Page 142 - Mastheads Jan-June 1945

PAGE 8 THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, AP~IL 28, 1945

Oh, What a Wonderful Feeling • • • Who's Afraid of Japs? WITH PHILIPPINE GUERRILLAS THREE YEARS
Here's a Tar Who

Outwitted Them Twit:e
The Japs threw him into their
infamous . prison pens at Camp
O'Donnell but they couldn't keep
him. A year or so• later while serv-
ing with Filipino guerrilla forces
he was captured by a Japanese pa-
trol but talked so convincingly the
commanding officer released him
and provided a military escort to
the edge of town . . . and there was
a 5,000 peso reward on his head!
Those were highlights in the
guerrilla career of William J. Fas-
soth, Jr., Slc,' who calls Binalupi-
han, Bataan, home and who served
the Philippine cause so well he be-
came a guerrilla captain.
Fassoth is now in the United
States for the first time in his life
after being flown in from the Phil-
ippines. His father, who_ assisted in
.organizing the_ original guerrilla
forces pn Bataan, and his mother, TELLS OF GUERRILLA EXPERIENCES-William J. Fassoth, Jr.,
who avoided capture by moving S1c, of Binalupihan, Bataan, talks with Lt. (jg) D. L. Burrows, of the
from one native village to another, Treasure Island Receiving Ship. He is in the U. S. after ·three years
with the guerrillas in the Philippines.
are alive and well back on Luzon.
Fassoth enlisted in the Navy in
A LOVELY HOSTESS shuffles gracefully towards her gob-friend, pect the natives were helping us,"
whose pleasure it is to reconnoiter her fanciful dance steps. The Manila in July of 1941. He was Eligible Navy Men
camera-clicker got this snapshot at a recent station dance held in Gym captured by the Japs at Fort Fassoth asserted.
No. 1 for the bluejackets at this naval base. Hundreds of hostesses Hughes, transferred to Corregidor, The guerrilla's closest escape
from USO's located in the San Francisco Bay area were g·uests of the came one time when he and three Authorized to Wear New
island sailors. then to Bilibid prison and later to others had been assigned to a mis-
Camp O'Donnell. sion in Pampanga. They were cap- P. I. liberation Ribbon
He was there 17 days. Then he
freed Prisoners of War WAVES! LET'S and two shipmates "got tired of tured by a Jap patrol while walking The new campaign ribbon, Philip-
through a native village which the
waking up each morning and see- pine Liberation Campaign Ribbon,
Get First Consideration MAKE WITH ing dead men on both sides of us," Nipponese had secretly ·surrounded. has been authorized for members
For six hours he and his com-
For Advancement in Rank THE RACKET Fassoth explained. rades were bound so tightly they of the Navy, Marine Corps and
One dark night the courageous could hardly move. Then they were Coast Guard •Who served in the
The War and Navy Departments Not noise, tennis is what we are trio sneaked to the barbed wire questioned through an interpreter. Philippines.
hav~ announced that special con- talking about. Chief McLaughlin fence surrounding their quarters. "The thing the Japs didn't know," The Philippine Island Liberation
sideration with respect to promo- is waiting for you at Gym No. 1 Quietly they burrowed a hole under Fassoth laughingly recalled, "was Ribbon . is a red ribbon, bearing
tion will be given, with certain ex- every Monday from 1730 to 1830. the fence and crawle.d into the muck . that the interpreter was secretly three-sixteenth inch vertical white
ceptions, to returned men of the You will need his help if you are and weeds of a small creek run- serving the guerrillas!" stripes about one-fourth inch from
Army and Navy who, in the course to enter the Women's Novice Ten- ning thr~ugh one corner of the either end, and with three small
of honorable service, have fallen nis Tournament to be held in May. camp. Then they crawled down the white stars forming a triangl~ in
into the hands of the enemy as Application blanks are now avail- creek bank to another fence sur- 'Riffs and Rhythms' the center. It may be worn by per-
prisoners of war or who have es- able at the Wave Gym Office or by rounding the entire camp and sonnel who participated in the first
heavily guarded by Jap sentries.
caped from such custody or evaded calling Ext. 684. Singles competi- Variety Show Slated for landing operations on Leyte and
capture. tion will be held Saturday and Sun- Another hole was dug. Then as the the adjoining islands from October
sentries turned their backs momen- Theatre No. 2, May 2
The purpose of s,pecial considera- day, May 12 and 13 and doubles 17 to October 20, 1944, took part in
tarily the three crawled under the
tion will be to provide opportunity matches will be played· the foliow- any engagement against the enemy
fence and scampered _for a nearby The USO Colored Variety show, · during the campaign, or served in
to attain the rank, grade or rating ing week-end, May 19 and 20.
which they .would probably have at- You do not need to be a profes- swamp. "Riffs and Rhythms," is th e lateS t the Philippine Islands or on ships
tained., had they not been separated sional, you may not know your "The frogs were croaking so edition of fun fare arriving at The- in the Philippine waters for not less
temporarily from normal active backhand from your upsweep, but loudly the Japs didn't hear us," atre No. 2 Wednesday, May 2 , at than 30 day·s between October 17,
