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2/5/45

Members of the Battalion of the 148th infantry, 7th division, which came in yesterday evening, visited with us all day. Strangely, they seemed to be happier to see us than we were to see them. After 34 months imprisonment by the Japanese, it is obvious that we were overjoyed to see the Americans. They liberally passed out their cigarettes and K rations to us ex-prisoners, thereby doing without themselves, although as stated under Date of the 4th, they had been making 20 miles a day since landing at Lingayen and had met stiff resistance in Manila which had sapped their vitality. They even gave away to us their whiskey, beer and cigars which Filipinos had given them. We continued to eat Japanese food, but all we could hold of it. We had secured the sugar and tea left behind by the Japanese and the Mess cooked rice and soy beans steadily. At 9:00 PM Bilibid was reported surrounded by fire on three sides and we were ordered to evacuate to the Ang Tibay shoe factory on the outskirts of Manila, where 7th Division Headquarters were located. Members of the 148th Infantry assisted in the evacuation by carrying litter patients, helping the weak to trucks, and seeing that Bilibid was cleared. The litter patients were evacuated in ambulances and jeeps. At 11:35 PM Bilibid was cleared of all personnel, staff 126; patients, 664; total Bilibid Hospital 810; civilians in the upper compound, 494; and the records that could be located in the dark.