Mike Guardia (9 page)

Eventually, the foursome found a native who was willing to help. Upon seeing that they were American, he directed them to the hideout of Lieutenant Deleon, a former Philippine Army officer. Volckmann does not go into any great detail concerning who Deleon was and how he came to his current hideaway. It is altogether likely that Deleon was biding his time and gathering resources for future raids, as he was reported to have ten Philippine Army soldiers under his care. Whatever Deleon’s disposition, he agreed to furnish a guide who could lead them into the northern cordillera.
¹²³

This was obviously great news for Volckmann, as he could see the outline of the northern mountains from Deleon’s camp. After months of grueling travel and crippling disease, his perseverance was about to pay off: North Luzon lay just over the horizon. Starting back on the trail, Deleon’s guide took them on a northern bypass around Guimba. The terrain was relatively easy until they encountered the return of a familiar nuisance: rice paddies. Nightmares of wet, tiring, and cumbersome travel flashed through Volckmann’s mind as he recalled the misery of their travels through the Huk territory. Just as before, Volckmann and the others sought to alleviate the nuisance by navigating their way atop the dikes. Here, the footing was wider than it had been before, but these natives—in an obvious attempt to keep out intruders—had lined them with nails and sharp rocks.
¹²⁴
All in all, it made for a miserable trip.

On the 1st of September, Volckmann arrived at barrio Bagabas, where he encountered the first of Robert Lapham’s men. Lapham, like Volckmann and the others, had also escaped from Bataan. Originally under the command of Claude Thorp, he had been tasked to go to the northern part of Pangasian Province to recruit guerrillas. His outfit— the
Luzon Guerrilla Army Force
, as it would later be called—was one of the best-organized guerrilla operations in Central Luzon.
¹²⁵

At the time they encountered Lapham, however, he was bedridden with a violent fever. In his immediate company were two individuals: Private Gattie and an African-American gentleman named Bunche. Gattie was an American rifleman and other than his rank, name, and specialty, no other information is given on him. Mr. Bunche was an older man, a veteran of the Spanish-American War who came to the Philippines in 1900 as a cavalry scout. After an honorable discharge from the United States Army, he elected to stay in Luzon, bought a rice plantation, married a Filipina, and now found himself providing food for Lapham’s men—much like Vicente Bernia had done for the displaced GIs at Fassoth’s Camp.
¹²⁶

Despite Lapham’s poor health, his camp appeared to be well in order and Volckmann learned from him that Moses and Noble’s camp could be reached by a three-day hike. However, Volckmann decided to take a brief respite at Lapham’s camp, for his trek through the unforgiving swamps and the frustrating rice paddies had frittered away what little strength he had left. His skin was still yellow from the jaundice he had contracted earlier, and his malaria had since relapsed.
¹²⁷

Despite the relapse of his previous maladies, Volckmann remained confident. His goal of reaching Moses and Noble in the Cordillera Central was now only a few days away. What is indeed remarkable about Volckmann is that he had come this far. Over the previous four months, he and Blackburn had pushed themselves through the most tortuous journey either of them would ever have to make. Narrowly escaping the Japanese, they had been tattered by the jungle and crippled by disease. Travailing through the dense foliage, rocky cliffs, rice paddies, and swamps, they had relied on their wits, sheer luck, and the kindness of strangers. Within the actions of the Filipinos and the Japanese, they had respectively seen the best and the worst of humanity. All this while trying to compartmentalize their humiliating defeat at Bataan was surely no simple task. For Volckmann to retain his endurance through such hardship is an obvious testament to his character.

After breakfast on 4 September 1942, Volckmann departed with Blackburn, Bruno, and Emilio and headed north toward San Nicolas.
¹²⁸
Their first stop en route to Moses and Noble was the camp of another American, Charlie Cushing.
^*
Now that the dangers of the Central Plains lay behind them, they felt relatively safe amongst the foothills and walked along the trail at a slower pace. The newfound sense of security coincided comfortably with the needs of Volckmann’s health—with his malaria relapsing, it was best not to force a speedy gait.

