Skip to content

July 20, 1943

Am just recovering from a severe case of flu. They can’t get me down. Was talking over our situation last night and remembered a funny statement made by General MacArthur during the Philippine campaign.  He said during one of his conversations that the new propaganda & smooth line he was putting out was not for our benefit, but for the benefit of the gullible American & Filipino public. How many times I have become aware of the gullibility of my own people since being a prisoner of war. It certainly makes one feel lost & helpless. Best news yet received is that Krueger is now commanding General of the Pacific forces & MacArthur has retired to Washington where he is an acting Aide to General Marshall. News has been good late with Allies having successes on all fronts. New Britain, New Georgia taken. Sicily under siege. Russians advancing on all fronts. 80 Kilometers in those places. Best news is that the Americans are heading for the Philippines & that the Chinese are advancing into Burma & down the Yantze River. Boy, now we want to get out of this place. ——–

Farm is getting rougher as is every other detail. They hit men into unconsciousness and then hit them & kick them, some more. They work men inhumanely. Had six of us carrying a 6×8 load that was about 25’ long. Had to carry it from the lower new farm to the east side of the old farm. Had no rest, our muscles tensed, we staggered & when we finally reached our destination two of the men collapsed. The rest of us were momentarily paralyzed. Our muscles had knotted to such an extent that they couldn’t be relaxed. It took a couple of hours or more for us to begin to get back to normal and then we were so tired and our shoulders so bruised and cut that we could hardly get home.

Nips took Connells escape squad to guard house, siliest thing I ever heard of 500 men, detail finally leaving tomorrow morning. Looks like they’re head off the land. Two of my boys came in from Nichols Field detail. They have been exceptionally rough on the Americans there. Have killed four men, make them work whether they are sick or not. Work from 6 to 6 and eat lunch which is only rice while working. Others’ meals consist only of rice & greens. Bayoneted two men at the latien because they were so weak from Diarhea and dysentery that they couldn’t make it back to their groups. Many have broken bones, but the Nips don’t care. They will pay some day. Every man that survives comes back a skeleton of his previous self. Now we are getting wet each day, colds pneumonia, and respiratory diseases are getting numerous. Nips only keeps them out there long enough to get socked. No work is accomplished, men get beaten for nothing and then have to sit around with nothing to put on. No wonder men take off, this is sure a disgusting life.

My opinion is that they are the most inhuman people on earth. They have driven away from water on the march and slashed them with bayonets when their eyes bulging out, their mouths swollen and a hysterical look on their faces. Then an 8 hour sun treatment during which time some men gave up and drank polluted water from streams. Natives had cropped in then men’s bodies were lying in them and all kinds of refuse from food and also carabao dung.