place. He spoke
excellent English. At first Lisa tried to appeal to his honor. She found that he
had no honor and punished her interference by using her for the ultimate
outrage. He taunted her more than the others… The pig deserved to die a painful
death.” Madame June kissed Lisa on the forehead and held her like she would a
small child.
“The night will soon be upon us,” announced Jonathon,
surprised to see how quickly the elderly matron defused Lisa’s rage. “We’ll
have to shrink the secured portion of the camp, at least for the night. Can you
arrange for the women to remain in the stable and barn? The house may be too
vulnerable being on the opposite side of the wire fence.”
“I’ll see that they settle into their old places for the
night,” answered Madame June, standing up to grasp his arm. “I don’t know how
many have said thank you, Lieutenant, but let me say it for all of the inmates.
We were existing on sheer will. A few more days with the new commandant would
have meant death for some of us, especially Lisa. I have a grandson about your
age. You remind me of him. Thank God you came when you did.”
“We’ve been planning raids like this for months, Madame
June. When General MacArthur promised the Filipinos that he would return, he
meant it. The invasion force is off the coast of Luzon. Soon the island will be
free of the yoke of tyranny. We’re proud to be part of that force. You ladies
here at the camp should rest easy with the assurance that we’ll defend this
compound against any Japanese attempts to reclaim it. Be patient a little
longer. Soon you’ll be on your way back to America.”
“Your men have been kind and gentle,” she replied in that
soft way she spoke. “It’s nice to see that brave warriors can also be
compassionate and generous. The world is going to need those virtues if we’re
ever going to put this horrible war behind us.”
That evening, Jonathon checked the sentry posts within the
fenced compound and stationed a man at each of the four entrances to the barn
and stable. Their presence was reassuring to the inmates. He knew that his men
were stretched thin if a determined attack was to take place. At about eleven
o’clock one of the outpost positions let loose with a heavy burst of sustained
fire from a Thompson. The camp was instantly alerted to the prospect of an
attack, and Jonathon ran to the outpost. The two men at the outpost were lying
prone on the edge of their foxhole straining their eyes northward.
“Did you hear anything before you fired?” asked Jonathon,
taking a position beside the two men.
“We both saw several Japs at the edge of the sugar cane
field. They were advancing in a line with rifles and bayonets at the ready,
then we fired at them, sir.”
“You did the right thing. I’m going to double check the
perimeter. If they make another attempt at this outpost, be sure to give
yourselves enough time to fall back to the perimeter line. Don’t try to engage
them from this isolated position unless you are forced to do so. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Every man on the perimeter was alert and eager to get into
the fight with the enemy. Jonathon spoke to each man along the line of defense.
The young men in the platoon were a hardy bunch with a healthy hatred of the
enemy, tempered by the abysmal conditions of the prisoners. If the enemy did
attack, he was certain they would pay a heavy price trying to pierce the
Rangers’ security line. Thankfully, the night passed without further incident.
The next morning, minutes before the sun rose above the
mountains, the Japs struck with much screaming and hollering and shouting of
obscenities at the Rangers, who met the human wave with determined
concentration on their marksmanship. The Japs attacked out of the rising sun
which made them difficult to see clearly. Machine guns had been placed on each
end of the barn and stable buildings with a clear field of fire. They unleashed
a withering stream of
excellent English. At first Lisa tried to appeal to his honor. She found that he
had no honor and punished her interference by using her for the ultimate
outrage. He taunted her more than the others… The pig deserved to die a painful
death.” Madame June kissed Lisa on the forehead and held her like she would a
small child.
“The night will soon be upon us,” announced Jonathon,
surprised to see how quickly the elderly matron defused Lisa’s rage. “We’ll
have to shrink the secured portion of the camp, at least for the night. Can you
arrange for the women to remain in the stable and barn? The house may be too
vulnerable being on the opposite side of the wire fence.”
“I’ll see that they settle into their old places for the
night,” answered Madame June, standing up to grasp his arm. “I don’t know how
many have said thank you, Lieutenant, but let me say it for all of the inmates.
We were existing on sheer will. A few more days with the new commandant would
have meant death for some of us, especially Lisa. I have a grandson about your
age. You remind me of him. Thank God you came when you did.”
“We’ve been planning raids like this for months, Madame
June. When General MacArthur promised the Filipinos that he would return, he
meant it. The invasion force is off the coast of Luzon. Soon the island will be
free of the yoke of tyranny. We’re proud to be part of that force. You ladies
here at the camp should rest easy with the assurance that we’ll defend this
compound against any Japanese attempts to reclaim it. Be patient a little
longer. Soon you’ll be on your way back to America.”
“Your men have been kind and gentle,” she replied in that
soft way she spoke. “It’s nice to see that brave warriors can also be
compassionate and generous. The world is going to need those virtues if we’re
ever going to put this horrible war behind us.”
That evening, Jonathon checked the sentry posts within the
fenced compound and stationed a man at each of the four entrances to the barn
and stable. Their presence was reassuring to the inmates. He knew that his men
were stretched thin if a determined attack was to take place. At about eleven
o’clock one of the outpost positions let loose with a heavy burst of sustained
fire from a Thompson. The camp was instantly alerted to the prospect of an
attack, and Jonathon ran to the outpost. The two men at the outpost were lying
prone on the edge of their foxhole straining their eyes northward.
“Did you hear anything before you fired?” asked Jonathon,
taking a position beside the two men.
“We both saw several Japs at the edge of the sugar cane
field. They were advancing in a line with rifles and bayonets at the ready,
then we fired at them, sir.”
“You did the right thing. I’m going to double check the
perimeter. If they make another attempt at this outpost, be sure to give
yourselves enough time to fall back to the perimeter line. Don’t try to engage
them from this isolated position unless you are forced to do so. Okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Every man on the perimeter was alert and eager to get into
the fight with the enemy. Jonathon spoke to each man along the line of defense.
The young men in the platoon were a hardy bunch with a healthy hatred of the
enemy, tempered by the abysmal conditions of the prisoners. If the enemy did
attack, he was certain they would pay a heavy price trying to pierce the
Rangers’ security line. Thankfully, the night passed without further incident.
The next morning, minutes before the sun rose above the
mountains, the Japs struck with much screaming and hollering and shouting of
obscenities at the Rangers, who met the human wave with determined
concentration on their marksmanship. The Japs attacked out of the rising sun
which made them difficult to see clearly. Machine guns had been placed on each
end of the barn and stable buildings with a clear field of fire. They unleashed
a withering stream of
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