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Dec. 16th – Bombing all last night and today! Same type of bombing and strafing – aim-immobilization. The Japanese papers today reported bloody fighting on the island of Polillo only a few miles off the Eastern coast of Luzon – There are rumors of landings on Luzon itself. Also reports of Japanese troops streaming back into Manila minus equipment, etc. These may be reserve troops who have been bombed out of their barracks in & around Manila –
People are so hungry, they are eating cats & dogs. Some are even picking up scraps of food off the ground and eating the filth
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from garbage cans.
I weigh 99 lbs now – It is impossible to stop this steady loss of weight, but at least the rate of decrease has fallen off from 1/2 lb per day in November to 1/4 lb a day in the 1st half of December.
Mentally I still feel very fine indeed – But I cannot stand in line, pick up anything heavy – Sometimes my thoughts float vaguely between the desire of rest and the desire of life – Tonight, even with release nearer, I feel completely neutral, as if it made no difference – But that is physical exhaustion.