Authors: Clifton La Bree
“All of us have experienced a miracle in the middle of the
jungle far removed from civilized society. Clean and airy tents with mosquito
nets are now available for our use. What a luxury a cot and clean blankets will
be. As we vacate the quarters we’ve known for three years, we should look upon
the transition as the first steps on our way home. I beg of you, don’t look
back. This morning we’re stepping outside of the quarters we’ve known for three
years. It’s our first step to freedom. Let’s leave the squalor of yesterday
where it belongs and take a giant step to tomorrow. Follow me to the tents and
don’t look back.”
The hardy Rangers looked on as the inscrutable Madame June
led her companions into the bright sunshine and their new accommodations.
Jonathon felt like cheering as the ladies filed past him eager to see what the
tents would be like. She smiled and winked at him as she proudly walked by. It
was a triumph of the human spirit and it touched all of the Rangers who
witnessed the exodus.
Large numbers of planes of every description began to fly overhead.
Sleek fighter planes could be heard firing at enemy targets as they darted
about the landscape. Bombers flew in formation unleashing their bomb loads on
enemy troop concentrations, while small planes darted above the battlefield
spotting for artillery support. The sound of the heavy caliber naval guns could
be heard distinctly from the prison compound. The invasion of Luzon was
underway and regardless of the fanatical suicidal resistance of the Japanese,
the forces under General MacArthur would prevail. He had kept his promise to
return.
Sporadic small arms fire could be heard near the outpost
locations where the Rangers and Filipino soldiers intercepted enemy troops in a
high state of anxiety and confusion. Stragglers and retreating Japanese soldiers
on their way to the interior were not attacking the compound. They simply ran
into it without knowing that the Rangers had established a firm footing to
their rear.
Jonathon had every man available on the perimeter line. The
tempo of gunfire lessened. The radio man motioned to him that he had a call
from Sixth Army and passed the receiver to him.
“This is Lieutenant Wright.”
“We are sending this message in the clear, Lieutenant,” said
an authoritative voice. “Operation
Snapdragon
is coming to an end. A flying
column is underway to relieve you. A large transportation section will be with
the column to evacuate the female prisoners. The column will leave the coast at
dawn. Elements of the Twentieth Division are securing both flanks of the
relieving column. You are ordered to return to Sixth Army HQ with the convoy.
The prisoners will be evacuated to a hospital ship already at anchor in
Linguyen Bay. Well done, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir. We’ll be looking forward to the arrival of
the column. Several of the inmates will need immediate medical assistance if
they are to survive the ordeal. Over and out.” Jonathon turned to his radio man
with a grin. “We’re going to have company tomorrow, corporal.”
Jonathon hastily looked up Madame June in one of the tents
erected in a shady portion of the compound. Lisa Carter was with her. They had
just completed eating supper and were settling down in the tents for the night.
Candles and lanterns were in short supply so the inmates turned in as soon as
it became dark. They stretched out on their new cots, covering themselves with
the new blankets. They heard the gunfire in the distance and anticipated what
it meant. Their ordeal was fast coming to an end.
“Good evening, Lieutenant Wright,” greeted Madame June. “The
sound of guns and bombs are like music to our ears.”
“I’ve received word that a relief column will be underway in
the morning. There will be ample transports and ambulances for all of you.
You’ll be transported to the coast where a hospital ship is standing by to receive
you. The route back to the gulf should be safe. Infantry units will be guarding
the flanks of the column. We’ll also be accompanying you to the coast.”
“Thank you, young man,” answered Madame June. “You and your
men have given us a reason to be proud to be Americans. Your compassion and
generosity are matched by your courage and loyalty. Thank God you came when you
did. We owe you our lives. Thank you seems to be inadequate but it comes from
our hearts.”
“June speaks for all of us, Lieutenant Wright,” added Lisa,
wrapping a blanket around herself. “I want to tell you personally that I will
always be grateful. In the years to come, I’ll remember how your calming and
reassuring presence at the most terrifying experience of my life gave me hope
and comfort. Thank you is inadequate, but, as Madame June said, it’s all we
have to give.”
“You, ladies, are an inspiration to me and my men. I’m glad
that your time in Purgatory is about to end. Good night, ladies. Sleep well.
