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| One of the post-op wards of the 92nd Evacuation Hospital in Guimba |
February 4, 1945
Every campaign my diary gets shorter and shorter! We set up and began operating 30 Jan. but had few patients until Feb. 1st. Since then it has been 11:30 P.M. to 2:30 A.M. every night and all day, doing surgery. Jan. 31st we had the 500 liberated POW's. In fact, I believe that is why we set up here and then they decided to use us for casualties [from the nearby heavy fighting].
It was amazing and pathetic to see and talk to these men. The improvising they had done - lived on rice, grass, anything! One officer was filling a Red Cross pipe (they had made their own!) with tobacco from a cigarette. I offered him my pipe pouch. He began carefully to knock out the tobacco and save it. Then he laughed at himself! They thought our C rations were wonderful. They'd had no bread for 3 years. I never saw so many photographers and correspondents before in my life. Their [the POW] rescue was an amazing feat. MacArthur came [the] next day to see them. but I was busy in surgery and didn't see him. Heard about Art Fouret [he was one of Gene's Trinidad patients, and in December was on one of the Japanese POW ships going to Japan that was sunk by US forces].
Our census is running over 500, even with most of the POW gone. We have a lot of F's [Filipinos] - guerrillas and civilians. Most of our casualties are coming from Munõz where the Japs are fighting bitterly to keep us from taking San Jose and thus block them from the south. They are using dug-in tanks as pill boxes, and all the Infantry has to knock them out is hand and rifle grenades.
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| Modified Rand McNally map showing Guimba, Munõz and San Jose |
On Biak we saw many mortar shell wounds. Here most are high velocity Jap 47 mm tank shells and other artillery. Smaller fragments seem to do the same amount of damage.
We have guerrillas guarding our perimeter. There are alarms at times, but mostly we are too busy to notice. The help the F.'s give us around the hosp. and the Red Cross (girls) is mighty fine and takes quite a load off the ward men.
I had my first mail Jan. 31st. It was wonderful to hear from Beth.
Gene had written on the following unidentified newspaper article: "He told me this story, for I had him on my ward"
PRISONER TAKES TIME IN LEAVING JAP CAMP
United States Army Base, Luzon, Feb. 6 - (I.N.S.) - Here is the story of one Allied prisoner who did not get out of the Cabanatuan camp when American Rangers raided it - at least not until a few days later. He is Edwin Rose, 65, of Toronto, Canada, who said he had "heard all the shooting and knew the Americans had arrived," but thought they were there to stay so he simply turned over in his prison bunk and went back to sleep again.
Rose, who was a purser on a ship plying the Singapore to Hong Kong run, and was caught in Manila when war broke out, declared he awakened the morning following the Rangers' dramatic midnight rescue to fine "Cabanatuan all my own."
He methodically dressed and shaved and then contacted some Filipinos for an escort and strolled casually into the Sixth army headquarters, a cane tucked under his arm, a few days later.
February 8, 1945
We continue busy with casualties, mostly from Munõz near San Jose. For Infantry to take such positions is costly.
We did 60 cases on our busiest day - not as busy as Biak, but still marked. We've been at it a little over a week
I received 30 letters and cards yesterday, and 25 2 days before.
The Japs use their 47 mm tank guns to fire point blank at individual soldiers. One fellow said he dodged 3 times, but the 4th time the shell came thru 1 1/2 feet of earth to wound him moderately. Most wounds are HE [high explosive] shell fragments. How they shatter bones! [Note all of the casts on the men in the photo above.]
In a very heavy rain 3 nights ago, some of the officers' tents went down. The water just stands in these rice paddies. We have a lot of F. civilians and guerrillas with old and new wounds.
8 Feb. '45
Beloved,
Will wonders never cease! Yesterday evening I received 30 letters and cards! I read between operations all evening!
Alleene quotes little Pete, "I sure want to be a soldier when I get big, Daddy, but I'm going to be a soldier like Doc Pfile." Pete senior said, "Oh, a soldier doctor?" "No, I'm going to be a soldier like Doc Pfile and not get killed!" He has the proper outlook I'd say.