At Cushing’s hideout, they were met by two other Americans: Herb Swick and Enoch French, both of whom had worked in the local mining industry. Swick displayed the greatest enthusiasm for fighting the Japanese and insisted that he join Volckmann in his quest to find Moses and Noble. Since Volckmann needed all the additional manpower he could get, he admitted Swick into the group. Cushing, meanwhile, told them that Moses and Noble were last seen near Bokod in the Benguet sub-province (Mountain Province). He regretfully had no further information to give, but offered a guide to take them beyond the Agno River Valley.
¹²⁹

The Agno River, which Volckmann had crossed nine months earlier, ran from east to west across the island. The point where Volckmann had crossed during the retreat to Bataan was scarcely above sea level. As the river flowed to the Pacific, however, it cut through the Cordillera Central forming the Agno River Valley. Now, Volckmann found himself on the edge of a canyon where the Agno lay over a hundred feet below. His only method of crossing was a primitive cable car. Reminiscent of the aerial tramways in tourist sites, these native contraptions pulled Volckmann across the chasm with surprising ease.
¹³⁰

This area surrounding the valley had been one of the few places unmolested by the Japanese. Crossing through Dalaprit on the opposite side of the Agno River, Volckmann and his men spent a grueling three hours trying to negotiate a path to Lusod—a path which took them straight up the side of a mountain. Volckmann knew that the steep grades normally wouldn’t have presented this much of a challenge, but the malaria had destroyed his prewar endurance. Every few yards, fatigue would force him to his knees, his body crying out for a few moments’ rest.
¹³¹
With the level grade of the Central Plains behind him, Volckmann realized he would have to recalibrate his body to the rigors of mountain hiking.

Fortunately, the trail to Lusod led them to the home of a guerrilla contact named Deleon,
^*
a former mechanic who had been employed by the local sawmill. Deleon spoke English and happily gave Volckmann the few days rest that he so desperately needed. Deleon informed the group that Moses and Noble were just a few hours north, beyond Mount Lusod in a small barrio called Benning. With Herb Swick leading the way, Volckmann and company enjoyed a slow-paced jaunt around Mount Lusod and arrived in Benning on 9 September 1942.
¹³²

^*
Not to be confused with the aforementioned Lieutenant Deleon.

Map of North Luzon depicting the Benguet and Ifugao sub-provinces (Mountain Province). Visible from the map is Igoton (Igoten), home of the Igoten Mines and the site of the disastrous guerrilla raid of 15 October 1942. Also pictured is Kiangan, where Volckmann later built his guerrilla headquarters and solicited help from the Haliap tribe.

Map courtesy of Bernard Norling.

Benning was a small native barrio, a settlement of cogon-grass houses built upon stilts. Its residents were the Benguets, the southernmost tribe of the Igorot people. The news of Volckmann’s arrival in North Luzon obviously preceded him by a few hours, as Moses and Noble stood at the edge of the settlement with a crowd of natives ready to greet him. It was a joyous reunion, for Volckmann had not seen either of them since the fall of Bataan. Moses, Noble, Volckmann, and Blackburn spent the rest of the afternoon regaling one another with tales of their harrowing escape. Despite the treachery of the jungle, Martin Moses had emerged from Bataan in relatively good health. Arthur Noble, however, had not been so fortunate—he had lost sight in his left eye after a rattan vine punctured it.
¹³³

Over the past few months, Moses and Noble had gathered a wealth of information concerning the state of affairs in the Philippines. Most of the information came from eyewitness accounts, but other reports came through the “bamboo telegraph”—a system of native runners who supplied information from town to town.
¹³⁴
Moses and Noble had no means of validating the information supplied to them by the “telegraph,” but it was often the only source of news available. As the Japanese had taken over the Philippine media, all domestic radio stations and news outlets were no longer trustworthy.

