Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-06-25
CHAPTER v

Manila to pick up the remnants.
had just eighty gallons of gas to. go
those thirty miles-finally got back
with ten. A curious thing happened
during those closing hours; nobody
had given orders to blow up the oil
reserves. Maybe some of them be-
longed to private companies; it
would 60 against a business mans
grain to blow up good oil. Finally
little junior-grade naval lieutenant
noticed it. He had no authority, but
he gave orders he had no right to
give, and presently the oil was blaz-
ing. hear he got Navy Cross for
doing it. ..
II was in Manila about that time"
said Cox. "a big air attack was 60
ing on, although it had already been
declared an open city. For that
reason had gone in with the guns
on my boat with their canvas covers
on-for welfare reasons. Yet, open
city or not, the big air raid was on
streets deserted except for few
people running nowhere in particu-
lar like crazy, planes crisscrossing
the sky above. The big church,
about mile from shore, was just
beginning to burn. In the harbor,
boats were burning and sinking on
all sides-five and ten-thousand ton
ners. But not a single shot was
fred at the planes-which came
down as low as five hundred feet.
II went up on into the city, and
everywhere people we're kind and
helpful. The Japs were right out
side the town, and yet the store
keepers would give me anything we
Americans needed without either
money or a voucher-just sign a
paper, that was all. They trusted
u.s."
II took my boat into the harbor
just as the Japs were entering the
city," said Bulkeley. at was night,
and we could see the town burning
"a huge death-pal of smoke hang
ing above and oil six inches deep
over the water. 1t looked like doom
hanging over a great city, and it
was. Made you feel bad. We stayed
out there from nine o'clock at night
until about three in the morning.
Didn't dare go ashore, and anyway
our job was to destroy harbor ship
ping-so what was left of it wouldn't
fall into Jap hands,"
II had to leave all my spare uni
forms in my locker there, damn
them," said Akers. II hope none
of them fit"
"Watching them take over made
you feel pretty SICK" said Bulkeley.
"We finished up and started home,
to get back before dawn, now and
then looking back at the fires over
the water. Every time it made us
sore"
"It was tough New Years Eve
for me, too" said Kelly, because
we knew more or less what was 60
ing on. Then there was another rea-
son. Some of the army officers
were throwing a little New Years
party with the nurses that night, and
since this medical officer Peggy had
been going with was just back from
Bataan, of course I knew where
she'd be.
"Along in the evening after SUM-
set I walked out to the mouth of the
tunnel and sat down, to watch the
twilight of the old year die away.
1t had been tough year, but the
one ahead looked worse. And here
was I, useless for the war, in an
army hospital. From away off l
could hear them playing the portable
at the officers party, and I remem-
bered how cute Peggy had looked in
her civilian dress when she danced,
and that didn't help any. Pretty
soon one of the other nurses l knew,
Charlotte, came out and sat down
near me. She wasn't at the party
because she had to 60 on duty soon,
but that didn't matter, because her
boy friend had just been wounded
three days before, and she was wor-
ried sick about him.
"Just then l noticed someone sit
ting down on the other side of mel
turned and, by George, it was Peg
gy. Not in uniform, either. She
was wearing that cute cool-looking
cotton-print civilian dress.
II couldn't figure it. Didn't you
like the party?' l asked. Wasn't
it any good?'
4 don't know she said. I didn't
60 to the party
Weren't you asked?'
Yes she said. I was asked.
But it was New Years, you see, and
thought it might be nice here
"Not very many nice things hap
pen to you during war, but this
was about the incest that ever hap
pened to me then, or any other time.
1t made me feel so good that be-
tween the two of us, we managed to
get Charlotte cheered up. She had
to 60 back on duty presently, and
she managed to sneak us out cou-
pie of fairly cold bottles of Pabst