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CHAPTER 7 Homeward Bound Feb. 1945–April 1945 Up and Away The last days at Bilibid toward the end of February raised us to spiritual and emotional heights. Our dreams of returning to America seemed close to becoming reality. Almost daily new lists of individual and family departure dates were posted. Postings allowed time for preparation and the swapping of future addresses with dear friends.Those of us still waiting stayed upbeat, knowing that our turn would come soon. I was in no rush to depart. The gradual shrinking of the camp population, coupled with a refurbished toilet scene, imported clean water, and regular deliveries of those delicious K rations had greatly improved our standard of living in Bilibid. The regularly delivered army K rations were my idea of paradise, though most of the GIs we came to know were less fond of them than I was. In a two-week period, I gained five pounds. I was given a new pair of shoes and a khaki shirt by army ordnance. Our high walls, once claustrophobic, felt protective—like concrete guardians. The world outside the walls had also become safer with each passing day, so we were able to visit with Filipino friends and fellow POWs in Santo Tomas. What more could I ask for? On February 24 our family was listed for a March 2 departure.Words cannot describe Mom’s emotional response to that news.She stepped quietly away from those around her at the posting board and stood aside to privately shed tears of joy. Mom spent our last week organizing our meager belongings and sharing loving farewells. I felt like we were leaving family behind. 240 CHAPTER 7 On occasion,I would think about America,a place that was only a blip on my memory screen. I wondered about where we would go, what grade I would attend in school, and whether I would ever see my friends Reamo, Ward, and Bedie again. I had not anticipated the tearful feelings I experienced saying goodbye . On the March morning of our departure, I realized my three-year journey through Camps Hay, Holmes, and Bilibid had been filled with love. I had always imagined that I would feel only joy at leaving Bilibid. But even my last visit to the latrine was filled with nostalgia as I walked up to the top and tipped the barrel to splash its full load of water down the chute for one last time. A gathering of those still waiting for their departure dates watched as our family and others boarded the truck. We had shared confinement for over three years in three different prisons, but my journey through those years had not only shown me fear and hunger, it had created strong ties to the many who had shared my days through the war. Standing by, I saw a host of “aunts” and “uncles”—an extended family, not in bloodlines but certainly in love lines. Each, at one time or another during our internment ,had been like a parent to me.Seated in the truck bed between Mom and Dad, I hid my tears from the supportive hand-waving internees. As we departed, very abruptly those years became history, those faces my angels. To this day, I bless them for their caring guidance and affection. I am forever grateful, more than words can ever express. They were truly family, and the few still living continue to be even though we are scattered “from sea to shining sea.” The truck drove slowly through the prison gate and on to Rizal Avenue. Our soldier-driver told us that our Japanese guard corps had met death on that avenue as they fled Bilibid a month earlier. As we passed through the barrios on the outskirts of Manila,many Filipinos waved their farewells. Then we entered the gate to Nichols Field. Several airmen and Filipino cargadores helped us up the portable ladder into a waiting C-47. I had never been in an airplane before and was surprised to see how much space there was inside the fuselage. We followed instructions and dutifully sat down in the line of padded bucket seats extending along both sides of the military transport. All of us had a lap-and-shoulder seatbelt draped over us and a parachute hanging above. A crew member showed us how to use the parachutes. As an air force staff sergeant demonstrated to Mom how to attach herself to the chute in an...

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