A Song For Lisa (4 page)

Jonathon ran into several of his men from the second squad
in the process of mopping up the area between the plantation house and the
stable.

“How much of the compound is secured?” he asked.

“The fenced area is cleared, sir,” answered a corporal.

“The stable and barn are also secured. Lieutenant Jacob is
in there now. We’ve got a few Jap stragglers to round up. They ran this way
into the wooded area where the Filipinos have them surrounded.”

“Go get them men. Good work,” congratulated Jonathon. The
prison had been taken with relative ease. He met Lieutenant Jacob at the
entrance to the barn. “You did a great job, Hal. How about casualties?”

“Three wounded as far as I know, Jonathon. The tenacity of
the Rangers’ assault was partially responsible for the low casualties. We’re
still sweeping the compound and surrounding area. How many did you find in the
house?”

“There were three. Hammer and his corporal checked the
balance of the house. I expected more resistance. What’s your take on it?”
Jonathon asked, checking his watch.

“We caught them just as they were changing the guards. Most
of the detachment was in the compound and vulnerable when we struck. Our
grenade attack was a complete surprise. Many of them were in the open. Second
squad is in pursuit of a few stragglers,” reported Lieutenant Jacob.

“As soon as you complete your sweep, Hal, set up a perimeter
defense line and use the rest of the men to look after the inmates. Right now I
want to get back to the house. I’ll talk to you later about it,” ordered
Jonathon.

“I’ve got it under control, Jon. God, I’m proud of the men.
They fought like demons,” added Hal, replacing the empty clip in his Thompson
with a full one.

Jonathon ran back towards the house. The Jap officer was
still sitting where Sergeant Hammer had deposited him. Tears were rolling down
the Jap’s cheeks. Years later, Jonathon would often wonder if the tears were a
sign of contrition or a submission to fear.

“You’ll get no pity from me you bastard. Choices have
consequences,” Jonathon hollered, running past the Jap.

The woman was still lying on the bed the way he had left
her. He made sure the blanket covered her nakedness and checked her pulse. She
was still breathing heavily. He pulled out his water canteen to wet a clean
handkerchief and began wiping the woman’s forehead. She began to move and
lifted her eyes to look at him. A shrill piercing scream passed her lips,
filled with terror, pain, and outrage.

Jonathon took her two hands and held them so that she could
not hit him. He turned his left arm to her so that she could see the badge of
an American flag. All of the Rangers assigned to behind the lines missions wore
the emblem so that there would be no confusion about their identity. “I am an
American soldier. Do you understand?” He pointed to the Ranger insignia and the
flag. She did not understand and was still incoherent. “You are free. We have
liberated the prison. No one is going to hurt you. Those that have hurt you are
either dead or captured. I repeat, I’m an American soldier. Do you understand
me?”

Suddenly, a transformation took place before his eyes. The
woman was like a cornered animal, coiled and ready to strike out and fight to
the death. Perhaps the release that death would bring would have been welcome.
For a moment she was confused. The horror that had filled her eyes softened as
she focused on the American flag on Jonathon’s shoulder patch. The reality of
who he was slowly filled her consciousness, and she understood what he was
saying to her. His words, spoken in a calm gentle manner, were a source of
comfort. Over the years there had been few things that gave comfort. Skepticism
and even paranoia helped them from being discouraged by false hopes, and she
was afraid to accept what this new discovery meant to her and the other
inmates, because she might be deceived. The tension in her body relaxed and
large tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“I am an American, too,” she said with tremulous lips.

“Don’t be afraid. No one is going to hurt you anymore. My
name is Lieutenant Jonathon Wright. I’m in charge of a platoon of Rangers that
have come to set you free. The compound has already been secured. You are free.
Do you have a name?” asked Jonathon, hoping to draw her out in conversation.

“I’m Lisa Carter…” she cried between sobs of relief. “You
have seen my shame! The beast would not stop…”

“You fought bravely, Lisa,” responded Jonathon. He was
relieved that she was able to talk and understand that the prison was now under
American control. “I’ve got to look after my men and see what your companions
need for assistance. Are you going to be all right?”