service. come out anyway. Anytime they of- Fassoth related. 1850 and 2015. Remember the date 1944, and a terminal date to be an-
and get in the groove for this re- nounced.
Upon return to the jurisdiction fer prizes for not knowing how to Traveling only by night e ree plete vaudeville treat. Admission is
th th
of their respective services, they play, you can't lose. made their way back to Bataan· in· free. Naval personnel fulfilling all
will be considered, if qualified, for • . eight days. Here Fassoth was re- Music, sweet, hot and mellow; three provisions for the Philippine
immediate promotion of one rank, united with his father who was op- dancing, as you like it; singing, Liberation Ribbon are authorized to
·
grade or rating, and for subsequent erating a secret camp for men who wear two bronze stars on the I'ib-
promotion as soon as qualified. Navy OK's Policy to had escaped from the "Death completely nonsensical-these are bon. Those eligible under any two
strictly out of this world; comedy,
Time in-grade, position vacancy and March." the fun ingredients coming to you provis.ions, may wear one bronze
billet requirements will be waived Give Men Overseas All
In October of 1942, Jap forces, in "Riffs and Rhythms." To hypo star on the ribbon.
in their case. Officer personnel, Commanding Officers have been
however , will not be advanced more Undeliverable Packages tipped off by Filipino Quislings, the show are some breath-taking
raided the camp. They captured novelty feats tossed off with a non- instructed to make suitable entries
. by a new policy regarding distribu- Meanwhile, the younger Fassoth edge of your seats . listed men and to authorize officers
than one grade at a time.
chalance that will bring you to the in service records of eligible en-
Servicemen overseas will benefit only six persons.
.
"When a girl is as cool as a cu- tion of "undeliverable" packages had been in touch with guerrilla Some of the entertainers you may by letter with copy to the Bureau
cumber," observes Salty Sam, "it's addressed to Navy personnel out- organizers. He was assigned to have seen in your own home town, of Naval Personnel.
a cinch she's not green." side the United States-and this guerrilla units operating in Pam- since they've played at one time or
new policy of Navy Mail Service panga province btit a few months another at practically every theatre
and the Welfare Division, Bureau to lieutenant and finally captain as in the United States. Send " THE MASTHEAD" Home
of Naval Personnel will spare the aide to J. P. Boone, Army ser-
families of dead or missing service- geant, who became a guerrilla col-
men additional grief when packages onel. The Wolf by Sansone
are returned to them. "Our major projects were _ de- Copyri&ht J94S'by Leonard S..nlOnt, distributed by C.mp Newsp.aper Senice
Under. the new procedure, pack- stroying Jap truck convoys," Fas-
* ages that are considered undeliver- soth recounted. "Finally the Japs
BANKING FACILITIES able due to faulty wrapping and no got wise. They would put a tank in
attached address, packages to miss- front and back of each convoy. That
WESTERN UNION
ing or deceased personnel which made it hard for us to shoot them
PosT OFFICE do not bear a return address, and up with our light weapons.
packages marked by sender With a gleam of humor in his
WAR BoND OFFICE
"abandon if undeliverable," will be eyes Fassoth related how the Japs
AU 4 services located in Bldg. distributed to other servicemen mounted a major "offensive"
2J8, Ave. H, near 4th St. through Navy Welfare Officers. against the Bataan guerrillas dur-
* These Welfare Officers will keep ing the latter part of 1942.
SMALL STORES accurate records of disposition of "They . came in with tanks,
Bldg. 21J, 10th St., between packages-and senders of "aban- armored cars and artillery to drive ,.,
~I·
Aves. M and N. don if undeliverable" packages will us out," he said, "but they didn't ,;,!,;
~-~
be notified as to disposition of ar- get one· man. If they split up into
*
TRAVELERS' Am ticles sent. small groups we would fire on them.
Contents of non-returnable pack- rt finally got to the point where
RAILW A y EXPRESS
ages found to be of personal or the only way a Jap would go into
Both located in Bldg. 221, 11th sentimental va;tue, such as pictures, the hills was with a force of 80
St., between Aves. G and H. will be destroyed. If packages with men."
* obliterated addresses are found to Most of the ammunition used by
SHIP's SERVICE No. I have a .return address slip enclosed the guerrillas, Fassoth revealed,-
Bldg.· 1J2, 9th St. and Ave. C. in the package, the parcel will be was taken from dead Japs. "We
returned to the sender. It is stressed never quite ran out," he added . ........... ·::111-. - ~
* -that packages which contain valu- grimly. . ,: · ... ~~~
SHIP' s SERVICE No. 2. .. ... :_.,. .... • .. :-·:.:.❖,. vQ
able articles, or which the sen.der Food was the. biggest problem.
Bldg. 8, Jth St., between Aves. definitely wants returned, should Villagers supplied most of it. ' :.f'I1J3t'' ._. ... .
MandN. not be marked "abandon if unde- "We always pretended we had "How'd I know her. sister was ·only 10?"
liverable." stolen it so the Japs wouldn't sus-