Tomorrow will be a new day, one I’m sure you’ll remember and describe to your
children and grandchildren. We’re privileged to have been the instruments of
your release.”
“Good night, Lieutenant.”
Jonathon returned to the most vulnerable and exposed outpost
position in the perimeter defense system. Climbing into a foxhole with his
radioman and two Rangers, he carefully scanned the open sugar cane field in
front of them. He settled in to a comfortable position so that he could observe
the field, thinking how much progress the inmates had already made. Nutritious
food and clean surroundings were already making a world of difference. He could
feel the energy building within the group. Lisa Carter had made remarkable
progress since he had found her in the plantation bedroom. At first glance, he
had the impression that she was fragile and withdrawn. He now saw her in
another light. She was very much a part of the small group of leaders who had
guided the inmates through their incarceration. It was her nature to not call
attention to herself. Flamboyance and showiness were foreign to her character.
She preferred to let her actions speak for her and she guarded her privacy with
relentless vigor. She was a very strong-willed person. Her starved body was
weak and frail, but her spirit and determination knew no bounds.
Increased naval bombardment announced the birth of a new
day. Cooks and servers were busy at work in the Japanese kitchen again
preparing food for the inmates. Jonathon remained at the main outpost. During
the early morning hours he had spoken twice to the officer in charge of the
column on its way to them. The convoy was composed of ten trucks, five
half-tracks with quad fifty caliber machine gun mounts and an assortment of
ambulances and Jeeps. The task force commander ordered Jonathon to have the
inmates assembled with luggage ready to move out as soon as they arrived. The
flanking units had run into sporadic opposition. There was a fear that the
Japanese would attempt to make a massive all-out attack against the compound to
silence the women forever. Therefore, all units involved were at a high level
of alert, and the quicker they vacated the area the better.
Once Jonathon received the word he sent runners to the tents
to tell the inmates to take whatever personal belongings they wanted, but they
would have to leave behind their bedding and food supplies, which could be
salvaged at a later date. A loud cheer erupted from the tents as soon as they
were informed of the closeness of the rescue column. The exuberance of the
women masked the sound of trucks and half-tracks coming through the main gate
entrance. Lieutenant Jacob was leading the point vehicle into the compound.
They made a U-turn in the sugar cane fields and lined up beside the assembled
women. It was a sight that touched the hearts of inmates and soldiers alike.
Those most in need of medical attention were loaded into the
ambulances on stretchers. The field was a beehive of activity as the weak
inmates were assisted into the two and a half ton GMC army trucks. Strong,
willing hands helped them without a word. The soldiers and Rangers exhibited a
sense of urgency that the women picked up on and hurried, so as to not hold the
column up. The trip back to the coast was not without risk, but there was no
doubt in their minds that the strong young soldiers would defend them with
honor. The convoy represented a small oasis of America. The women had not gone
home to America yet, a part of America had come to them!
Smiles and tears of joy replaced the fear and uncertainty
that had dominated their existence. This was the first leg of their homeward
journey to families and loved ones. They left the compound with raised fists,
loud protests, and profanities. The compound was already history for them.
Jonathon and Lieutenant Jacob kept a count of the inmates as
they loaded the trucks. Madame June offered to help them but they insisted that
she take her place in the cab of one of the trucks where the seat was more
comfortable. When all inmates were accounted for, the order was given to move
out. Jonathon and his Rangers took their place in trucks and scout cars at the
tail of the column where they choked on the churning dust. A new chapter on the
war against tyranny had been written and Jonathon was pleased that
Snapdragon
was coming to a successful conclusion. Long range penetration of enemy lines by
a determined number of highly trained soldiers was not a new thing, but a
successful rescue of prisoners who would have been massacred by the enemy was a
new concept of war in the shadows. The Rangers had exhibited the finest
characteristics of the American soldier by cheating the enemy of the
opportunity to murder innocent witnesses to their atrocities. A warrior never
stands so tall as when he stoops to help a soul in need.