From Moses and Noble, Volckmann learned that Colonel John P. Horan had been captured in the Zambales Mountains. According to the “telegraph,” Walter Cushing, the American manager of a local mining company, had armed his mining employees and begun the first Allied resistance in the Philippines. Tragically, though, he had been killed the previous summer. Captain Ralph Praeger, formerly of the 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts), operated a small band of guerrillas in the Apayao sub-province. The “telegraph” also indicated that Roque Ablan, the provincial governor of Ilocos Norte, had formed his own guerrilla team. There were also rumors that General Brougher was free and leading a guerrilla force somewhere in North Luzon. Volckmann believed it to be false and, indeed, it was; the Japanese had already captured Brougher.
¹³⁵

Also at Benning with Moses and Noble were Captains Parker Calvert and Art Murphy, both of whom had been company commanders in Colonel Horan’s 43rd Infantry Regiment. Calvert and Murphy had been with Horan when he surrendered his units at Baguio. Remaining in the area, both men met up with Moses and Noble in the summer of 1942. Another one of Horan’s men, Captain George Barnett, maintained a guerrilla outfit on the Ilocos provincial coasts.
¹³⁶
Also in the immediate vicinity were Philippine Army Captains Rufino Baldwin, Manolo Enriquez, Guillermo Nakar, and Bado Dagwa, all of whom were commanding guerrillas—although Moses and Noble gave no indication as to their size, disposition, or any recent activity.

Volckmann’s conversation with the colonels then turned to the more serious topic of actions against the enemy. Volckmann enthusiastically gave his estimate of the situation: the environment was an ideal setting for guerrilla warfare—the provincial landscape was remote and rugged, with few roads and a population sympathetic towards the U.S. Moses and Noble agreed, but did not feel that the timing was right. Consequently, they told Volckmann to “take it easy” for the next few days while they formulated a plan.
¹³⁷

Slightly disappointed by the colonels’ response, Volckmann retired for the evening. His meeting with Moses and Noble had not been very productive. In earnest, Volckmann had hoped for a more aggressive response. The timing may not have been ideal, Volckmann thought, but Moses and Noble—the senior-ranking officers in North Luzon—should have begun developing plans for guerrilla warfare months ago. Nonetheless, Volckmann left the matter for the colonels to decide.

After hearing from Herb Swick that a small American settlement lay in Oding, another barrio only a few miles north, Volckmann and Blackburn decided to make it their unofficial “headquarters” while awaiting the colonels’ orders. Swick also mentioned that he knew of a doctor in Oding who could help Volckmann and Blackburn with their recurring bouts of malaria. The following morning, 10 September, Volckmann, Blackburn, Swick, Bruno, and Emilio left for Oding. The path to Oding was not a long trek, but the mountainous trails made it very tiresome. Along the way, Swick told Volckmann about the residents of Oding. The town itself was an abandoned mine settlement where five American families and one Filipino doctor had taken refuge from the Japanese. The Americans had been contract workers with the mining company at Igoten, and the Filipino doctor, Dr. Biason, had been the company staff doctor. Volckmann reported that Biason earned a medical degree from the University of Minnesota and was married to an American nurse.
¹³⁸

The camp at Oding surpassed anything Volckmann had expected. Each family had built themselves a small house that drew running water from a series of pipes fed from a nearby stream they had dammed. The most impressive gadget was an automobile generator powered by a water wheel. This apparatus provided electricity for lights and a radio.
¹³⁹
Volckmann could hardly believe it; these families had created their own power grid! He greatly admired their ingenuity, and their example served him well throughout the rest of his days as a guerrilla.

From 12–15 September, he remained in the Oding area under Dr. Biason’s care. Between his malaria shots, Volckmann kept himself busy by listening to radio station KGEI-San Francisco. It was the first reliable news source he had had since arriving in North Luzon. Of late, there had been no exciting news from the Pacific. In the entry for 13 September, Volckmann reports that, “the all out offensive that started last month doesn’t seem to be making such headway.” And although he enjoyed the families and their hospitality, Volckmann knew better than to stay there any longer. This peaceful camp was no place for two American Army officers to build their guerrilla station—for if the Japanese discovered their hideout, it would force the families to move away from the few creature comforts they had worked so hard to prepare. Blackburn decided to stay over at the camp for a few more days, as he was still in need of more treatment from Dr. Biason’s malaria shots, while Volckmann and Swick decided to move farther north to Bokod where Swick himself had established a camp.
¹⁴⁰

