The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-11-02
Gen. Wainwright Describes Early Tarlac Camp
Where Fe1v Books Were Handed Around Like Jeluels


CHAPTER ~
~ GENERAL JONATHAN M.
- WAINWRIGHT
cartwright, 1945, by King Fea-
lu w. syndicate, Inc. Reproduction
~ sa' whole or in part strictly pro-
=" hibited.)
The hot days at our Tarlac pr.
~ followed dismally one behind
'Sa other. We were routed out ear.
-. + for a roll call each morning, then
won our rice. After my rice ]
ss,odId begin to walk around the pri-
.on ward, which was about 200
' ~" by 100. 1 would walk as long
~ NV strength, or Jap plans for
e e. permitted. Then, if there were
M o1estioners about, I would come
hack and read.
Brig. Gen. Lewis Beebe and had
.oEpo few books with us from
,he library of the University Clua
IN Manila. They were handed
around like rare treasures, read
md re-read, even submitted O
memory. One that especially stands
inf in my mind was Kenneth Rob-
srls, "Oliver WisweE." which did
more to take me. out of myself
faan any other book I read. I am
,,re as one officer said, that we
would have read the telephone book
bon cover to cover if one h a i
been available.
The ignominy of being made to
ii manual labor was still before
MS But the hours of just sitting
and waiting, for God knows what,
nailed on many of us. Brig. Gen.
william E. Brougher, one OF the
r.ly great combat soldiers of Ba
tam, obtained some seeds and
and planted tomatoes, sweet po-
tatoes and Watermelons, and daily
we inspected them as their first
sprouts showed timidly above the
sln-baked ground.
One day in July 1912, we were
told that each of Us must write an
essay the subjects of which were
assigned to US. l drew "Amerlca's
Pre-war Policy in the Pacific,' sat
down and wrote at great length or
what | believed, and still believe,
was our appalling error in not be.
ing militarily prepared for any
emergency in that part of the
world. The Jap "schoolma ster"
was sternly silent about my essay
in further discussions of our scho.
lastc work.
The Jap officer in charge of our
camp seldom visited us. He left
most Of the camps supervision to
sergeant who delighted in order
ing US around. The sergeant usual
posted himself near the only exit
Of our barbed wire enclosure.
The wire was the height Of jap
precaution, Few of us at Tarlac
We're In condition to stand the rig
0rs of escape, for we could not
have run or walked far from the
camp, nor could we have existed
very long in the mountains even if
We mad been able to put distance
between the camp and ourselves.
But We all dreamed of escaping.
as cooped men will do. And one
Jay the opportunity all but faced
some Of the young enlisted men in
the camp.
on that day in question we were
" gel some meat. The meat arriv.
ca IN the shape of starved but
s srA rather risky Philippine COW.
Inc creature could not have weigh.
eo i'O pounds. We helped the COW
.eNoeIly out of the truck which
Ol.ugnt it to our enclosure, bat it
souoeA'ly broke away from us and
logan running around the prison
yard. ~ p-'Son
, Inc hungry Americans, Including
myself, gave chase. But the co1,
% "aS IN much better physical shape
a any of US. 1t darted this wav
na 'nsl and then ran straight cut
N'T open gate of the enclosure.
.n nS llllS time the senior officers
a nla many OF the juniors were com
s S1;ely Wlnded, But half a dozen
,hu men pursued the COW RICH,
torO ou g the gate, passing right be-
Isn o uie noses OF the heavily armed
.s 1T Is possible that they could have
ma mn, gong But in the stress Of the
ms .a their overwhelming GRAY.
e ers 1oi meat was greater than their
ID 't tb for liberty. They chas.
v VI ms {! COW up neighboring hill.
for ~ II turned and bolted back
ria, 4'e :. camp. The COW led the men
in S4 tbo through the gate again, and
ho rer gnawlng hunger some of
had men h did not even know tnev
oeen out of bounds.
Oerfo would have been 1,,dicro,,s
how ,V i at any other time b1,t
sben was very serious, especia1lv
.vade o oI5, COW continued easily to
Scr eno our starving men in the 'rri.
try, n Ssrge3nt from the COW com.
ed + l,a'n 5d Greenleaf. finally SOW.
Jan 'g ae,e dilemma. He borrowed .
lenret%5O 4 cs fashioned a lasso. stole
Up IN r 81 rope from a suspicious