Left New Guinea for the Philippines Dec 24, '44.
Arrived at Luzon on Jan 6, '45 which was 5-Day. Went in on second wave or second line to hit beach. Was plenty scared. Never met any Japs.
Went inland a mile or so before we met anything, only small patrols. Advancing inland from the beach about 500 yards, some goof started firing at a bird. He probably didn't have anything to worry about but unloading a boat. If I had been closer, probably would have shot him for shooting behind the lines; anyone would have, I believe.
Moved upon the first hill inland and dug in for the night. Plenty of artillery shells from both sides going over; we shooting at them, they shooting out in the harbor. At dusk, a black widow fighter came over and failed to give the right code signals and every ship in the harbor opened up at it with their AA batteries. The plane dived down behind a hill and left that hot spot.
Gave most of rations to the natives, didn't have much to eat that night. They sure looked starved so I didn't miss the next four meals very much; got very hungry though.
Next morning left that hill and moved over to the left flank. Went over every damned hill to our next position; had to help each other up, some of them. After about half a day we went about two miles to the right place. 6ot dug in for the night and my buddy and I went down in a draw for some water. Coming back some Japs fired at us with a machine gun. Several bullets hit between us. We got out of there and got in our foxholes. The CO sent out a patrol to try and find them but no luck. Was plenty nervous that night. Stayed awake most of the night.
Next morning, Company C of our battalion tried to move to the left of us, but the Jap with the machine gun and two riflemen and one man with a knee mortar held them back for about six hours. The Japs were in a good position. Wounded four and killed one or two of Company C. The Japs left after sundown.
Next day, the 169th combat team came up and took over our positions. Then the first battalion of the 172nd moved about 15 miles to right to help another outfit take a hill that was pretty well defended. We left early in the morning and got there about 1530 in the afternoon. My platoon was left flank for the battalion. The rest of the battalion had a road to march down, while the lone platoon had thick woods and several rivers to cross. We had to travel as fast as possible.
In some of the rivers, the native women were washing their clothes, and most of them were nice looking; these were the young ones, 16 or 18 or so. They sure were glad to see us. They gave us fruit, eggs, and chickens. We didn't have any way to carry the eggs and chickens, so we gave them back.
The one platoon had the roughest route to travel but it got there before the rest of the battalion. We were there first so we had to scout around and make sure there were no Japs close by. One squad went to one small village south of our position and another went east to another village. The other squad stayed in our position. Never found anything at those places.
The natives of one village gave us some more eggs but we couldn't carry them, so we gave them back. There was no one at the other except an old man and a small boy. the rest of the battalion came about 1630 and everyone dug in for the night. The other outfit we came to help sent word that they would take the hill in a few hours and that they wouldn't need our help.
Some of the boys wanted to go on patrol so the battalion CO sent them out. We got a new supply of hand grenades and started out. We were in a dry riverbed. The natives had a trail cut close to the steep banks. One of the boys stepped off of the trail to get a drink of water; the Japs shot at him with a .77 mm cannon. Both shots were wild and landed about 100 yards behind us. The Japs were in a cave on a small hill ahead of us. We didn't go after them. There might have been more than the one gun crew. We didn't go after them. If there had been more of us, we would have went up there. We decided if the Japs was shooting men with guns that big, it wasn't any of our business. We went back and reported.
It rained that night, so there wasn't much sleeping. The next day, we went back to the beach head. That evening we went by truck back in the hills about 10 miles.
About 2400 in the morning some Japs started shooting up our transportation and supply dumps so we had to get up and help those men out. Lost one man killed to 5 Japs killed, one with a flame thrower. But still the Japs came inside of the perimeter and set a jeep and trailer on fire and got two machine guns and some hand grenades. There were some tanks there but the crews left them for foxholes. The rest of the night passed off okay.
The next morning we moved on up the road. I saw many dead Japs along that road that day. Kill them and leave them. We had to burn them out with flame throwers or seal the caves up with TNT.