Later - Nothing to do my foot! We admitted patients anyway and I worked all afternoon. Perhaps it will be quieter this evening.
Later - We just looked into the arm of a very sick boy, but it doesn't seem that he has gas gangrene. That is encouraging. We have two new second looies [second lieutenants], MAC's [medical administrative corps] promoted from the ranks. They really were outstanding fellows. That was one of the boards on which I was.
That was so good of Dick and Doris [Gaines] to meet you [at the train station] when you arrived in Trinidad [Colorado] from Freeport [Illinois] and again with the Workmans when you returned from Denver. Very thoughtful. Gee but I laugh about your surprise at the phone. I'm so glad you have it. Mmmm! How good it would feel to climb into a tub of hot water and take a good soaking bath. Did I ever tell you there are beauty shops here even in little towns! Amazing!
All my love, Eugene
February 9, 1945
1162 patients admitted, not counting the POW (except 42 entered as patients). Our census is well over 600. I just not found out that the first night we were here, a Recon [reconnaissance] outfit reached here a few hours before us and that this was their farthest penetration toward Munõz! A Maj. came up to the school that midnight and was highly surprised to find a hospital here before the Infantry. Golly, I wouldn't have slept well that night if I'd known! No wonder we had no patients for 2 days - there was no one ahead of us, to do any fighting!
9 Feb. '45
Beloved,
Things are quiet today. I guess someone else is taking them to give us a breathing spell. I meant for you to indicate nothing of troubles we have had. It was just that one night when we had a brush with a few Japs and they (paragraph cut by censor). Panic and wild shooting and that is always bad. But it won't happen again for we won't be caught napping. It is too long a story to write. I'll just have to tell it some day (8 wounded - 4 killed).
Last evening I heard this one for the first time. It seems that the evening we pulled in here we were ahead of the Infantry! A Reco patrol had arrived that afternoon and set up a perimeter but didn't know what was ahead. Of course there was no real danger for the guerrillas had held this town for weeks. I heard a Major challenged by our guards about midnight and how surprised he was to find a hospital here but thought nothing of it at the time. The army is full of surprises. Now I understand it. Maybe I wouldn't have slept so well had I known we were ahead of the Infantry. To make it worse, that afternoon three trucks of us (officer with each) were separated from the rest. I was in the last of the three. We breezed thru this town and I thought it was the one. We went about a mile of so beyond and I was about ready to stop, having heard about people blundering into the enemy's lines! Then the lead truck stopped and we came back. Some of our crazy MAC's and the Chaplain were driving around in a jeep, seeing the country last week, when they saw a bunch of men hugging the ground. They stopped and flopped also. A sergeant told them with plenty of embellishments what they should do, and take the jeep with them and that the Japs had been firing with artillery at everything that moved! So they got and quickly! It's good I'm busy most of the time, then I don't get into trouble! But I realize now what a golden opportunity our first landing (Hollandia) was for souvenirs. I thought they'd all be like that!
None of the days lately have been clear enough for good pictures. I don't get much chance to pick and choose, either the time or the place. Now if I had a car and plenty of spare time, I might do better. But really, honey, if you like the pictures that's all I care about.
Some of the boys are hanging out of the window looking at a comely F. gal! They seem to like what they see!
Say, that picture of Zariff is a dandy. And he is a dandy. I can almost hear and smell the fresh pine breeze! Also horse! That certainly was nice of Sibyl [the horse's owner] to take you in [I think this was in Denver] especially with hotel rooms so hard to get. Well, one of the "borrowed" fellows in surgery just saw the picture of Zariff on the table. It developed that he worked one summer on the Hayden Ranch at Greenhorn [near Glenwood Springs in Colorado]. How he likes our country!
