Nobody minded. They had just traversed miles and miles of desolate enemy territory. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but a ride in the Jeep sure beat walking. Despite Steele’s wisecrack, it really did seem like luxury at that moment. There was nothing in the world that made a man appreciate a ride so much as taking a load off his own two exhausted legs.
The engine cranked, and the Jeep sped off into the night, carrying the soggy GIs and their information on the backdoor route that would be used to hammer the Japanese the next day.
CHAPTER FOUR
It wasn’t all glory being a soldier. On this steamy morning, as the 306th Infantry Regiment slogged across the flooded rice paddies surrounding the newly captured port city of Ormoc, it was even less glorious than usual.
Thanks to Patrol Easy, the unit had its route toward Highway 2, a major supply road for the Japanese. The mission was to bisect the road, essentially creating a roadblock to cut off the enemy supply lines. Other units would attack the Japanese position separately. Once a section of the road was in American hands, the plan was to start rolling up it toward Palompon. To be sure, the Japanese wouldn’t like this plan and would fight them the whole way.
After the roadway moved north from the rice paddies, the territory became more rugged. The highway was lined with low hills and jungle-filled ravines. There were dozens of bridges to cross. The situation favored the Japanese defenders, who could ambush the Americans at every bend in the road if they chose to do so. It promised to be an ugly business.
But for the fun and games to begin, they first had to get to Highway 2 by striking across country. Hopefully, more or less, they would catch the Japanese by surprise and seize the road without too much of a fight.
“Mud, mud, and more mud,” Philly muttered, slogging through the flooded field. “Let me just point out that this is our third time crossing these damn rice paddies. I’ve got to say, I’m sick and tired of it.”
“Nobody gives a damn if you’re sick and tired of it,” Deke pointed out. He was reminded of being a boy on the farm and putting up endless rows of hay on a hot July day. “You ain’t got no choice but to do it.”
“You’d think I’d get better at it by now,” Philly said, “considering all the practice I’ve had with it.”
If it was possible, the flooded fields felt even hotter than they had the previous day. The intent had been to start out at dawn, but any large military operation never got off to a smooth start. Consequently, the tropical sun was already well on its way to its zenith, and the heat beat down upon them. Once again, the humidity was amplified by the surrounding water.
This was a major operation, but due to the impossible terrain, there would be no mechanized support. This meant that everything the regiment needed for what was planned to be a three-day operation to seize and establish a presence on Highway 2 would have to be carried across the empty miles of the rice paddies.
Under the circumstances, it would have been hard enough for each soldier to carry his rifle, ammunition, pack, canteen, and rations — all topped off by a steel helmet that was doing its best to boil his brain under the tropical sun.
For the operation, soldiers were loaded down with all sorts of additional equipment. They carried machine guns and mortars, plus ammo for both — and lots of it. The last thing you ever wanted was to run out of ammunition.
That was just for starters. There were also boxes of hand grenades, extra radio batteries, even cases of blood plasma. Finally, there were litters for the wounded that would surely result from the operation.
A Catholic priest was quietly helping with the burden of medical supplies, a litter carried sideways across his shoulders. One couldn’t help but think of Christ at Calvary, silently bearing his cross.
The burden was amplified by the soft ground, the mud sucking at boots, even the damp air itself. The rice paddies were fertile with organic matter, meaning that with each step, men sank to their ankles. In some places, they sank to their knees in mud and water. A few unlucky men stepped into holes and were nearly swallowed up, so that they had to be pulled out by their comrades.
To make matters worse, they had to be ready to fight — or flee. At any moment, a contingent of Japanese might appear on the horizon. At least they would see them coming. A far more worrisome threat was that one of the stray Japanese warplanes would appear out of nowhere and strafe them. There were still enemy fighters in the air.
For now their luck held.
However, the heat and the exertion took their toll. Every few minutes, a soldier would succumb and collapse into the muddy water. They had passed out and had to be saved from drowning due to being loaded down with all that gear. A few had given their all and literally dropped dead from the heat. Those who could be saved were given water and put onto the stretchers, adding yet more to the soldiers’ burdens.
Walking at the head of the column, Patrol Easy was mostly spared from carrying any of the extra load. Their role on point was to guide the men behind them and keep an eye out for any sign of the Japanese. Still, they did not have an easy task, considering that they were expected to be the advance eyes and ears. In the distance, heat shimmered off the flooded fields, making it difficult to see who — or what — was out there.
“There could be a whole division of Japanese out there and we can hardly seem them,” Philly said.
Deke wasn’t as concerned. He was thinking about those huts he had seen on his earlier reconnaissance. “All the Japs need to do is set up some machine guns in those villages. There’s no cover at all out here. Let’s just hope they don’t know we’re coming.”
Walking nearby, Lieutenant Steele had overheard. Deke could guess from the frown of concern etched on the lieutenant’s face that he might have been thinking the same thing about the machine guns. “Just keep your eyes open,” he said.
With their added burdens, it took the regiment most of the day to cover the same amount of territory that Patrol Easy had crossed in much less time. Even so, by late afternoon, they reached the dirt road that Deke had found, making the going that much easier.
Seeing the men moving along the road behind him, Deke felt a sense of pride. Deke wasn’t one to inflate his own value. There was nothing like growing up poor on a mountain farm to make you realize how insubstantial you were. Nonetheless, he felt rewarded for the risks he had taken now that the advance was able to follow the route that he had scouted. Now, if he could just help keep them all from being ambushed. There was no telling what tricks the Japanese might have in store for them.
As nightfall approached, they came to the second, larger collection of huts. Deke and Danilo crept forward, investigating to make certain that there were no Japanese in residence. Satisfied, he signaled for the rest of the advance to move up. Orders were given to dig in on the dry ground nearby.
“Whatever you do, no lights, not even a cigarette,” an officer said, making sure that each man heard the order. “So far the Japanese don’t seem to know we’re here. Let’s keep it that way, unless you want a bunch of mortars or maybe artillery coming down on your head.”
Nobody could argue with that, so they settled down to eat their rations cold. Some men were so desperate for tobacco that they simply sucked on an unlit cigarette. Not for the first time, Deke was glad that he hadn’t gotten in the habit of smoking. Some men couldn’t go more than an hour without their nicotine fix. Deke didn’t like the idea of being beholden to anything in that way. Also, he was convinced that too many cigarettes made you get winded too easily.