Manila (63)

Post card with bullet holes and an old registration card
picked up by Gene in the Manila Hotel

     Capt. Eugene Pfile barely squeaked in a trip to Manila before the 92nd Evacuation Hospital was moved from Guimba to Agoo, which was closer to the fighting.  During the move he didn't have much time to write letters.

March 6, 1945
     To Manila.  Stayed overnight at the 5th Field [Hospital] (Fawcett, in my class at N.W.[Northwestern University Medical School]),in the Ed. Bldg. at Santo Thomas University [a private, Roman Catholic university used as an internment camp by the Japanese until the Americans liberated the prisoners in February, 1945].  The oldest U. on U.S. soil [the Philippines was considered a U.S. protectorate until 1946], established about 1611.
     Saw the burned out city and other sights.  Went thru the Manila Hotel [considered the most luxurious hotel in the Philippines from its opening in 1912 until the Japanese occupation].
     I bought 3 sleeping mats (Buri palm fiber). P 5.00 [$2.50], 3 straw purses P 3.50 [$1.75], 3 Chinese embroidered handkerchiefs P 2.50 [$1.25], wooden shoes p 3.00 [$1.50].
     At the church of Quiapo, I bought 2 votary candles for 60 centavos [$0.30].  The Quiapo Church district was established in 1586 and the church built of bamboo and nipa palm.
     Saw the Malacaňan - the president's official house.  I took 3 rolls of Kodachrome, in all.

Street scene in unbombed section of Manila

Bombed out section of Manila

March 8, 1945  To move.  Stopped receiving.  Admitted [released?] about 1000 patients.

March 9, 1945 Closed hospital at Guimba [in his records, Gene states the 92nd Evac admitted 2,520 patients while in Guimba].

March 10, 1945  Packing up. 

March 11, 1945  Moved into bldg.  Tents down.

March 12, 1945 
     Moved 70 miles N along the coast to Agoo.  North of where we landed at San Fabian.  In a small school house at the east edge of town.  Rice paddies behind us for a half mile, then the hills, Mt. Santo Thomas [sic Tomas], on the other side [of the mountain] is Baguio.  There are barbed wire entanglements around town, and the street corner strong points that the Japs had to put up to defend themselves from the guerrillas.  The 33rd Div. captured this without trouble, a week ago.  The 33rd is moving up the coast, and from Rosario towards Baguio where the main Jap force is entrenched.

Modified Rand McNally map showing location of Guimba, San Fabian and Agoo

Sunday in the Philippines (51)

     Roman Catholicism arrived in the Philippines with the Spanish in the sixteenth century, and various Protestant religions came with the Americans at the turn of the twentieth century.  In 1945, the country was overwhelmingly Catholic, but there were various other Christian churches around.

Church (Catholic?) in Guimba

11 Feb. '45
Beloved,
     No mail today, but I've had so much lately I can't complain!  This morning McDaniels and I went to church in town - a Methodist Church.  I was amazed to learn that almost every village and town has its protestant church - mission supported, of course. It was scheduled for 8:40.  When we arrived there were about 12 soldiers, and only 4 F.'s [Filipinos]. It didn't start until about 8:50.  After that the F.'s kept coming in until the place was crowded.  There were lots of entire families. Sunday School was to follow.  The piano was sadly out of tune.  They hymns were sung very slowly and with some surprising accents, but with a great deal of enthusiasm.  Just before the benediction the minister asked if anyone wished to give thanksgiving.  Two young fellows and a girl went forward to the altar and knelt during the singing of the last hymn, prayer and benediction.  The one young man was dressed in a spotless white something-finer-than-dinner pants and blouse shirt.  He carefully took out a white handkerchief on which to kneel.  The other one was dressed [in] a similar outfit of a delicate purple-red.  They must have been real dandies!  I enjoyed the service very much.  There must have been 20 GI's in all.  We walked back to the hospital with a very Americanized youth who works on one of the wards, and whose home was in a large city [note that he couldn't name the city because of censoring] where he attended the Baptist Church.

Filipino patient (father behind?) and nurse, with Gene on the left, and
Reese (a ward man?) on the right

     Sunday afternoon you'd think you were back in the States on a visiting day.  There are dozens of F. men, women and children who come to visit the civilian and guerrilla patients.  It adds color!
     At long last I obtained a .45.  Now I hope I can keep it.  An officer patient gave it to me as he was being transferred.  What firepower I'll have!  We still have to pack guns with us wherever we go.  It does seem peculiar to carry a gun to church - pilgrim father style!  But the F.'s probably wouldn't like it if we snagged a pig or chicken on the way home.  We are having ice to put in our battery acid drinking mixture [presumably he means the powdered drink they get with rations].  It makes it more palatable (besides being good, as Hi [Armstrong] would say).

February 12, 1945  [Maj. Cy] Burroughs [not a favorite!] and I work together.  Maj. Nigg joined us.  There goes my majority [chance for advancement to major]!

12 Feb. '45
Beloved,
     ...  I amputated the arm of a poor boy.  It had become gangrenous.  He was wounded a week ago.  He's not in good shape, despite maximum doses of penicillin and five blood transfusions.  We didn't even tell him what we were going to do for he was in low spirits anyway and doesn't realize any too well what is going on.  These war casualties are pathetic, but they are usually cheerful and uncomplaining.  What brave lads.  Maybe I'm a bit depressed tonight.  We had a notice today that no one will be considered for rotation [for leave home] until after 30 months continuous overseas service.  [Gene and most of the other original 92nd Evac. docs had only been there 20 months.] That means not until next year for us, and then we probably won't send [but] one officer in more than 2 or 3 months.  So I guess we may as well pray for an early peace!  There is some kind of deal afoot tonight.  There is going to be an opening of a "nightclub" with a cover charge of P 10 [about $4.60]!  That's a lot of dinero for a chicken dinner and some drinks!  It seems to me there must be some added attraction, though no one seems to know what to expect.  Quite a few of the officers are going.  Now if it was a chicken for a P 2 [about $1] and maybe some drinks I'd be tempted to go.  Hi [Armstrong], Sparky [Adams], and I will hang back and see what comes of it. [As you will see in my next post, that was sensible!]

Barber shop set up in a tent in Guimba for the GI's and guerrillas

     Neeb has been over here 36 months.  He's been with us since Mac [Maj. Richard McIlroy] and [Capt.] Roy [Swanson?] left, but we still haven't had a quota that will allow him to go home - he's really in a mood tonight!  He's engaged but not married.  I know what these hills look like - more like some of the groups of hills out on the California desert!  Now if they were clear of Japs I'd be tempted to do some mountain climbing.  But don't worry I shan't.  Some of the fellows (4 to a tent) hire a F. a peso a day [46¢] to clean up their tent, shine their shoes and so forth.  How they keep them busy I don't know.  But I'll be darned if I like the idea!  The F. promptly considers you and all your things his property!  He lies on your bed, looks thru your stuff, etc.  I saw one of them drinking from Varley's water bag today.  It reminds me of Rochester and Jack Benny!  Which makes me think - usually we've had movies long before this on our invasions.  No doubt there are too many base section commandos [rear echelon, who usually don't have to face the enemy] already in.  But those fellows also had a taste of Jap infiltration tactics in some spots.  An officer on my ward today asked where I lived.  He's from Enid, Oklahoma and has been to Monument Lake [Colorado] fishing a number of times.  Imagine that!  He certainly admires out country!