It was my 8th-grade history teacher, Mr. Danhausen, who started me on my life-long obsession with World War II.
It was my friend, Anthony Garrett, who provided me with a copy of his grandfather's journal.

Elwood Llewellin Garrett was an American businessman in Manila at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
This is his story, as he recorded it, of living under Japanese rule in an enemy-occupied foreign land.

April 15, 1942

Was exceptionally busy yesterday repairing cots, the weeks wash and etc, was rather tired so had a siesta for a change.

About the only item of note was that on Monday afternoon around 5:00 PM we heard a lot more bombing, which, according to rumor, was three alcohol fuel plants blown up by our planes. The paper says nothing about this although reports persistantly come in to this effect. For two days in a row we have heard bombing which is music to our ears. Yesterday we heard none, guess the boys were taking a rest. Needless to say that we are all hoping for a little more music today.

Todays paper carries the headlines that the big guns of Corregidor have been demolished by heavy Jap bombing. This is supposed to be the day the Jap army promised to make their Emporer a present of Corregidor. As long as we have a plane left in these parts I doubt if they will ever make it for Corregidor is in the same class as Malta. They'll never get it. Todays paper also shows pictures of American and Filipino troops being searched by Japs after their surrender at Bataan. Rumor has it that this is only the east flank that surrendered and that heavy fighting is still going on over there on other fronts.

Cebu, second largest city in the islands and reported one of our bases of the south, is reported to have been taken over by the Japs after being completely wiped out by fire. We are supposed to have sunk a number of their ships in the attempted landings and the few that did land were promptly annihalated. This is the kind of stuff we get all day long and each side swears it is from the one and only authentic source.

Yesterday we had some tenderloin steaks sent in which is the first real meat we have had since being in here, and did we go for it. I had almost forgotten what meat tasted like. Every once in a while we get together and talk about our favorite dish to see who can make the others mouth water for the real chow. We have not done too badly up to now but expect that the worst is yet to come at the rate things are going.

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