After a breakfast prepared by one the Oding families, Volckmann and Swick set out for Bokod on the morning of 15 September. It was an easy three-hour walk and much to his surprise, Colonels Noble and Moses sent him an extra pair of shoes they had taken out of Baguio. From there, on the following morning, they set out for Ekip, another barrio farther to the east.
¹⁴¹
Like before, theirs was a three-hour hike, however this time most of it was uphill. Exhausted, they reached Ekip, where they were greeted by two American soldiers and a mining engineer who had established a camp there. Because the camp was situated at a higher elevation—6,000 ft.—the weather was much different than what Volckmann and his group had been accustomed to. Described as a lonely and isolated place in the mountains, the temperature was very cold and the rolling clouds blocked most of the sunlight.
¹⁴²

Meanwhile, under Dr. Biason’s care—and a steady intake of malaria shots— Blackburn regained his previous vitality. From the “telegraph,” Blackburn learned that Moses and Noble had moved from Benning into Bobok and occupied the town’s sawmill as their headquarters. As Bobok sawmill was on the way to Ekip, Blackburn decided to report to the colonels’ new location for any updates before meeting Volckmann at Ekip.
¹⁴³

Arriving at Bobok’s sawmill, Moses and Noble informed Blackburn that, effective immediately, they had assumed command of all guerrillas in North Luzon and were planning to launch a guerrilla campaign on 15 October 1942. Listening to the colonels’ plans, however, Blackburn noticed that they lacked the necessary amount of thoroughness. The intended participants were scattered all over North Luzon, and the plan gave no mention to the possibility of enemy reprisals.
¹⁴⁴
Nonetheless, Blackburn bit his tongue and agreed to inform Volckmann of the plan once he reached Ekip.

The change in climate at Ekip turned out to be good for Volckmann’s health. By 17 September, he noted a marked improvement in his condition and was anxious to get back on the trail. That same day, Blackburn joined the rest of the group. He informed Volckmann of the meeting with Moses and Noble at Bobok and delivered their instructions to him: Volckmann was to meet the colonels on 1 October in a barrio called Caraw. For the next two weeks, the colonels’ plan was the only topic of discussion between Volckmann and Blackburn. Aside from the lack of thoroughness that the colonels’ plans possessed, Volckmann and Blackburn noticed another potential problem: the Agno River. During the rainy season, the Agno was wider, deeper, and possessed a raging current. This was beneficial to the guerrillas, as it created a natural barrier to the Japanese patrols. However, the rainy season had ended and the Agno was rapidly shrinking back to its preseason size, thus denying the guerrillas a critical terrain asset.
¹⁴⁵
Nevertheless, both men anxiously awaited their orders. In the meantime, Volckmann enjoyed the newfound abundance of food. Aside from cooking beef and pork, he stretched the bounds of his creativity by making pancakes out of rice flour. Brewing coffee also became a regular occurrence. The Spaniards had introduced coffee to the Philippines centuries ago and it grew well at the camp’s elevation.
¹⁴⁶

The next entry in Volckmann’s diary, 1 October, documents his meeting with Moses and Noble. As per orders, he went with Blackburn and Swick to Caraw where they found the colonels awaiting them. Just as Volckmann had anticipated, Moses and Noble announced their assumption of command. Dispatches were being sent to all local commanders and a coordinated counteroffensive was to begin on 15 October 1942. His first assignment was to act as Moses’ personal liaison and to deliver intelligence reports and other instructions to local USAFFE personnel.
¹⁴⁷
Finally, Volckmann was back in the war—this time as a guerrilla.

With the date of the operation confirmed, Moses and Noble set HHour at 0100. The colonel’s plan was simple in its conception: guerrilla forces would conduct a raid on the Japanese garrison at the Igoten Mines. The main effort consisted of elements commanded by Captain Rufino Baldwin,
^*
formerly of the 14th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Army). Baldwin had commanded an infantry company during the retreat to Bataan and now found himself in charge of a small outfit near Bobok. Baldwin was a talented young officer, one whom Moses and Noble obviously admired. And considering that his group was the one nearest to the Igoten Mines, it stood to reason that the colonels would choose him to lead the raid.
¹⁴⁸