Не говори «Умри»: Мемуары о побеге из японского плена.

Never Say Die is a memoir by Jack Hawkins, a lieutenant with the United States's 4th Marines in World War II. It was first published in 1961. The book relates Hawkins' experiences as a prisoner of war in Japanese prison camps after the American surrender in the Philippines.

Long, careful and very secret planning was involved for this hazardous venture. Here is a list of some articles which had to be procured, taken out the gate, and stashed away in a safe place in the jungle, to be available at the appointed time: compass, sextant, chronometer, navigation tables, protractor, dividers, chart of the Southwest Pacific, pencils. Some of these items had to be hand made. Each man had to have a change of clothing, blanket, shelter tent, mosquito net, canteen, mess kit, and food for five days. Medical supplies had to include quinine, sulfa drugs, first aid kit, water purifier, and any other medicines they could get their hands on. Other equipment included bolo knives, field glasses, file, hammer, pliers, matches, cooking can with handle. This indicates the kind of meticulous planning required for prisoners to effect an escape that had a chance to result in survival. Among other things, each man was chosen for certain basic qualities, such as character, physical fitness, desire and courage. Also, they were chosen for certain knowledge and/or technical skills required to do the job, and each man was assigned specific responsibilities. They were able to enlist a couple of Filipino ex convicts still living in the area as advisers and guides, who were invaluable. When he and others finally escape from a camp, they join the American Filipino guerrillas under the command of Lt. Col Wendell Fertig. Hawkins serves with Fertig for several months and is involved in numerous actions. For these actions he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Also, an important point is that he persevered throughout the story. An important example is the scene where a group of soldiers and he escape from the POW camp and are met by a gang of guerrilla soldiers. After they prove to be friendly, one of the soldiers tells them that he was trying to shoot them but the cartridge was bad. This shows that those who persevere through hard times will be eventually rewarded. Then, with the help of the guerrilla soldiers, they go up north to get communications with an American submarine to come and take them to Australia where they could be safe and then rejoin the fighting. Also, before escaping from a camp in Manila, Hawkins is held in a camp in Corregidor where the conditions are horrible and people lose all sense of discipline and do horrible things. People are dying left and right and they are all falling of disease. Then they are taken and sent to a camp in Manila., along with people in other camps. Before being sent to the Corregidor, Hawkins and other soldiers had to march from their points of surrender to the camp. This march was nicknamed the March of Death because of how many died of disease, exhaustion. And those who could not continue were killed. The march to Manila (after a trip by sea) was less brutal, but still took lives. (In the camp in Manila, only the strong were sent to Manila to work. This helped soldiers improve conditions by secretly eating the food they harvested). Also the conditions were better because this was the lenient Major Maeda who was running the place, not strict lieutenant Hozumi. Eventually evacuated to Australia by an American submarine, Hawkins later was involved in planning for the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He stayed in the USMC after World War II and eventually retired as a full colonel. Hawkins also talks about his fiancee, Rhea Ritter, who later becomes his wife. They met at the beginning of Hawkins' senior year at the Military Academy in September 1938. Their wedding took place at the Naval Academy Chapel. This book was recently republished under Barbara B. baker with the express purpose of being used in Challenger School curriculum.

Maeda realized that the most efficient working method was division of labor and specialized jobs. He wanted every single soldier to have their own assigned jobs; Shof tried to convince the guards to give the three men jobs that they could benefit from. It worked, and Pappy (one of the guards) gave them a 15 man plowing job, which gave them more food because they got to go all over the farm. A Filipino convict, Joe, taught them how to plow. After their ludicrous performance, Joe showed them himself, but he could do no better. He poked the bull with his gun, which made the bull obey his orders. However, as time went on, the soldiers began to get more skilled at the task of plowing. They diligently worked, because they realized that the plowing job made up the general planting program from which they would get their food supplies. A few days later, the detail leader informed the group that Maeda decided to let this detail (group) and a few others working around the central part of the camp go without guards. He thinks the group will work better that way. The soldiers were excited, however, the leader announced that patrols would circulate constantly to check on them. Though the patrol rule caused some difficulty, the group soon found out that the bulls were essentially a pass to get them anywhere. If a guard asked where they would going, they could just say they were plowing and the guards would allow them to pass. The next day, the men noticed pig tracks, and wanted to catch a pig for food. They didn’t know how to make traps, but a Filipino convict noticed their interest in Philippine woodlore, and taught them how to make it. Bananas would serve as the bait. They caught a pig, but it fell into the water → meat was spoiled. However, they received entertainment when one of the patrol officers fell into the trap as well. On Sundays, considered break days, four men of the detail group were required to take the animals to graze and feed them water. They enjoyed this because they got to leave the dreary camp. This requirement would also prove to be a significant factor bearing upon the plans in which Jack was soon to be involved.