The engineers made the road through the hills right behind the infantry.
At noon we rested for awhile and started on. Later, about 1400, we came to some rice fields. We were crossing them when the Japs started throwing artillery at us. We could hear the shells coming and the distant boom of the gun, then the burst of the first shell behind us. The first one landed about a hundred yards behind us, then they began to get closer. The third one fell about 20 yards from where my buddy and I were lying in a small ditch. The next one fell about as far out in front of us. Everyone was in some kind of shelter so no one was hurt. They threw about 10 rounds at us then stopped.
After everything was over the CO called for us to be moving on. One fellow was so well hid he didn't see us leave. We didn't miss him until we stopped for water. Another boy and myself went back for him. We thought he had been hurt. When we found him he was sitting under a palm tree. We asked him what was wrong. He said he didn't see us leave. We went about two miles farther, then stopped for the night. We were very tired so everyone was glad for a rest. Didn't rest much though. The Japs kept us awake most of night. We stayed there the next day and night.
The second night we were there the second battalion of the 172nd infantry regiment ambushed some Jap artillery that was getting out of the hills. The second battalion used all of their ammo except a few rounds for each gun and mortar.
The next morning the 3rd platoon of company A went out where the Japs were to kill what was left. We killed 15 that had not been hurt and five that had been wounded. I killed five of them myself. None of our men were hurt. One of the Japs was behind a big anthill and no one saw him until just about too late. Several of us had gone by. Then he started shooting at us. I was the closest one to him. Two bullets from his pistol came by me pretty close too. One of the boys yelled at me in time and I fell to the ground in time. When he started shooting everyone hit the ground. One fellow said it was him or the Jap that was going to get it and stood up and ran at the Jap shooting. The poor Jap didn't have a chance. He got two shots in the face and several in the chest. Everyone was so excited that we forgot to get his pistol. We got some valuable information off another one though.
There were about a hundred dead Japs, several horses and five field pieces. That was a good score for the day.
Ammunition came first on supplies so we didn't get all the rations we could use, so we sent and got some Jap rations, some fish in cans, some raw rice, and lots of hard sweet bread, not very good. After we get finished there, we went back and reported everything okay.
That night, we lost three men. They were burned to death by a Jap flame thrower. I'll never forget how one of the boys screamed. I'll remember it until I die. The Japs lost one man, the one with the flame thrower; he was shot to pieces. We stayed there several days, then we moved onto another hill. We spent the night there.
Next morning, we got word that some Philippine fighters were on a hill about a mile from us and wanted to show us where a Jap artillery battery was. Without checking the information, we went up there into an ambush. Only one company was sent. After we got where the Japs wanted us, they let us have it from everywhere. We stuck to the hill and ran the Japs off of it, but after awhile, they were back with more men. We held them off for awhile, but it got too hot for us after about four hours.
When the Japs came back, myself and three more men were caught on the Jap's side of the hill. We couldn't get back on our side without being shot. Every time one of us moved they would open up with a machine gun. I had the bad luck to be on an ant bed, but I thought they felt better than a bullet would, so I stuck it out.
After awhile we got orders to get off the hill. We called back for machine guns to cover us while the four of us tried to get back on our side of the hill, we started back and I made the mistake of turning my back toward the Japs. I happened to look back over my shoulder in time to see a Jap raise up out of the tall grass and shoot. I rolled to one side and the bullet just scratched my arm. One of the other boys got him before he could shoot again. We learned our mistake at the cost of two killed and 20 wounded. It is best to check all information before acting on it.
