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 21, 1942

The rumors are "hot" today. We have it that K.G.E.I. and also Japan radio has broadcast that Japan has been bombed two days in succession causing heavy damage to military factories and etc; Japan says that only hospitals and residences were bombed. This remark is naturally to be expected but the fact that Japan admits being bombed is good news.

Another one from Australia is that New Guinea has been cleaned up of Japs and that our forces are now in Java, British Borneo and Mindanao (Southern Philippines) mopping up there, and headed for Manila.

There is more air activity today than we have seen for the past week, which is a pretty good sign that something has stirred them up. Since they (Japs) have taken Bataan, things have been rather quiet with the exception of Sunday evening we heard a lot of what was thought to be heavy artillery not far from camp. Nobody seems to know what it was all about and not even a good rumor has come out of it yet.

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