3d Day, Monday, 21 Feb. 2005:  Guys keep in mind I don't have a map, nor am I up on the proper terminology so I may say things that are wrong.

With the CFI jeepney off to Battery Way. From on top the roof of that radio / communication place immediately next to the right side of Battery Way we started on a trail which, as is so often the case, was a road once.

Our goal was to find a single 3-inch AA gun position that has the same type of two stairways down to a magazine like the one yesterday. It is located north of Battery Way and straight up hill from RJ 96.

The road, trail now, to RJ-96 is used and easily walked. We started walking up where we thought was the right way, but... we went wrong two times.

The first try we ended up where, I believe,  the CDSG folks said was the Command and Fire-Control Station of Battery Way. Of course, that was interesting to me.

The next try we marched through the woods straight north (or so we thought). It became obvious that we walking too far and we walked back in an diagonal direction to roughly where we started out.

At this point our hawk-eye Tony came to play; he spotted it. And in a while he also spotted the keyhole gun position concrete base. The position is slightly different from the 3-inch AA gun position we looked at yesterday. The gun base is roughly the same direction from the magazine but maybe twice the distance, the magazine is higher above the ground and maybe for that reason the steps are a little longer. The air shaft is intact and the position has a more elaborate drain system. About 125 feet from the magazine, down the hill, we found a square manhole about 15 feet deep. We went down to check it out.

The key to find it is; one got to go all the way to RJ 96,maybe 30 feet past and then straight up and trust the distance from the map.

The next project was to find the eight ordnance warehouses strung out along the former trolley track high up in the Engineering Ravine. One takes the road to Battery Morrison and right next to it, down maybe 30 feet, is a large structure with all four walls still intact. That is the first one, and in my write up I numbered them one through eight, starting with this one. A very large tree grows on the far end with a few mighty roots coming right through the door.

We found all eight warehouses in rapid succession. They are of different construction and I wont elaborate too much on that.

No. 2 still has part of walls standing and on one, one barely can make out a No-Smoking sign.

Nos. 3 to 6 only have the concrete floors which are, in part, on concrete supports.

No. 7 is of a heavy duty concrete construction, similar but not quite as big as the ordnance repair shop near Battery Way.

No. 8, yea was it or was it not; exactly where it should have been there are two massive depressions, bigger than the common bomb craters.  All we found was one large piece of concrete nearby with a lot of large sized rebar sticking out.

Some of us walked a little further and ascertained one can easily walk further this way. Can't wait to explore further on the road / trail at another time.

At this point three of us went back the way we came and I took pictures.

 Roger Davis, and Tony Feredo went to look for the 2 gasoline and petroleum products warehouses which are a little above where we were. They started straight up from Ordnance warehouse No. 7 and found them promptly. Later they reported that the Gasoline warehouse is possibly the best preserved structure on the island. It still had the iron doors installed and the tanks are still there. That obviously is an target on one of my future visits to the Rock.

 On the way down via topside (one way traffic on the Island) we came across Paul O'Friel, a US Embassy Officer from the Political Section who was here to coordinate the upcoming ceremony for the 60th Anniversary of the flag raising by Gen MacArthur. After introducing myself he invited us and any other person to participate.

At lunch Glen Williford had a meeting with OIC in charge of the CFI.

In the afternoon our goal was a closer look at the Mile Long Barracks. Guy Hall was interested in taking pics of the cine. Roger Davis showed me the swimming pool in the center section of the barracks. I learned one could drive through the building and I looked down the long steps to the Commissary. Then Roger showed me the "The Big Hole." The way to find it is, one goes north along the exact line of the last east end wall about 200 feet and you will fall into it. One can't see the bottom, my guess is it is 100 feet plus deep. (Best informed guess so far is 86 ft.)

 We continued to our real afternoon goals;  we continued to Battery Crockett, crossed it and went down to the road below. We found the following items in this order: emergency control station, Command and Fire Control Station, steps up to the battery and 2nd  emergency control station- all to or of Battery Crocket.

At the 2nd emergency control station is also the point where all the caves start on this wall of the caves.  ("Wall of Caves") At the first major ravine with major culvert we checked out an elaborate cave. And on the way we also checked out a walk-in sized cave. I understand they were all dug by the 4th Marines.

At the next RJ we took the switch-back road down to find the Government Vault. And we believe we found it. The foundation of the Sentry-House is at the next ravine and culvert. One continues and comes upon a big destroyed bridge. This is where one crosses back over the previous ravine. Again Roger was the more enterprising  individual and with hawk-eye Tony found what they believe are the remains of the Government Vault.

 It was getting late and we went back up and went straight for Battery Ramsey viia further down the South-Road and out that way. We walked all the way back to Bottomside and I took the troop down the short cut from Middleside, then down to the Row-House, then the short cut down from there.

Tuesday, 22 Feb-05, the 4th day and last day.

We stayed a long time at the breakfast table chewing the fat and Tony downloaded a whole CD worth of pics for me.

It was great having 2 laptop PCs with us and we could swap our pics at the end of every day.

Than we all took a leisurely walk around Malinta Hill and exchanged ideas and just enjoyed. I showed the guys the two remaining open Navy tunnels on the way. After, I took my leave, we said goodbye, more like Auf Wiedersehen until next year.

I again would like to express my sincere appreciation to the CDSG troops and in particular my Philippine neighbor Tony Feredo for letting me tag along.

Thank you guys.

It is now the evening of the 1st Mar-05 and tomorrow, early, the family and I will hop in the car and drive down to Cabcaben, than take a boat and 20 minutes later we step again on the hollow grounds of the Rock. I will think of all the vets and people who have served there and have sacrificed there. The ceremony schedule also includes jumps by RP and US Paratroopers.

Corregidor-Next Year!!!

Karl