Sunday being a hectic day of dizziness and much running around and riding in trucks thru collecting stations plus a couple of bombings and some shelling, news was scarce. At 3:00 AM Monday I arrived at the Base Hospital (#1). A couple of hours sleep and a fair breakfast and I felt better. All day I rested and though Tojo did get close with bombs once or twice we spent what would be called a quiet day. By night I was feeling much better. The Hosp. was full to overflowing. Hundreds came in every 24 hours. I felt guilty about taking up a bunk but couldn’t make the effort to leave.
This AM with another good meal underneath my belt I felt stronger yet. Tojo came looking for targets early and though he has studiously avoided hospitals previously, he made two runs over this one and got one large caliber hit directly on a ward. I was under my bunk some 50 yds. away at the time. The concussion was terrific. There were some 200 patients in tiered bunks in the area hit. The call for stretcher bearers had me on my feet. My weakness left me as though thrown off, I carried wounded and dead all day. I passed out water and cigarettes and carried ducks. We had over 50 killed including many Amerlcans. I helped hold one man’s leg while they amputated. The carnage was sickening.
Too, the records were all destroyed and the true number may never be known. Many patients took off and many more were evacuated to other areas. No record of these was possible. Only the dead can really be counted. That will come out later. It’s been a trying day. I’m sleeping in the bone ward, They have several gas gangrene cases that don’t smell nice. Will try to get out tomorrow. Saw my first P 40 in 2 months today. The boys ran for fox holes when it came roaring along too. We expect anything now that Tojo will bomb well marked hospitals.