The column of formerly imprisoned woman wound its way
through the small Filipino villages on the Gulf of Lingayen. Slowly they came
down from the highlands to the shore of the Gulf where the invasion had taken
place. As far as the eye could see, ships dotted the ocean from the shore to
the horizon. The coastal plain was covered to capacity with mountains of
supplies and vehicles of every description. Large battleships and cruisers were
firing support missions for the troops ashore. The shells flying over their
head made sucking swirling sounds like powerful locomotives traveling at great
speed through the air. The shock waves rocked the trucks the women were riding
in.
The navy, as promised, was waiting for the women. As soon as
they disembarked from the trucks, naval nurses and corpsmen in white uniforms
began giving each woman a cursory exam and quiz so as to send them to the
proper facility lying offshore. Landing craft with their ramps resting on the
beach were waiting to transport them to either a transport ship or a hospital
ship, depending on their needs as interpreted by the first line of nurses. The
ambulatory patients were immediately sent to the hospital ship by high speed
courier boats.
Once on board, the inmates would receive the best medical
care available anywhere in the world. Their transformation from prisoners of
war to free American citizens was underway. Jonathon and the Rangers stood
around the last barge load of women. Responsibility for them had been assumed
by the navy. The last two women to board the barge were Madame June and Lisa.
They paused to say good-bye to him.
“Well, ladies,” said Jonathon soberly. It was a moment he
would never forget. “This is where we part company. The best of luck. Our
prayers go with you. You’re in good hands with the navy. When you get home,
have a piece of apple pie and a glass of ice cold milk for me.”
“We’ll certainly do that, Lieutenant Wright. What will you
do when we leave?” asked Madame June.
“I’m a soldier and I follow orders. We’ve got a war to win.
If there are any more prisoners on the islands, we’ll do the same thing we did
at your old compound. It has been a privilege, ladies. Go home to your families
now and put this sordid experience behind you. God bless and bon voyage.”
“And may God bless you, young man,” said Madame June,
embracing him. “Thank you…thank you….” She turned to hide the tears Jonathan
saw rolling down her cheeks.
Lisa also hugged and kissed him softly on the cheek.
“Good-bye, Lieutenant. We’ll pray for your safety. I’ll never forget your
kindness. Take care of yourself, soldier.”
Jonathon touched his cheek where she had kissed him.
Suddenly he felt alone and insignificant watching the barge slowly back away
from the beach. Lisa and Madame June waved to him as the craft turned toward
the large white hospital ship. He looked at his radio man who was also moved by
the poignancy of the moment.
“I don’t know about you, sir, but I’m going to miss those
ladies.”
“You’re not alone, corporal,” replied Jonathon, shouldering
his Thompson. “Lets gather up the platoon and check in at headquarters.”
Jonathon’s platoon fought on Luzon with elements of the 37th
Infantry Division in the outskirts of Manila. The initial landings had been
relatively unopposed. The deeper they advanced into the interior of the island
the more stubborn the Japanese resistance became. General MacArthur ordered the
capture of the capital city of Manila as soon as possible. He was returning
with an army powerful enough to clear all of the Philippine Islands of their
despot occupiers. It would be a costly operation. The Japanese had assembled
its finest divisions on Leyte and Luzon under its most fanatical commander,
General Yamashito. They fought to the death of every man.
Jonathon and his men were given orders for another perilous
mission in the suburbs of Manila. Several road networks feeding into the city
proper were controlled by two bridges to the north. Air bombardment was risky
for the local population, and would be used only as a last resort. The Rangers’
job was to destroy the bridges so that Japanese reinforcements could not enter
the city and those already in the metropolitan area could not retreat. Once the
enemy was restricted in movement of men and material, they could be eliminated
easier by the superiority of American artillery and air power.
The bridges were two miles apart from each other. Jonathon
split his platoon into two teams. Lieutenant Jacob would take one team to the
closest bridge, while he assumed responsibility for blowing the one further
inland. He broke away from the first team so that he could make a wide flanking
left hook around the city into suburban sections that were less apt to have
concentrations of enemy soldiers. Each team was equipped with three half-tracks
with four fifty-caliber machine gun mounts and a radio Jeep. Jonathon rode in
the point Jeep with a map and his Thompson on his lap. He selected trails and
insignificant roadways in an effort to avoid running into major enemy
strongholds. He would need all the firepower and men once they arrived at the
bridge. They laid up during daylight hours in an abandoned coconut grove.