We moved back about 300 yards and dug in for the night. I don't think anyone slept much that night. I know I didn't. We stayed in our positions all the next day waiting for supplies. I was the gunner on a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR.) in my squad so I had the job of keeping an outpost out in front of the lines. I took my second gunner and went out about a hundred yards in front the lines. We took plenty of ammo and a grenade apiece, and a can of cheese that we had been saving for some time. We had just got into position and opened the can of cheese when I heard something in the bushes behind me. I turned around fast and there was a Jap about 30 feet from us. He saw us about the time I saw him. I brought my rifle up and shot him. He had a grenade in each hand. It seemed like I would never get that trigger on that gun pulled. It seemed like a million years. Just a touch of the finger will do it. After I got it pulled I forgot to let up on it. All 20 shots hit him in the chest and guts. He was dead before I knew I was shooting him. I got a map of our positions that he had mad off of him; a wrist watch, compass, pistol, sword, and several pictures. I don't remember what else. After it was all over my buddy and I went back and ate our cheese and some Jap bread.
That night everyone slept more than the night before. My buddy and I had our foxhole about two feet from the squad leader's foxhole, and the four of us took turns watching an hour at a time. At one o'clock it was by buddy's time to watch. I was awake to keep him company for awhile. I heard something that sounded like someone walking and told my buddy, so we listened and heard it again. We woke up the sergeant and told him someone was out there, he said it was an animal and to let him sleep.
We listened and someone out there said something in the Jap lingo. We didn't wait any longer. I told my buddy to throw a grenade and I would get my rifle ready. He threw the grenade and about a dozen came back. I told him to throw some more and I opened up with my BAR. The sergeant woke up then.
I got off about two magazines when I heard a grenade fall between the two foxholes. I yelled over to the next hole for them to get down, then I started shooting again. The grenade went off and took my helmet right off my head and a piece of shrapnel hit me in the right eye. It sort of dazed me for a second but I wasn't thinking of that right then. The Jap started throwing mortars at us, so I kept my gun going for all it was worth. After awhile, the blood from my wound started running into the other eye so I had to stop and put a bandage around my head. It wasn't an easy job.
The same grenade put the two men in the next foxhole out of action. The sergeant got a broken leg and arm. The other was out cold from the explosion. The sergeant crawled back for help, and when he found someone (to help), he wouldn't (or couldn't) come to help us. I called up for help and he said he wouldn't come, so I called him every dirty name I had learned in my 21 years and two years in the army.
After about two hours, the Japs left and the medics came around for the wounded. We lost one man killed and eight men wounded. They took me back to the aid station and gave my two shots of morphine to make me sleep. I didn't sleep any though. I could hear the Japs farther down giving someone else hell. Every once in awhile, they would throw mortars at us.
The next day the wounded were sent back to the hospital. I had to walk two miles back to where some jeeps were waiting for us. That was the most painful ride I ever took in my life. I have rode some wild horses that did me bad, but that jeep ride did me worse.
I went first to the 118th Collecting Station, from there to the 54th Evac Hospital. There I was x-rayed. Then they took the shrapnel out of my eye. Next day, I was sent to the 21st Evac Hospital. I stayed there for a week.
During that time the bandages were changed twice. My eye had never hurt me except for the first few hours. From the 21st Evac Hospital, I was transferred to Land Ship Tank (L.S.T.) 445 and from there to L.S.T. 465. This L.S.T. took us to where I was transferred to a hospital ship which took my back to New Guinea. I went first to the 51st General Hospital and was there for three days. Then I was transferred to the 54th General Hospital.
I was given an artificial eye. I was in that hospital for nine days.
Started back to the States February 26th on a troop transport ship. Arrived in San Francisco March 20. Went to Letterman General Hospital, California. Was transferred from there by hospital train to Northington General Hospital, Alabama. Arrived here march 29th. Was here two days before work on a plastic artificial eye was begun. After three days, I received the artificial eye. It was a perfect fit, and perfect coloring.
After being here for eight days, I got a 30 day furlough. While I was home, I got malarial fever. Came back to the hospital and was in bed two weeks with the fever. I was transferred to reconditioning and am still there.
Jack Prescott
