Middle East Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 9, 1945, Cairo, Egypt                                February 1945 stars and Middle East As Ranger of Freedom heard by half starved heroes of Bataan americas heart swelled with Pride at the news Tea filled Joy and excitement swept through thousands of Homes from Maine to californian receipt of War department letters newspaper readers Felt a warm inner glow As the words painted a picture before their in the Philippines last week there was something More to the War news than Miles gained and cities captured it lacked the War winning value of the capture of but its combination of soldiering and stirring pathos elevated it to Hist Rymak ing within a few of each two daring blows slammed into japanese garrisons which stood guard Over Allied War prisoners on both raids a total of 734 internees mostly the smaller Mission  a division of while the larger one involved Only a handful of ran thereby hangs a the horseless first cavalry div Ision spearheaded Macar thurs advances on in an encircling sweep from the East it fought through the philippine Ca Pital screened by stormed the Santotomas intern ment killing All the Japan Ese locked in a University were 221 americans whom the Jap anese commander held As hostages while he bargained for a truce with the attacking fearing tragic consequences for the Jap held americans if he continual to annihilate the Gar Brady held fire and granted Safe conduct through ame rican lines for the remaining 69 newsman reunited wife dont be trigger the colonel cautioned Hie Gauntlet of troops through which the japs marched with packs and but give them hell if they fire fire he a grimaced escort of riflemen accompanied the enemy column to the University limits and from there the japs went on alone either to trapped comrades m the Southern part of the City or into the hands of other american troops not pledged to Grant them but hysteric ally rescued prisoners bounded out of their cells and hug ged every cil within these were the heroes and heroines of Bataan and and the gunners the the c9 nurses Bud been held captive since among the liberators was United press correspondent Frank Hewlett who landed with the troops on Luzon suddenly Hewlett dashed toward the rescued group and lost himself in an embrace with one of the it was his wife Vir Ginia she Hud chosen to remain it her eme Regney nursing Job while he left with Macarthur three veers rangers volunteered by the rangers was More More it occurred u few Days before the a North of the eur Al at mum Amer ican forces were West of Cabuna in the Turluck Henry Mucci faced his sixth hunger battalion und re i tested volunteers for u risky mis Sion out of the great number thut Sien Ped 121 Van hand they were vigorously trained und thoroughly their Mission took then 3 through approach the prisoner of War the crossed a Road teeming with enemy traffic and surrounded the prison alive with guards lie hangers accomplished Al 1his with such secrecy that not a Ainuu was 7 ii m their Tommy guns at they Bud killed every in Hie stockade und ran through get the yanks Are Here first prisoners later Thev thought it was a Jap trick to lure them out und mow them Down but the hungers grabbed the Bony Frumes of the men and led them by the raiding party had whisked away the lot of Cap carrying hundreds of Stretcher cases pick Aback across the Road onto a Field of not Many minutes later they were completely leading and carry ing their they reached a Road two Miles away where carabao buffaloes and carts with native Drivers awaited Mucci strode up and Down the slow Rorling column All night spurring the patients on by say just three Kilometres just three Kilometres As the night grew on the diseased and suffering from three year old themselves poked when they saw the colonel a Here comes three Kilos they would gis form Honor guard Macarthur estimated that 27 americans and filipinos were lost wounded in the fight and running escape but the yanks killed 253 among the 513 freed there were 23 some of whom defended three and one two men died on the Way to their enfeebled by three years of prison collapsed at the sudden Shock of being As the escape party reached the american Camp they received the thousands of gis who formed an Impromptu Honor guard flanking the Highway on which some bearded a prisoners some looked helplessly up from some walked proudly their sentiments were expressed by James Pripp of los who was a former Provost marshal on solemnly spoke Grippe the thrill of seeing those Green Clad rangers break into the prison Camp last night will never quite leave George Green of said he got up and not Only walked but ran for the first time in forgetting his arthritis when he heard the rangers shout in in for All prisoners to make for the Camp s Clinton Good Blu of Long declared that when he walked through the Honor guard and saw the american hug it Cut right through being free Cut right through be con and the cigarettes Chow Good Las Haggard gathered into a am  finish the japs lost on Rock survivors gave the first witness accounts of the last of they revealed that Jonathan for ced the japanese to pay the fright Ful Price of Annii in the land Ings which preceded the fall of the fortress major John borne Nan of Niu carrying hundreds of Stretcher cases pick Aback across