Too bad so many can't get penicillin. [Penicillin was discovered in 1928, but it wasn't until 1940 that it was made into a stable powder and could be mass produced.] But it is all overseas. We practically have barrels of it. Only the forward hospitals get it, but we get all we want. It definitely helps. I was thinking just recently that if we amputated like they did in the Civil War, we'd have a heap of arms and legs window high. As it is, it takes much longer to save a leg than it is to cut it off, but the results are gratifying. I amputated a testicle but he had two!
Some break there. I just helped a sad case. The boy had a chunk of shell that cut his spinal cord at the level of the 2nd lumbar vertebrae [the vertebra that is at the waist; damage at this level will probably cause paralysis in one or both legs, and loss of control of the bowels and bladder].
February 10, 1945 No casualties.
February 9, 1945
1162 patients admitted, not counting the POW (except 42 entered as patients). Our census is well over 600. I just not found out that the first night we were here, a Recon [reconnaissance] outfit reached here a few hours before us and that this was their farthest penetration toward Munõz! A Maj. came up to the school that midnight and was highly surprised to find a hospital here before the Infantry. Golly, I wouldn't have slept well that night if I'd known! No wonder we had no patients for 2 days - there was no one ahead of us, to do any fighting!
9 Feb. '45
Beloved,
Things are quiet today. I guess someone else is taking them to give us a breathing spell. I meant for you to indicate nothing of troubles we have had. It was just that one night when we had a brush with a few Japs and they (paragraph cut by censor). Panic and wild shooting and that is always bad. But it won't happen again for we won't be caught napping. It is too long a story to write. I'll just have to tell it some day (8 wounded - 4 killed).
Last evening I heard this one for the first time. It seems that the evening we pulled in here we were ahead of the Infantry! A Reco patrol had arrived that afternoon and set up a perimeter but didn't know what was ahead. Of course there was no real danger for the guerrillas had held this town for weeks. I heard a Major challenged by our guards about midnight and how surprised he was to find a hospital here but thought nothing of it at the time. The army is full of surprises. Now I understand it. Maybe I wouldn't have slept so well had I known we were ahead of the Infantry. To make it worse, that afternoon three trucks of us (officer with each) were separated from the rest. I was in the last of the three. We breezed thru this town and I thought it was the one. We went about a mile of so beyond and I was about ready to stop, having heard about people blundering into the enemy's lines! Then the lead truck stopped and we came back. Some of our crazy MAC's and the Chaplain were driving around in a jeep, seeing the country last week, when they saw a bunch of men hugging the ground. They stopped and flopped also. A sergeant told them with plenty of embellishments what they should do, and take the jeep with them and that the Japs had been firing with artillery at everything that moved! So they got and quickly! It's good I'm busy most of the time, then I don't get into trouble! But I realize now what a golden opportunity our first landing (Hollandia) was for souvenirs. I thought they'd all be like that!
None of the days lately have been clear enough for good pictures. I don't get much chance to pick and choose, either the time or the place. Now if I had a car and plenty of spare time, I might do better. But really, honey, if you like the pictures that's all I care about.
Some of the boys are hanging out of the window looking at a comely F. gal! They seem to like what they see!
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| A photo of Zariff |
Too bad so many can't get penicillin. [Penicillin was discovered in 1928, but it wasn't until 1940 that it was made into a stable powder and could be mass produced.] But it is all overseas. We practically have barrels of it. Only the forward hospitals get it, but we get all we want. It definitely helps. I was thinking just recently that if we amputated like they did in the Civil War, we'd have a heap of arms and legs window high. As it is, it takes much longer to save a leg than it is to cut it off, but the results are gratifying. I amputated a testicle but he had two!
Some break there. I just helped a sad case. The boy had a chunk of shell that cut his spinal cord at the level of the 2nd lumbar vertebrae [the vertebra that is at the waist; damage at this level will probably cause paralysis in one or both legs, and loss of control of the bowels and bladder].
February 10, 1945 No casualties.
As you know, the Cabanatuan rescue was made into a best-selling movie, "The Great Raid". To think that Gene was there and treated the escapees! How proud we are of that Great Generation!
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