Blood Brothers: A Medic's Sketch Book Part 17

wedges into the holes in the sides of the ship. Water in the forward hole was up to the flooring.

The night was bitter cold; my feet had lost all feeling. There were endless groans and screams from the wounded and crazed.

Jan. 12, 1945: Forty-five bodies in our hold were tied to lines to be lifted to the deck. I can never forget the grotesque positions some of the bodies a.s.sumed as they were raised. Then the winches lifted 150 bodies out of the forward hold and placed them on a scow beside the ship.

One cup of rice! No water! Not even rice for the survivors in the forward hold.

Jan. 13, 1945: 150 more bodies winched out of the forward hold. We heard that the dead were taken to a Chinese cemetery near the beach and cremated.

In the afternoon, our sick and wounded were raised on ropes. The rest of us climbed the long ladders and sat on the deck waiting our turn to get on a small platform to be lifted; twenty at a time; then dropped at a dizzy speed to a small scow.

There were many dead on the scow; among them, my old guerrilla chieftain, Col. Everett Warner, of Pikesville, Md., who had died just as he predicted, "Like a rat in a hole!" It made me ill to look at my good friend his face was covered with large blood blisters but I wanted that one last look. I had always had much respect for this dedicated soldier, a Freedom Fighter!

Enoura Maru: We were quickly taken over to the ship we had been on earlier No. 1, the Enoura Maru and were soon pulling each other up the long ladder. We were all placed in the same hold just aft the superstructure.

Ed Nagel, John Shock, Cary Smith, and Wade Cothran were crowded into a very dirty bay with me; it was filled with coal dust. We huddled next to the coal containers to preserve any warmth in our bodies.

One-quarter cup of rice; no water!

Thirty bodies were quickly piled up by the stairs after being stripped of their clothing to be used by the living. The count, (?) 924.

Jan. 14, 1945: Sunday - At dawn, we moved out of the harbor in a convoy of six or seven ships. Everyone had dysentery. The latrines were two boxes hung over the side of the ship. Only two persons were allowed on the deck at a time. Many were too weak to climb the stairs.

The floor soon became filthy, making walking in bare feet very unpleasant.

Our ship zigzagged generally north at a speed of about eight knots.

One-quarter cup of rice; no water! Another thirty prisoners died.

Toward evening, medics carried the bodies to the deck; after a short service by the strongest chaplain, the bodies were slid into the sea.

The count, (?) 894.

Jan. 15, 1945: The night had been extremely cold; I had lost all feeling in my feet. I had no desire to freeze to death; in fact I had volunteered for the Philippines because I enjoyed warm weather. We were all becoming extremely dehydrated; urination became very painful.

One cup of rice; no water (4th day). The count, (?) 864.

Jan. 16, 1945: Several inches of snow on the deck. Some men were .going down into the hold to get sugar. It was very difficult to swallow the sugar without water.

Cursing and stealing were now a way of life. Anch.o.r.ed all night. The count, (?) 834.

Jan. 17, 1945: I was bitter cold; we were hibernating-huddled close together-not moving any more than necessary; we were saving our energy. One-quarter cup of rice; no water (6th day): Usual deaths. The count, (?) 804.

We were very discouraged; we believed the end could not be far away.

Anch.o.r.ed all night!

Jan. 18, 1945: Very cold! The sea has turned muddy (? Yellow Sea). We were pa.s.sing many barren, mountainous islands to the starboard with an occasional lighthouse. One-quarter cup of rice; twelve teaspoons of water. Anch.o.r.ed at night. Thirty-two died. The count, (?) 772.

Jan. 19, 1945: We were underway at dawn-for three hours then stopped!

We were alongside a large transport badly humped up amidships. It had been torpedoed! Many j.a.p soldiers were standing on the deck in their overcoats, shivering.

We spent most of the day waiting while seamen attempted to get a cable aboard the stricken vessel. Finally underway making only three knots.

One-half cup of rice; twelve spoons of water. Many have died. The count, (?) 740. Anch.o.r.ed at night. Very cold! Brrrr!

Jan. 20, 1945: Moving north all day very slowly. Major Kirchner, an Army medic, died in the next bay (he had had a leg broken during the bombing of January 9th). Thirty died. The count, (?) 710.

January 21, 1945: Sea has turned green. Zigzagged generally

north. The cable to the crippled vessel snapped; we drifted for hours while seamen spliced it. One cup of rice; several spoons of water.

Usual dead. The count, (?) 680.

Jan. 22, 1945: Monday - Moved north for ten hours towing our albatross. Major Wade Cothran died in his sleep-next to me. I was able to get his sweater, a big help in keeping the cold out. Usual deaths.

The count, (?) 650.

Jan. 23, 1945: Extremely cold; had been snowing all night. Col. Shock, Dental Officer, died in our bay. He had been very bitter. He thought the doctors had not given him the proper care. He could not have been more right! Other friends dying: Cmdr. Josses, USN medic, Maj. Horace Greely, Capt Kornblum, Army dentist. The count, (?) 620.

Jan. 24, 1945: Snowing and bitter cold. The ship was making very poor time; life was slowly ebbing away.

Jan. 25, 1945: Extremely cold! Col. Fred Saint of the Army Engineer Corps died. He had been wounded in the Jan. 9th bombing. One-quarter cup of rice; six spoons of water.

Jan. 26, 1945: Coooold! Many have died! There were only three chaplains alive of twenty-three starting the trip. The medical service had completely evaporated. Major "Mac" Williams was the only medic still on his feet.

We pa.s.sed another convoy going south. One-quarter cup of rice; no water! The count, (?) 555.

Jan. 27th: Anch.o.r.ed all day! Any chance of survival is slowly slipping away. I was so weak, it was impossible to move around. Snow covered islands around us were beautiful. One-quarter cup of rice; six spoons of water. The count, (537).

Jan. 28th: We were underway at dawn; many depth charges had been dropped during the night. One-quarter cup of rice; no water! The count, (?) 517.

Chapter X

j.a.pAN!

Jan. 29, 1945: Anch.o.r.ed at dawn in the harbor of Moji on the most southerly island of j.a.pan, Kyushu. One-quarter cup of rice twice during day; six teaspoons of water. The count, (?) 497.

1129 had died since we departed from Manila on December 13th, 1944, an average of twenty-four deaths each day; 463 had

died since we left Takao Harbor on Formosa on Jan. 14, 1945, an average of thirty deaths each day.

Jan. 30, 1945: We were issued cotton army clothing and tennis shoes. A senior j.a.panese officer boarded the ship after observing the debilitated prisoners; lingering close to death; he slapped Lt.

Toshino and Mr. Wata.

The surviving derelicts teetering between life and death, attempted to climb the ladder to the snow covered deck of the Enoura Maru.

As we debarked in six inches of snow and 20F., masked j.a.panese soldiers in white gowns sprayed us with a carbolic acid solution, adding to our misery.

Eventually, those prisoners who could still stand up were divided into 3 groups:

Group I: 100 prisoners to Camp 3 (Tobato).

Group II: 192 prisoners to Camp 1 (Kashi).

Group III: 95 prisoners to Camp 17 (Omuta).