside and the Telephone Exchange.) I have no idea where they lead.

-oo000oo-

Minter Dial

Ed,

I am the grandson of Lt N. Minter Dial of USS Napa, who was captured at Corregidor and later perished (Dec. 13, 1944 on his way to Japan) .I am trying to reconstruct his existence in prison camps while in the Philippines. He was a prisoner of Cabanatuan POW camps #1 and #3 and Bilibid (Manila) during that time. I would dearly love to have any news from anyone who might have known him during that time. I have so far come up with nothing in all my searches. Thank you for anything you might be able to give me ... clues to other sources, etc.

Yours truly, Minter Dial (Yale '87)

[ I have directed Minter to the good guys at the Battling Bastards of Bataan website whom I hear have detailed records that cross-reference dates of death with shipping losses, and can trace prisoners who never made it home. I have also passed him the details of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor website. - Ed.]

oo000oo-

Don't believe the Light and Sound in the Malinta Tunnel which suggests that all the tunnels were dimly lit. It's nothing but theatre hijacking history once again. They were garishly lit by the new lamp technology that we don't normally associate with the pre-war period - the fluorescent tube.

Capt. Duane Whitlock U.S.N. (Ret'd) has an article on cryptography and the role that Corregidor played in it entitled The Silent War Against the Japanese. We've now secured the kind permission of the Naval War College to put the article on site.

Whitlock agrees that there were some JN-25's decrypted pre Pearl Harbour, but he certainly doesn't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that the code had been so effectively broken well prior to December 7 that some persons in high places within the USN had failed to advise FDR of the true extent of what was known. Conspiracy aficionados and revisionists will no doubt claim that Mr. Whitlock is USN trained, therefore the article is disinformation, and that the USN still conspires with the NSA (and the equivalent bodies of the British and Australian governments) to conceal the real extent to which the contents of pre-war JN-25 messages were known. The conspiracy theory is contained in Betrayal at Pearl Harbour by James Rusbridger and Eric Nave, Summit Books, 1991. A more detailed discussion can be found on this site. The conspiracy theory is comprehensively debunked by the new book "Marching Orders" by Bruce Lee.

-oo000oo-

B.W. Smith Editor Coast Defense Study Group Journal

Ed,

I enjoyed your web site on Corregidor. In partial answer to your request for information about Battery Morrison: It was commenced in December of 1907 and completed and turned over to the coast artillery on November 10, 1910. Cost to date of transfer: $79,845.99 Main source of power was central power plant. Battery also had one 25 kW gasoline motor-generator. Guns: Two 6-inch model of 1905 (Watervliet Arsenal) on disappearing carriage model of 1905MI (Watertown Arsenal). #1: gun # 31 on carriage # 12; #2: gun # 32 on carriage # 13. Battery Commander's station and plotting room located on and in hill directly to rear of battery (it was unusual to have a separate plotting room for a 6-inch battery). Source: Report of Completed Works, January 1, 1920.

I too have visited Corregidor, and I hope our group will revisit in 2002 (5 years from last visit). ... I just finished Devlin's book on retaking Corregidor, but did not think it as good as Flanaghans. Do you have a copy of Bunker's diary? (You probably know that Bunker commanded the seacoast defenses.) It is pretty interesting, for those of us who care about such things.

B.W. Smith Editor Coast Defense Study Group Journal

-oo000oo-

CORREGIDOROS ROSTER:

How do you qualify to be a Corregidoros? Well, I figure that you have got to have been on Corregidor at least seven days. People who haven't made it on the Rock for all of 7 days can be called "Corregidoros J.G.'s" ? Hey, it's my Website! I gotta right to be fickle! - Ed

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Nancy LeClear Easterling April 16, 1999

Ed,

My name is Nancy LeClear Easterling, I am looking for information about my father, Lt. Francis Earl LeClear, who was a prisoner of war; we believe he was captured on Corregidor. Where can I go to locate information?