“You’ve seen my shame,” she repeated, hiding her face
beneath the blanket.

“I would hardly call it shame, lady. No one could have done
more than you did to resist the brutal attacks. I admire your courage and
salute you, Lisa Carter. I’ll send someone in to help you.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Jonathon turned to look at her as he left the room. Her arms
were skeleton-like, merely skin over bones! Her uncombed auburn hair was
snarled and in disarray. Lisa was still in shock and convulsive sobs continued
to wrack her frail body. The shock insulated her from the trauma she had
endured. For the time being, Jonathon thought, it was a good thing. His mind
was racing evaluating alternatives. If all of the inmates were in the same
condition as Lisa Carter, then walking to the coast was out of the question.
None would make it half way without some conveyance of sorts, and the Rangers
could not carry that many on their backs and still provide protection.

The prisoners were shocked at the level of violence and
swiftness of the Ranger’s assault on the compound. They were predictably
suspicious and cautious in their reaction to their sudden liberation. The
Rangers carried three wounded Japanese soldiers to the infirmary section of the
barn and laid them on empty bamboo mats. One was the commandant that Jonathon
had shot.

When the prisoners saw the Japanese soldiers, pandemonium
broke out among them. They attacked the Japanese with feverish ferocity beating
and kicking them until they were too weak to continue. One inmate, a tall
emaciated middle-aged woman, seized a broken tree branch and began beating the
prisoners, swinging the branch like a baseball bat. Jonathan’s first reaction
was that he should break up the attacks. The women had become a mob and were
venting a long subdued hatred. Justice was being served in the only manner
available to them. Considering what they had to endure, if he had been one of
them, he would have participated in a similar release. The sentence being
carried out was commensurate with the terror the Japanese soldiers had
unleashed upon the inmates. He deliberately turned his back on the scene and
looked for Hal Jacob and Sergeant Hammer.

Small arms fire from the north stopped abruptly. The
stragglers had been taken care of. He checked the fenced perimeter noting that
Rangers had been posted at strategic points. Sergeant Hammer approached
Jonathon with a satisfied look on his face.

“I just received word from a runner. The blocking force has
wiped out the detachment at the supply center. We don’t have to worry about
them now. However, they must have notified other units in the area that the
prison was under attack. I’ve sent patrols to circle the compound for a radius
of one or two miles. They’ll notify us if there are any Japanese troops in the
vicinity,” reported Sergeant Hammer.

“You did a great job, Sergeant,” said Jonathon sincerely. “I
was about to suggest that we send out patrols to warn us of potential counter
attacks.”

“Could we move the prisoners if I can locate enough water
buffalo carts?” Sergeant Hammer asked, anticipating Jonathon’s question.

“One thing is certain, Sergeant Hammer. None of the inmates
are physically capable of negotiating the terrain on their own. Carts will help
but they’ll slow a column to a crawl, making us vulnerable to attacks from
small groups of Japanese. I doubt if we could make it to the coast before the
invasion starts and we would be placing the women at far greater risk out there
in no-man’s land. Our losses could be heavy.”

“Are you suggesting that we stay here until a column can
reach us, Lieutenant?”

“I’ve been thinking about it─unless another
alternative offers a better chance of survival for the women in our care. We
can set up a pretty strong defensive position right here by shrinking the area
we have to defend and wait for relief to come to us,” said Jonathon. He had
just answered the question he had been entertaining.

“You’re probably right,” conceded Sergeant Hammer, surveying
the compound. “I can set up outposts a hundred yards in front of our defensive
line so that we can be forewarned of approaching enemy forces. I am not so much
concerned in engaging the forces as I would be in observing them to determine
their intentions.”

“I appreciate your help, Sergeant,” answered Jonathon.
“Right now we’ve got to start taking care of our charges. Where is the nearest
water?”

Lieutenant Hal Jacob and the radioman approached them on the
run.

