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Story of Capt. Wermuth, 'One-Man Army of Bataan'notKlvtor.no,ot.theHero Helped Build Batangas Airfield but Japs NeverFIVtireCould Understand Why Their PlanesIways CrackedTERM!1 dilor % ntir In the ftillominf ar- f irossuisi, w t* laid th#*ni Irngthim.i.reeinter-\y*9iir t hrlit le. fifth in a %erir% written exclusive-h ivr Internatiiinal \wt Special *er-iiff t apt Arthur Wcrmiith «f t hifif® (tn tiirUfv hi* nirritiu «f the e%plmta which earned him the nickname of the o r Man %rm' ©f Bataanofnts ;)IH I'he j VI r. j«k-J.By CAPT. ARTIHH MI RMI TIIWritten exclusively for InternationalNewi Special Service,• World Copyright. All Sights Hes« Rroroduction in Whole or Part StrictlyProhibited. *MANILA lt;INS). I will neveragain feel such despair as when the Japs took usI did not care what happened to me. I looked to death as the onlyescape.Still, my lot was not as bad as crackupwise in concrete.The stupid Japs could never understand sh their big bombers would crash through the stripand crack tip.We'd watch the big babies circle, land and crash and then laugh ourselves sick when we were alone watching the Japs hold solemnconsultations over the airstrip.Kcpalrs Were LousyThey’d always come to us to make repairs. And we would makea great show of fixing up the damage. But the repairs weie always I lousy and we would go back to the barracks and wait for the next.those poor devils who were forcedto make the Bataan death march''i under the whip of the hated “Tiger of Malaya** Gen TomoyukiYamashita.Moved to Prison**MS.rCorregidor felf on May 6, 1942 The Japs kept us hospitalized until May 25 and then moved us in trucks to the filthy Bilibid prisonin Manila.When I think of that hell holeand the death march, my blood boils and I longwhen YamashitaThe Japs looked upon us as very glt;lt;»lt;! workers for Japan and gave us barracks, meat, fish.beuns and fruit. And for evervbit of kindness we figured to kill at least one Japanese filer.Late In January. 1943. my rup ture bothered me so much that the Japs sent me back to Bilibid. But it wasn’t until April 1 that they decided to let an American naval i lieutenant, Arthur Barrett of Cha-nute, Kansas, operate on me to see the dsy | Barrett did s good job and I was and his fellow out of the hospital In three weeksmurderer. Gen. ilommi. are forced By June 1. the Japs figured I was to make that same march. ready for more work and sent meThen I want to see them brought back to Cabanatuan, back to the United States and pub-, Remembers Little Runt licly hanged, I T worked on a farm detail for sEven that treatment will be too,vear and a half and had things good for thOEc monsteis. I smile j fairly eaev until a little runt gaveRi when I think of them in that rotting, stinking hole at Bilibid,We wcre held in Bilibid for two days and then moved in jammed,packed, foul-smelling box-tars toCabanatuan.100 Men in Each Car! There were 100 of us in each car. We stood like rows of logs for the entire trip. No water, no food, no toilet. Just darkness, and sweat and hate that welled up inside you until your heart almost burst in rage I staved at Cabanatuan until Sept. when the Japs gave me a detail of 500 men to build an airfield at I.ipa, Batangas.That probably was the worst airfield ever built anv where. Instead of la.ving iron beamsIlt; MARKETDial 2-5711IffWfAfcRICSLargeLimitJWMedturnDRiABiesLimit3 AP%!LDLimitme the worst beating I ever got We had a boss named Minnie who wasn't so bad hut unfortunately he went home to Japan for some reason. Then a little devil less than five feet tall and weighing about 110 pounds took over. He was about 20 years old and one of the meanest, most sadistic fiends I’ve ever seen.My beating took place on Jan. 9. 194* I II never forget that dey oi the Jap who gave me such an aw-{ful thrashing.This little skunk had workedmy detail until the men were falling into the manure, f finallv told the “laughing Boy” to go easier on us. He just smiled. But when we got hack to the farm, he really went to work on me.First he stood me at attentionwith a bayonet in my back Then he smashed me over the head with a club and I went down.As soon as I hit the ground, he kicked me in the kidneysOver and Over f stumbled to my feet a dozentimes and it was the same procedure—a bayonet in my back, a smash over the head, wracking pain as I hit the ground and then his hob nailed boots driving into my bleeding kidneys.This kept up for 15 minutes. Flnall.v, he f-vughrd and walked away. I was taken to the hospital where for da* my urine wascolored with blood and my mindfilled with fantastic pictures of swinging elubs and a leering, little runt smiling over me as J tried to get up.camp commander apologized in the hospital “for the littletreatment” but nothing hap-to ’ Laughing Boy.”Minnie finally returned to thejob and conditions improvedOn Oct 13, 19*4, I wan againtaken back to Bilibid and kept there until I »er. 13, when 16111 11 us were put aboard the ill-fated ship.Orioku Maru. You’ve probabiv heard that I was one of the 278 survivors of that ship but I think I can give you a few details which j you will find hard to believe.The to meroughpenedWest: « apt. W nmtilh tall* ef MmSals* aparata* span wllktal anaai-f * ms* e*Wnior\A/n\j Ptbatira, an* af raanlla-* alhar Jap-aeata atraeltia*. bafara tba Orteku Mira area bit ba Smart.an bomb. »'Copyright. !*45, by K.ng FeaturesSyndicate*ULFINSEi;mt—7th JISN'TCP,Oood foods carttht*ha'-IS 11fHIM Mof-rrotMlcofire iIacklnineof 111it sie one partfooda reto Imtto save a imiiioI -killhill\ IPrilt;COtilis AdmindelightfullyPRa nSouthwest drink
Newspaper Details
Port Arthur News
Port Arthur, Texas, US
Thu, Oct 04, 1945
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 16 Jun 2022
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