Thank You. Nancy Via: DEAN EASTERLING [mailto:[email protected]]

[ I will post your letter in the forum in case it jolts somebody's memory. I do not have any roster material. You should try the Battling Bastards of Bataan site, and the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor site, both of which have links on this site. - Ed.] Also look at the links page, which now has info on these, and of the American EX-POW's organization.

-oo000oo-

Suzan Speropoulos

Ed,

My father was a Prisoner of War and was held captive for approximately 4 years. I believe but might be mistaken though that he was captured shortly after the war started. He fought on Bataan and was in the death march. He talked very little of his experiences while held captive therefore I do not know very much. I know of a ship that he mentioned the Oki Maru I think was the name or something similar. I believe that was the ship that he was on while being transported to prison camp. He also mentioned being only about 50 miles from Hiroshima while in prison. He past away last year and I have tried to obtain his military records but I was told they were destroyed in a fire in St. Louis. I do not know what ever became of any records that he may have had himself. Do you possibly know of another route I could take in finding any information on his military years. He also was an active member in the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. His name was Dewey R. "Red" Smithwick and lived in Hampton, VA. I also know the following members of the ADBC - Howard Morgan, Harold Feiner, Paul Harmon and ? Aquino. Can't remember his first name. I would appreciate any help that you may be able to give me.

Suzan Speropoulos

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Kirk J. Poole Portland, Oregon 10 June 1999

Ed, I've spent 25 of my 36 years reading and researching every shred of documentation I can find on the situation on Bataan and the siege of Corregidor. I have found your site in the past week and have now bookmarked it. You have plenty of material I have not seen or read before. New pictures I have never seen, and the excitement of a newly discovered tunnel to the NE of the Malinta system. (Don't thank me for this one, it's to Danny Howell's credit - Ed) I should like to return to Corregidor one day. I made 2 visits in '84 while in the Navy when we pulled into Subic. Only 2 hours each time. Very angry I didn't take greater advantage by being there to explore more. Thank you for your time. I have become a junky on your site. I eagerly await any updates that are forthcoming.

Kirk J. Poole

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Kenneth L Schneider 3 April 1999

Ed, Thank you for creating this website. I have been studying both campaigns for years and finally I can see where these events took place. Do you have any plans to include Bataan, or the other fortified islands (especially Fort Drum)?

Kenneth L Schneider

[I have not spent sufficient time on Bataan to be familiar with it. There would have been a page on Ft. Drum had Manila Bay not been so choppy on the morning Art and I arranged a boat. Perhaps next visit, unless someone who has been there wants to make a contribution...Ed.]

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WHY I PERSEVERE WITH THIS SITE Fortunately there are still those of us who believe that we can't own history, only hold it in trust for our children. People who experience, achieve and survive something extraordinary, when others have not, voluntarily shoulder certain obligations upon themselves, not just for society, but also for those of their contemporaries who did not survive. This is Spielberg's premise, isn't it, of Saving Private Ryan? One of the more poignant obligations of surviving is to relate the experience, on behalf of those who cannot. The knowledge of surviving veterans, whose time is shortly upon them, is a living treasure. Their memories, but our treasure. One of the obligations of the generation that follows them is to record their human experiences, their humanity, and not just their history. Fragments of their humanity are our treasures in trust, valuable only when we can renew their experience by passing them on. So called historians can come along a hundred years later, and tell us what their history was. Yet only those of us who can sit with the veterans in their 'virtual' parlour, and who listen closely, can record their humanity. There's a climactic soliloquy in the cult-movie Blade Runner which goes towards explaining the primary reason I'm trying to gather, and at the same time, educate what to many may seem an esoteric "knowledge" of the Rock. The astonished Blade Runner is watching helplessly as a tired looking Baty slumps down in a lotus position before him. Still cradling a dove, Baty smiles, almost bashfully, before saying: