Blood Brothers by Eugene C. Jacobs (i can read book club TXT) 📕
- Author: Eugene C. Jacobs
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“As we marched into the Camp, many prisoners stood about with some curiosity watching our arrival.
“I happened to glance up at someone standing near the hospital. He was literally skin and bones - extremely emaciated, with a pale face that I knew I had seen before; his lower limbs were greatly swollen; as I passed within three feet of him, his identity flashed into my mind. It was Major Eugene Jacobs; he had served with me at the Sternberg Army Hospital in Manila.
“In a few days I was to hear from Jacobs, one of 300 survivors of the Oryoku Maru, the most horrible story of suffering by prisoners during World War II, in which 50% of the medical personnel serving in Sternberg Hospital, and General Hospital No.2 on Bataan, were wiped out from bombings and privations.”
Col. Gillespie became the new hospital commander.
May 25, 45: Able to shuffle outside the building and sit in the sunshine, visiting with Army friends - made sketches of several. By moving to different of the camp, I made an accurate map of the camp, as seen from the air.
Jun. 1, 45: Had interesting visits with British, Australian and Dutch prisoners; made sketches of several. Enjoyed trading U.S. Army buttons for their Regimental buttons. Still very weak; called the “Walking ghost!” Wt. 106 lbs.
Jun. 15, 45: Rumors that MacArthur had taken Okinawa with big loss of life.
Jul. 1, 45: Spent much time sitting alone in the yard, soaking up the sun and thinking of Judy-making plans for the “Peace” that seemed to be coming.
Aug. 9, 45: Rumors of a conference in Berlin: that an ultimatum given to Japan. Air raid alarm during night; no bombing near by.
Aug. 10, 45: Rumors the U.S. had dropped an Adam bomb on Hiroshima on August 6th with much devastation. Rumors Russia had declared war on Japan on August 8th; Russians were anxious to share the Spoils of War. Planes overhead very active; no bombs.
Aug. 12, 45: Japanese soldiers all wearing battle dress and carrying packs on their backs. Camouflaged trucks and tanks on the streets.
Aug. 13, 45: Rumors that a second Adam bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and that Russia was invading Manchuria.
Aug. 16,45: Rumors that Japan had surrendered on the 14th.
Cooks are baking extra corn buns.
Rumors that prisoners would be marched to Outer Mongolia (Gobi Desert) to prevent recapture. “Big Deal!”
A big bomber (B-29) flew over camp dropping parachutes just outside camp. Six paratroopers (O.S.S.) led by an Army Medic, Major LaMar, came into camp carrying parachutes, radios, first aid boxes, etc. They went directly to the hospital, where they were secluded. Everyone concluded the war must be over. It hadn’t ended as we had expected. Mukden was quiet; no shooting.
Much excitement in camp; prisoners staying up after curfew, playing poker and smoking away from ashtrays (a No No). The guards finally admitted: “Waul is oval!” and later, “Ve aul tomadachi (friends) now!”
Aug. 17, 45: About 0800, General Parker announced, “I am now in command; an Armistice will be signed soon!”
Aug. 18, 45: Col. Gillespie called me to the hospital. He said, “Gene, you are the sickest doctor in camp. I am assigning you to go out on the first plane with 31 of the sickest patients.
I hope that some of you will survive to visit with your families. We will give you what little medicine we have.”
I packed my few worthless possessions in a duffle bag, and then obtained a small notebook and got the names and addresses of two hundred prisoners’ families, to be notified, when I reached the States.
About 1700, a U.S. bomber (B-24, Liberator) came low over camp, dipping its large wings and dropping thousands of leaflets. It was accompanied by many very fast Russian fighters (MIGs).
About 1800, Russian troops arrived in the Prison compound. A 31 year old general stood on a box, saying “Three weeks ago in Berlin, I saw General Eisenhower and told him I would liberate the American prisoners in Manchuria. You are now liberated!” Much cheering!
About 1900, Col. Masuda and the Jap guard marched on to the field and officially laid their arms on the ground. Selected American prisoners picked up the weapons, and marched the Japs to the Guardhouse.
Now getting all we wanted to eat; some ate too much and got sick. Told to be ready to leave tomorrow on a B-24.
Aug. 22, 45: Flight cancelled! A drunk Russian guard had bayoneted the tires of the U.S. plane.
Much shooting outside the walls. The bodies of two Chinamen in black shrouds were swinging gently in the breeze from tall factory chimneys. It was OK for the Russians to loot, rape and plunder, but not for the Chinese.
Aug. 24, 45: About 0800 we leave Camp Hoten Main Gate in a truck and two cars, a doctor and his 31 patients.
Saw many Russian soldiers and tanks passing through Mukden.
About 1000 we took off in two B-24s (Liberators); ours was named the” Homesick Angel.” We sat in the bomb bays, eating C rations and K rations, the greatest invention of the war.
Passed over the Great Wall of China.
Sian, China
About 1600, landed at Sian - considered the cradle of Chinese civilization and the first capital of China.
The U.S. Flag flying over the base was a beautiful sight. Had a fine American dinner and in the evening were shown a movie, “If I were in Love!” Could hear shooting; the front line was near by.
Aug. 25, 45: a great breakfast with real coffee.
At 1000 boarded a C-17 plane and flew some 1000 miles over beautiful mountainous country.
Kunming, China
Toward dark arrived at Kunming, the capital of Yunan Province and the northern terminus of the Burtq a Road, some 6000 feet above sea level.
Transferred to the 172nd General Hospital for a medical survey. Good meals! Plenty of food! Soft sheets on the beds! Magazines to read!
Went through many examinations. Had gained 11bs. in 10 days. Wt. 138 lbs.
Aug. 29, 45: Met Col. George Armstrong, the C.O. of the 172nd. I had known George when we were captains at Walter Reed Army Hospital in the early thirties. We had a very pleasant visit. (I felt very shabby in the presence of George’s “spit and polish.” He later became the Surgeon General of the Army).
Aug. 30, 45: Discharged from the Hospital. Wrote to Judy, telling her I would soon be coming home.
Sep. 2, 45: Sunday-V.J. Day. Big Chinese parades; many dragons occupying the streets; much noise, like the banging of pots and pans.
It was very difficult for our ambulances to get through the streets to the Kunming airport.
Sept. 3, 45: We boarded a big Douglas C-54. About 2100 in a rain storm, we took off into the Wild Black Yonder. When it would lightning, we could see mountains on every side, the Himalaya Range. We circled up and up, to get out of the cup.
Sept. 4, 45: The Philippines! Near daybreak we came down low so we could see the badly damaged barracks of Topside of Corregidor, and soon landed at Nichol’s Field-near my Garden Court home of 1940-41. (Parangue).
We were driven to 29th Reple Depot (a tent city in Los Banos. There were letters from Judy, mother and sister Ruth, the first in many months-all thrilled that I was coming home. It was good to learn that things were normal back home.
Generals Liberated from Mukden.
While we were waiting transportation home, the generals were flown from Mukden to Yokohama, Japan-to be greeted by General MacArthur.
On September 2, 1945, on the deck of the U.S. Battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Generals Jonathan Wainwright and Sir Arthur Percival stood behind General MacArthur as he accepted the Surrender of the Japanese Empire. The following day, General Wainwright was flown to Baguio on Northern Luzon, to accept the surrender of the Philippines from Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita in the High Commissioner’s Mansion at Camp John Hay, ending World War II.
Sept. 5, 45 - Wednesday: Many papers filled out. In the afternoon I was taken for a ride through Manila. Many of the buildings along Taft and Dewey Blvds. were in shambles. There were some two hundred damaged ships in the harbor, many assuming bizarre positions.
Sept. 6, 45 - Thursday: Mother’s birthday and I had no way to communicate with her. Edna Miller, a former school teacher at Brent School in Baguio, near Camp John Hay, called. She and her boy friend, Col. Jim Darrah, took me for a ride and dinner. Manila was a wreck!
Sept. 7, 45: I was able to make arrangements to obtain a small Army plane to fly back to Cabanatuan to look for the sketches I had buried there.
Sept. 8, 45: Lt. George Armstrong, from Utah, picked me up at 0800 and flew me in a Piper Cub to Cabanatuan, landing on an airport we POWs had built by hand - rock by rock (See poem, “The Pilot,” by Gen. Brougher).
All of the prison camp buildings made of wood and swali were gone. I found where building #12 had been and dug in the area I had buried the drawings, but found nothing. The U.S. Army Engineers at the airport furnished a bulldozer, and still we found nothing. Arrived back at Reple Depot 29 about 1700 hours to find more letters from Judy, Mother and Ruth. It was fun to get reacquainted with activities in the States.
Sept. 9 - Sunday: Lt. Col. Ryle Radke, a classmate at Army Medical School, ‘36, came to the Reple Depot to take me to Manila, where we had a pleasant day discussing war experiences. Back in Camp at 2300, where I found orders promoting me to Lt. Col. as of August 20, 1945.
Sept. 10, 45: Alerted at 0800. At 1130 hrs we left for Nichols Field, and at 1445 we took off in a B-24 (Liberator) with bucket seats. Had a very smooth flight through heavy rains; could see two complete rainbows, one inside the other, as we looked down toward the earth. At 2230 we sat down on Guam; enjoyed a fine steak dinner.
Sept. 11, 45: Arrived on Kwajalein, a large atoll in the Marshall Group. Time was changed from 1000 hrs to noon. A Capt. Andrews, U.S.A. Air Corps from Danville, Virginia, took us to dinner at the Officers’ Club and then for a ride around the island which was one half by two miles. Nearly every barracks
had its washing machine on the beach, powered by its own windmill, and closely observed by goony birds. Departed at 1530.
Sept. 11, ‘45: Arrived at Hickham Field in Hawaii about 0350; time changed to 0650. Just had time for a shower and a good American breakfast. Departed at 0930.
THE GOOD OLD U.S.A.
Arrived at Hamilton Field, North of San Francisco, at 2130; time changed to midnight. Had a fine steak dinner and off to bed.
Sept. 12, ‘45: After breakfast we were transferred to the Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco for a P.O.W. Survey. About 1500, I was hurriedly routed out of my room and driven back to Hamilton Field. Judy was arriving from Washington, D.C. on the first Constellation ever to make a non-stop flight to the Pacific Coast; it took eleven hours and one box lunch.
At 1600, the big plane, carrying my precious cargo, gently sat down on the runway. In a few minutes, I had my lovely wife, Judy, in my arms-a moment that I prayed would never end.
Vivian Raulston, John’s wife, had come from Washington with Judy. I
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