Throwback Thursday - The Notebooks

To clear up some confusion, the Notebook passages posted on Throwback Thursday were written by my father and found by me after he passed away. They were his attempt to tell the family history. He was in his late 80s or early 90s when he wrote them. Today's chapter:

Everything was going along well. I was on deck and went to sleep. How long I don't know. I awoke and coming out of sleep I wondered why the wave was over my head. And then it went down and the prow was down as well. I came to and notice that we were in a good one. And sailors came in the area and ordered every one down below deck. We did and they closed the deck and put a cover over it to keep any water that washed aboard.

Down in the hold we kept hearing something hit the side of the ship. We could hear it roll to the other side with a bang. It was whatever was rolling on the lower deck a heavy piece of something.

We all worried about that especially since we were locked in. It seemed like it lasted an eternity, but soon the ship began sailing smooth and the sailors opened up the deck exit and we were on the deck once more in the sun. We had been caught in the tail end of a huge sea storm.

In warm areas things happen fast. In due course land was sighted and we were told that we would be on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The capital was located here. Manila and once we got ashore and into the city it was a mess. Rubble all over the place. The Japanese were kicked out. Except for those who were in hiding the rest were being pushed back to the Summer capital.

Yet thing in our area were still to be alert. And was the case in a number of countries. There were citizens who were in favor of the Japanese.

We waited and in due course trucks came onto the beach, we got in and off we went. We rode through a part of the city and it was a mess. The Japanese blew up most of the public buildings. Part of the city hall, the Senate building and other public buildings. We arrived at our destination at dusk. There were other soldiers in this area, and we noted that the houses in this area had been evacuated and in asking the G.I.s there what we were getting into. They refused to answer. We went into the barracks and picked our beds. And then went back outside with our rifles. And we were going to go on guard duty. I marched my detail along a street of nice looking houses even in the dark. And as we marched along those who were on sentry duty  we relieved them and posted our detail at each post. Asking what we were into. No one there answered.

When we had relieved everyone leaving one of our sentry in position I marched back to where I started. Four hours later I took a new detail and picked up each sentry at that post left a fresh one and marched back to our area. The duty was 4 hours on and 8 hours off.

On the morning detail and I posted one of my detail and picked up the other. I finally got to a fancy looking place on a street a nice design fence went all around the house as it was on a corner with gates on both sides. The front gate was wider. Nicely landscaped on a couple of acres of land. Swimming pool over one side and sectioned which sections being level and one step below the top all the way to a barn at its end. I was about to post my man when the side gate opened a a nice Cadillac came in. The front plate had 5 stars  and an American flag on one side and Filipino on the other. No need to tell me who would be riding in it. And as soon as the vehicle stopped , the house door opened and out stepped the Commander in Chief South Pacific, General Douglas MacArthurs. [ed: Dad's hero] Returned our salute and said Good morning.. And off he went. When he got in the car the driver holding the door open for him.

We also saw that he had his wife and child with him. The Generals had the option of having their families with them. He was the only one that exercised that option.

Every morning he would, and early, go into his son's room, wake him up and he would play with his child. They made some noise and when he felt that it was time for him to get ready he would put his hand in his bathrobe pocket and pull out a little toy for his son. The kid would run out of the room and going down the hallway shout Mommy look what Poppy gave me! It was said that anyone who visited at the office or invited to the house, he would ask them to see if they could find a small toy for his son. Or as he called him, Little Arthur.