“What do you think?” asked Hal, breathing heavily. His
dungaree jacket was wet from sweat. “Only half of the woman are able to walk
unaided. The enemy dead count is over one hundred.”

“We’re going to hold here, Hal. Trying to walk out would be
ludicrous to contemplate,” answered Jonathon firmly.

“We’ve located a large supply of rice and canned foods in a
shed attached to the main plantation house. The mess hall used by the guard
detachment is relatively well equipped. Some of the men from first squad are
preparing some rice and vegetables to feed the inmates as soon as possible.
Rice is a good starter food for them. It’ll take a while for them to adjust to
eating three meals a day.”

“What about medical supplies and other things the inmates
need such as soap?” asked Jonathon.

“None, Jon,” replied Hal.

They heard the drone of airplane engines coming from the
southwest. They scanned the sky and picked up two B-26 bombers approaching the
compound at tree-top level.

“So much has been happening that I forgot to tell you,
Lieutenant Wright,” explained Sergeant Hammer, excitedly watching the
approaching planes. “My forces at the blocking position have a radio with them
and sent word to our base guerrilla camp that we were in the process of
securing the compound. They requested supplies for the inmates and I would not
be surprised if we’re about to get a delivery.”

“My God,” cried Jonathon, embracing the intrepid Filipino.
“You’ve made my day. Radioman, try to pick up the frequency the planes are
using.”

“I’ve already got it, sir.”

The planes began a slow turn around the compound and started
dropping bundles from their bomb bay doors and a side door in the fuselage. The
sky was filled with parachutes. Soon the ground was covered with supplies. A
call came over the radio.

“Air corps to ground. Air corps to ground. Do you read me?”

“This is Lieutenant Wright. We are glad to receive your
delivery. I have some instructions I hope you can relay to our control at Sixth
Army headquarters.”

“Can do, Lieutenant. First I want to warn you that there is
a large force of enemy troops about five miles east of your position. They have
some tanks and several trucks filled with infantry. It appears that they are
headed for the coast. We do not have any ordnance on board.”

“Roger, Air Corps. Please relay that
Snapdragon
is
going to hold and defend the prison compound. We’ll need support, especially if
we are attacked by armor. Our charges are approximately seventy women in
desperate need of clothing, medicine, and personal hygiene supplies. Do you
read me?”

“Perfectly, Lieutenant. We’ll relay your message to Sixth
Army about the change in plans for
Snapdragon
. Good luck. I will request
a recon and support mission for you. You Rangers seem to have the situation
under control. Well done, soldiers.”

“Thank you, air corps. You’ve just made our job a lot
easier. Roger and out.”

The prisoners had stayed in the barn and stable while the
air drop was taking place. The large amount of supplies dropped for them, sent
a ray of hope and relief through the ranks. They came out of the buildings
amazed at the field littered with packages. Jonathon, Hal, and Sergeant Hammer
rushed to speak to the inmates. They were gaunt, macabre looking human beings.
Their arms and legs were like sticks covered with soiled skin. It was a miracle
that they were still alive.

“Ladies,” announced Jonathon, waving to get their attention.
“I’m Lieutenant Wright of the United States Army. You have been liberated by
Army Rangers and some brave Filipino patriots. We are going to stay here until
American forces can adequately transport you to a medical facility capable of
caring for you. I beg you to be patient for a few more days. We will stay with
you and protect you with our lives if that is necessary. I repeat. You are
free. The Japanese guards cannot harm you anymore. Some soldiers are preparing
a meal of rice and vegetables for you. It will be ready soon. In the meantime,
we’ll distribute among you the supplies that have been dropped to us. Can
anyone tell me where the nearest water supply is?”

An elderly lady with long white hair stepped forward.

“I’m known in the camp as Madame June. Your presence at the
camp is an answer to all of our prayers. Thank God you’ve come! The only water
we’ve ever had came to us through a steel pipe in the stable building. Three of
our companions died during the night. One more collapsed and died a few minutes
ago when she learned that the Americans have returned to Luzon. It was too much
for her fragile system to handle. Would you help us bury them?”