Part IV, In the Philippines

Jack Cook continues his stories World War II in the Pacific theater of operations.

Part IV, In the Philippines

Life was fairly primitive in overseas air base areas. We lived in Squad tents -- eight officers to a tent. I believe enlisted personnel were 12 to a tent. The mess hall was a tent. Drinking water was stored in small tank trailers in the tent areas. This water had strong chemicals added to prevent various diseases, and had an unsavory flavor. Latrines were open trenches, or if it were a "deluxe" latrine the squadron carpenter would build a "two hole" seat to straddle the trench. Most of the food was dehydrated or canned. We had dried potatoes, powdered eggs, powered milk, etc., and canned peaches, pears, Spam, and sausage. The cooks would bake bread and an occasional cake or cobbler. A frequent meal was chipped beef in gravy on toast. We referred to it as "sh*t on a shingle." It was a tasty dish, but I have never eaten it since I returned to the States. We were able to buy fresh bananas from the Philippine natives, and this helped provide a wholesome variety to our diet.

After we moved to Clark Field our tents were reinforced with bamboo frames and bamboo floors. We were no longer living on dirt floors. We also had solar heated showers. This was accomplished by placing a 55-gallon water drum on a platform in the sun, above the shower area. There was a spring-loaded showerhead, with a rope attached, and one would stand under the shower, pull the rope and water, (hopefully warm), would come out. It worked very well.

The native women would come by and solicit our laundry. They never had any soap, so we would have to provide it No matter if we had provided a large bar of soap the previous time, they always needed more soap. I specified "no starch", but my uniforms were always stiff with starch. I usually spent two or three minutes working the starch out each time I changed uniforms. A stiff uniform was not comfortable in the sub-tropical climate.

I had a tooth filled while in the Philippines. Our squadron dentist had a manually-powered drill operated by a sort of bicycle pedal arrangement. The dentist would pump the pedals and this would turn the drill. Pedaling would cause his hand to move, and this added to the drilling time, as well as, the discomfort of the patient. It was probably more torturous to have a tooth filled by that method than anything I have experienced before or since. Our squadron barber had manual clippers and this added some excitement to having a hair cut. He would invariably pull, rather than cut, several hairs as he progressed through the trim.

During our stay at Clark Field, "Rick" taught me to play chess. He had a small board, about eight inches square, and miniature pieces. After I became proficient, I was able to win an occasional game. We spent many off duly hours at the game. Quite a number of the officers played poker. I will never forget watching a game one afternoon. I was standing behind this player and noticed he was dealt four aces. He was the first to "open", and he passed. I was astonished. Another player opened and my player drew one card. Then I understood his strategy. Needless to say, he won the hand and the sizeable pot. I did not play poker with that group.

While at Clark Field the squadron commander took up a collection from the officers and built an officer's club. He hired native labor and they built it out of bamboo. Our supply officer "arranged" for some plywood and the club had a wood floor. During the construction phase someone arranged to have some of the locals brew native whiskey, so we would have the proper beverage for opening night The "brewing" process consisted of placing the small kegs of ingredients in the sun outside the CO's tent. They fermented, and "aged" for the better part of two weeks prior to the party. Many of us saved our ration of Coca-Cola, and other liquids, so we would have a well stocked bar.

Came opening night, the squadron commander invited the group commander, the wing commander, and the Fifth Air Force Commanding General. The general brought along four or five nurses from a local medical unit, The party was going great, the whiskey was flowing, and in the minds of many lovelorn officers, some having been overseas for two or three years, sexual ideas were burgeoning. One poor soul, who shall remain nameless, began groping a nurse. The squadron commander asked me to remove him and let him "cool off". Rick and I took him to the shower and got him thoroughly soaked. We were taking him to his tent when this nurse came by. We got him to the tent and were going to put him in bed when the nurse said "I know how to handle this." Rick and I stood back and allowed her to demonstrate her competency. In a flash she found herself locked in this guy's arms and legs with no where to go. She started pleading for help and we had to pry him off. She departed rearranging her clothes and didn't even thank us. I suspect she learned something that night. Future parties were limited to our squadron officers no more nurses or generals.

My original bombardier, Cliff Russ, drank too much of the native whiskey that night and became very ill. He wasn't able to fly for several days. Since he was no longer on my crew, I wasn't concerned, but I still had a sense of compassion for his weakness. He would drink anything alcoholic.

I recall one occasion when our laundress invited us to her parent's home for dinner. We debated whether or not to accept, but finally decided to go. The house was constructed of bamboo, had a thatched roof, two small bedrooms, no furniture, and had a raised floor about eight feet off the ground. A bamboo ladder was used to get up and down. We ate sitting on some kind of woven mats. The meal consisted of chicken and rice, which we did not find to be tasty, but then several of their domestic animals -- pigs, goats, etc., lived under the house, and the resultant odor was difficult to ignore.

There were many hand-made trinkets of various kinds that were always being offered for sale to us. A popular item was a bolo knife. It was smaller than our military machete and I presume it was used for cutting bamboo and other local products. I bought one, (I forget the purchase price), and still have it. It has a wooden hand-carved sheath, a wooden handle, and a braided cord that wraps around the wrist to assist in holding. The blade appears to be hammered steel, and has several pits and blemishes in the finish. A crude souvenir, but I will keep it always as a reminder of my service in the Philippine Islands.