the Road onto a Field of net wat and face he Gress of the Luzon drive and had not expected Rescue for Days men died like flies while enjoying their first Amer can dinner of boned Jam and the liberated men considered it a banquet after the starvation fare of the past three they told of prisoners being put in the Jap guard House for asking for More they further revealed that there were originally prisoners in the Camp and it used to take All Day to fill a with water from one of Only four spi the men spoke in Low tones of japanese the death Anarch from final terrifying week filled with bombing and shelling which crashed Down on tiny men dying like flies from ten hours daily under a scorching Sun in Fields or flooded Rice paddies under hard japanese fre quent beatings and commander Erickson of los said that sick men in prison Camps were fed Only spoiled fish und the Only dressing that i Given for he was old general Macarthur ton collapsed at the news of her sons when revived she its been three Long years of and two of them have been without Hie a she never told her son his father we were so excited we  eat rejoiced and John parents of George glow of who is added were going to have in the county in for a in the Mother of 1st William Gentry nervously in so Happy i Don t know what to Ken Neth daughter of Charles Leasum of Sturgeon informed we have been listening to reports of the Rescue and praying that dad would be it hardly seems real after so Long a besides dispatching Good news to the prisoners the War department sent glad tidings to the men informing them that there is a Small Fortune awaiting each Soldier and Sailor during their three years in prison their pay has and Washington estimates the total figure to be in the millions As paratroopers thrust into Manila from the and american forces began Flushing the capital of Jap defenders from All Macarthur proclaimed anew Rescue figure this includes those saved at Santo Ca also 800 servicemen and 550 civilians who were freed from the torture Ham Breed Bilibio ave Davs guru presbyterian old that the japs at tacked with he to men and succeeded in gelling half 15111 Many of our guns were knocked he that Wainwright decided after a four hour fight was useless to continue he was grand but  let any More personnel the Chap lain placed american casualties at saying ii knew his Fig ures were Correct because he super Vised durin Captivity the americans kept morale by listening 10 a on tube radio built by William Gibson out of scrap such us toothpaste tubes packed with buttery operating the set the prisoners Learned of the landings on Leyte and Luzon Thev eagerly marked the pro visited the american Hospital to Chut with men he Hud known on Bataan and und told correspond no incident of the Campaign bus Given me such personal among those Mac Arthur greeted was Paul Ray Carnold father of Toby Wing Hometown editors culled on the families of the rescued men for they found the up remits und wives choked with what they culled godsend the statements sought were merger sex but Hirv packed a Ful visited by Macarthur in the Mother of it Gibson thank thank she could no mrs Elizabeth wife of the in her Niagara Falls Home miracles do my prayers have been not going to in not going to repeated Etta Mother of John Alford of then she wept with tears of Relief in Matilda Mother of Marine Mil vday Pool won by dead scribe with patrons army War correspondents opened a Safe and took out a slip of paper to determine the Winner of their wars end organized last the winning guess 28 bore i he name of Tom former correspondent in the mid dle who was killed in France soon after 21 of the newsmen contributed Flo Euch to the the Pool was formed when Gen buttons drive across France was getting off to u sensation us Start und Hopes for an Early end of the War were widely held by generals und Buck Treanore guess won be cause it was the most pessimistic und consequently the most acc j the was mailed to his objects to Jap plasma state commander of veterans of foreign wars and father of a sol Dier killed on protested tuesday against blood donations to the red Cross by seven Jap he said he disapproved and believed the association would Dis saying of his Eon i  have wanted him to have i any Jap blood in million Xmas parcels lost in Rundstedt push Washington loss of close to a million packages and a Large Quantity of letter mail during the German counteroffensive has been revealed by the War losses were said to be 200 to 300 per cent greater that any previous losses through ship the we stated that the redistribution of mail sent overseas be fore Christmas is still continuing hut added that it might take Sev eral More weeks to prepare the Muil for distribution to smaller units such As japs lose 5 planes to t against Navy fighters Washington Box score on the air War against the japs has been announced by the it shows that during the first three years of Navy and Marine pilots downed or destroyed enemy planes through our total loses were a ratio of about 26 to five in our these figures included those planes shot out of the air or Des troyed on the ground and do not include those bagged by ack ack nazis make rows hike it Washington the american red Cross revealed that the Ger mans Are moving Allied War prisoners Westward on loot away from Camps in the path Al the advancing red