Evening star., 1945-11-18

- After we wer
Gen. "ainWrisht' seated, the,
took their places, on the folding
chairs and stools opposite US.
Yamashita, the so-called "Tigel
of Malaya," was man as large a,
my old opponent Homma and lit.
tie fleShier. He had been hiding
out in the mountains to the west O.
Cagayan Valley and had beer
brought in the day before by de-
tachment of American troops. Hi!
beribboned uniform was dirty ano
impressed. Gen. Percival stared
,impassively at him, masking what.
ever emotion he felt over witnessing
the unconditional surrender of tht
man who had so aggressively forced
the same thing on Percival at Sin.
gapore in February, 1912.
Gen. Leavey conducted the brie1
ceremony. The Japs signed ano
then Gen. Leavey affixed his sigma
ture for the United States, handing
one of his two signing pens to me
He then announced that the Japs
having unconditionally surrendered
would be removed under guard a.
prisoners of war.
Large MP Takes Over.
Immediately a large and capable
looking MP major came in with
three or four muscular enlisted men
He walked up to Yamashita
r,,pcbed on autopdad {,dn, fro.,
into the Jap generals shoulder ano
motioned him out of the room like
an umpire thumbing a player out
of ball game. He was to be taken
to Bilibid Prison to await. trial as q
war criminal.
Yamashita suddenly wept as he
walked away. I got up from the
table and strolled out of the room
with Gen. Styer.
General" I asked him. 'this
might seem little strange, coming
from me, but I hope Yamashita is
shown the courtesy due his rank, ir
the matter of personal accommoda
tions, housing and food"
He'll be given everything he's en-
titled to under the Geneva Conven-
tion," Gen. Styer assured me. 1--WE
don't want to be guilty of treating
any one as the Japs treated you and
your men,"
I flew back to Manila that after
noon and through the evening I was
visited by number of old friends
I had not seen in years. a.
That same day I saw what was
to me one of the most astonishing
sights of my twoscore of years ir
the Army. Into my line Of vision
at the airfeld walked a very pretty
young lady.
Sees His First WAC.
well, I'll be damned" must
have muttered, for an officer mex;
to me asked me what the matter
was. I walked over to her. She
had on what was obviously the fem.
mime version of an Army uniform
She even saluted me.
Il beg your pardon" said, "bu;
-. but what are you?"
She seemed little startled.
why, I'm WAC, SIR
"A what?"
"A WAC" she insisted.
I thanked her and came back tt
the officer.
What the devil is a wack?" !
asked him.
I was still catching up with tn,
war.
The next day. September 4, !
lunched with Mrs. Macarthur a,
the generals residence in the Santa
Mesa region Of Manila, along with
Beebe, Pugh and Dooley.
Many warm friends were at Mich.
OILS Field the next morning to SET
us OF. Capt. Perkins lifted the bis
C-54 into the air at o'clock ane
headed straight east over Lagunt
Bay. AS we drew of from thu
eastern shore OF Luzon I felt a sud,
den sadness, for though the Philip.
pines had been the scene of my owr
and my country's most humiliatins
experience, I am very attached Il
the islands. I felt that I woulc
never see them again.
Fly to Guam.
We flew through perfect weathel
TO Guam, whose development sine,
I first saw it in 1908, and last saw i
In 1910, was hard to believe. 1t
Gen. Barney Giles of the Goth All
Force, took us in hand that evenin,
and showed us our first B-29.
We left Guam in the morning an,
new to Kwajalein, where the Nav,
treated us handsomely, and thel
flew on all that night and unit
noon the next day to Honolulu
where an old con1rade, 1t. Gen
Robert c. Richardson, was waitin
for me at Hickam Field.
He had a luncheon ready, an,
some great news. While we wer
eating he took radio message from
his pocket from the adjutant gen
eral OF the Army, and told me ha,
been promoted to the grade of ful
general. With a big smile he pro
duced eight silver stars from hi
pocket and pinned them on m
shoulders. The promotion wa
wholly unexpected, very wonderfu
thing for President Truman to de
when one considers that spent b
far the greater part Of the war Ii
prison camps.
We were Gen. Richardson's guest
In Hawaii until Friday night, Sen
temberT7, when we took of for Sa
Francisco. 1t was cloudy as "
approached the city. But at II am
September 8, the clouds opened an
there below us was the Golden Cat
Bridge and the green mountains t
the north of the bay ). home, an
there never was a finer word.
Telephones to Wife.
A large delegation met us 9
Hamilton Field, the Mayor, sewers
generals-and my sister, Mrs. Fred
erick Mears of Seattle, and my bo,
whom I had missed so very mucl
With my boy and my sister in tn
car with me We whisked through th
Presidio and into the city to tn
st. Francis Hotel, where q heart
warming crowd had gathered.