As we were sitting there watching the group in
the water nearby, a Jap guard came out of the woods behind us, his
bayonet dripping with blood; he raised his rifle and put a shot
straight through Cy's heart, his chest spouting blood.
I wasted no time in jumping into the water and losing myself in the
group.
Twice during the afternoon, Navy planes returned and bombed the ship
with incendiaries-producing intense fires and many explosions.
Tennis Court: Toward evening, we were ordered to come ashore, each
four prisoners to carry a wounded man. Dripping wet, we were herded
through the forest for about one - half mile to a large tennis court
on the naval base.
A count showed 1,340 survivors. We had lost 286 men. Again, there was
not enough room on the court for everyone to sit down. As the sun went
down it became very chilly. There was nothing to eat all day.
Even though it was a great relief to be off the ill-fated Oryoku Maru,
nobody slept. The concrete surfaces became harder and harder as the
hours wore on. The mosquitoes became very enthusiastic about our bare
arms and legs.
Dee. 16, 1944: The warmth of the sun felt good.
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