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January 1, 1942 

Reported that a few Japs had been in Manila and left. Don’t know, though. Quiet day. Still with 3rd up in Mts. I’ll bet folks at home are in a storm, worrying about us.

Another group of four senior Pursuit pilots, these at Lubao, including 40-G Ben Irvin of the 21st Pursuit, joined Buzz Wagner–CO of the 17th Pursuit–Jim Rowland, and Bud Sprague, former Operations Officer of the 5th Interceptor Command–at Orani Field at the head of Bataan early this afternoon. Just after 2:00 p.m. they boarded their beat-up Beech 18 and lifted off for Mindanao, their first stop on the way to Australia. Like the others, they were to fly back P-40s that had arrived from the U.S. in crates on December 23rd at Brisbane.