Evening star., 1945-08-30
Boyington
Continued From First Page.)

broken ankle. My main gas tank
blew up. I Tipped the Corsair on
her back. unfastened by safety belt
and dropped 100 feet to the water,
stunned.
My Mae West lifebelt failed to
initiate and investigation revealed
200 holes in it. I shucked my shoes
and clothes and treaded water Four
Nips in Zeke fighters strafed me
until they ran out of ammunition
I finally located my planes rubber
lifeboat and inflated it okay After
a few hours japanese submarine
surfaced near me by coincidence and
took me aboard off Cape ST. George
The sub transported me to Rabaul
AT Rabaul I was blindfolded and
handcuffed and my medical equip
ment was taken away l was ques-
toned all night long.
Il had no medical treatment for
10 days, during which time my fes-
tering wounds smelled so foully that
I wondered how the japanese ques-
tioners could stand the stencil. On
the 18th day another internee was
permitted to apply hot water band
ages.
Il was held two months at Ra-
baul, during which time I was
trucked into town daily from the
camp for continuous grilling. There
were 20 other airmen in the camp,
but I was singled out as a special
prisoner, with no prisoner of war
privileges.
'On March 7, 1914, I was trans
ferred to secret navy camp in the
country village of Una, Japan, for
questioning.
ut was here that I was given the
baseball treatment 1t con-
sists of standing with your hands
tied while guard slugged my back
and legs with the bat as hard as
he could. My rump was so swollen
I could see it over my shoulder
Then I got slugged in the jaw about
300 times. Similar beatings killed
other prisoners in the camp.
Even the japanese civilians took
part in administering the beatings.
The barber who shaved our heads
every two months. delighted in TAX
Ing pokes at us.
"A Japanese pharmacist mate saw
1st 1t. Bill Harris, the son of Maj.
Gen. Phil Harris, who was captured
on Corregidor, reading an item
about Russian successes in Europe
from a newspaper he had flshed
from a garbage can,
The Jap called all prisoners into
formation and then beat Harris for
half an hour with a baseball bat,
knocking him down 20 times When
Harris was finally knocked out, the
Jap kicked him in the face and ribs
with his heavy shoes.
Harris recovered.
"On April 5, this year, l was
transferred to Omori where polite
ness was the order of the day.
We were required to bow to the
Emperor every morning and also to
bow from the waist politely to the
guard in asking the japanese for
permission to go to the toilet and
then on returning we had to seek
out the guard and bow again,
thanking him. Since most of the
prisoners were suffering from dysen-
terry and could not conform to this
rigamarole they were beaten and
otherwise punished as a result.
Our menu consisted of milo
maize and rice in a combination
tasting like chalk supplemented by
soybean soup which was mostly
water. AS an occasional treat a
fishhead or seaweed was thrown
in
My normal weight of ITS pounds
fell off to Ito until I wangled jot
for myself as kitchen kobin (sla.
vey), whereon the combination oi
my year-old hunger and the avail.
able food ballooned me up to 100.
The Marine ace, who still has
boundless energy, but a jaundiceo
complexion, now weights 160. Tht
first news that the famed "Pappy'
BoyinAon was still alive came last
night when other prisoners, learn.
ing Of the approach of Commodore
Simpsons rescue party, painted his
name in large letters in the toilet
a.