Maeda announced five day holiday from work (starting December 23rd) at Christmas time, promising special Christmas dinner and entertainment. Entertainment took place in a chapel on a rainy day. The entertainment rekindled old memories from Jack’s life, giving him nostalgia. He suddenly was overcome by an urging desire to burst out of his nightmarish life. The men were given two packs of cigarettes on Christmas morning, and men were seen trading items such as clothing or soap for cigarettes. Religious services at the chapel were held every Sunday. Christmas dinner was served (rice with a large serving of carabao meat, gravy, and camotes). Jack was bored so he studied a map of the pacific, which he got from a friend. He noticed a chain of islands leading from Mindanao to Australia, and he had a plan of travelling aboard a ship which would sail along this island chain (to remain close to land in case of danger). The men talk with Shof, and realize how easy it is to actually escape the camp. However, surviving outside the camp in wild territory would be extremely difficult, especially without the right supplies. After much discussion, they came to the conclusion that there would be less reprisal with Maeda, a less strict ruler, in command. Their plan had to be extremely well thought out, with almost no chance of failure (otherwise they may be severely punished, like what happened with soldiers who tried to escape Cabanatuan ). Some who tried to escape Cabanatuan were allowed to live, but in cases where death was more preferable. On Christmas of 1942, they resolved that somehow they would escape.

The only option was to postpone their escape, which all the men agreed upon. They then informed Ben and Victor that the plans were cancelled, so they would not unnecessarily attempt any dangerous rendezvous to the shack. The men tirelessly work in the rice fields, and meet up again in the night. They decide not to move the supplies from the thicket; doing so would be very risky, as there’s a chance of being spotted. However, if the Japanese find the supplies in the thicket, they’re screwed (also because the supplies have their names written on it ). The 4th member of the plow detail who had malaria recovered, and insisted upon going to fend the animals → Sam couldn’t go anymore → the whole plan would basically be screwed. They faked a story to the general who had malaria, saying that they planned a special party to cook chicken, and that the chickens would spoil if they didn’t cook them immediately. The general believed this, and allowed Sam to remain the 4th member. Finally, the day comes for the escape. The guards didn’t notice anything, and allowed them to go through the gate. They had to be quick, as there was Japanese patrol on the road not 200 yards from their location, and these guards knew the conspirators were there. They may come out to check on what they’re doing. They reached the start of the trail, but there was still no Ben and Victor (they were supposed to meet the men at the start of the trail). Finally, after an hour, Ben and Victor showed up, and the men continued on. They felt a sense of freedom as they walked along the trail.

The men wake up covered in mosquito bites, and eat breakfast before continuing their journey. Ben says wherever there’s a Filipino house nearby, you can hear the cocks (chickens) crowing. At last, the men finally found a trail, and Jack and Victor decided to follow it. They saw the railroad ahead, and concluded the Japanese had gone both directions along the railroad (from the footprints) → concluded they had gone back to the colony. They also found the remains of the ambush the night before. Both Jack and Victor went back to camp, and the men decided they should end for the day because evening was approaching. In the morning, they started on the trail to Lungaog. They were certain the Japanese troops had gone back, but there still could’ve been patrol. The men knew the Japanese would be persistent in trying to attempt to kill or recapture them. After a while, they reached a small village with water boiling and chickens crowing, but there weren’t any people. Jack suggests the villagers fleed to the woods because they thought the men were Japanese. The men ate some of the veggies from the villagers’ farms, and take some for the remaining journey. They continue along the trail, and finally meet a villager boy who is 15 years old and speaks Visayan, a principal Filipino dialect. Luckily Ben and Victor knew this, and talked with each other. The boy said Lungaog was 3 or 4 km away, and offered to guide them for the rest of the trip. They were met by a band of armed Filipinos, who welcomed them after finding out the men weren’t Japanese. They meet Casiano de Juan, Barrio Lieutenant (mayor) of Lungaog, who is also known as Big Boy. They were the ones who ambushed the Japanese, which was the firing they heard and the fire they saw in the forest. Last sentence of page 150: one of Big Boy’s men said that the men were meant to survive; “God was with you, sir I aimed my rifle and pulled the trigger But the rifle did not fire it was a bad cartridge.”

Big Boy ensured the men were safe from the Japanese because of the very rural areas surrounding Lungaog. There were many refugees from Davao city to escape contact from the hated Japanese. There were other guerrilla bands in Davao Province under the control of Captain Claro Laureta of the Philippine Constabulary, and these bands were a two day march away. After learning the mens’ desires to reach the coast and sail to Australia, Big Boy recommends Laureta to them. He sends a message to Laureta notifying him of their presence. In the meanwhile, McCoy refreshes Jack’s navigation knowledge by giving him numerous navigation puzzles to solve. Sergeant Baguilod of the Philippine scouts, Laureta’s emissary who could speak excellent English, reached Lungaog. He guided the men to Laureta for the next two days. Three armed men searched them to check if they were actually American, and then Laureta arrived. The men tell him their escape plan. Laureta says he can give them a good banca, but says it would be a difficult journey. He announces that he sent scouts to Mindanao, who reported that there was a large guerrilla organization there with many American officers. This organization has radio communication to Australia, and an American submarine had been there! McCoy was convinced they could leave the island by submarine. They decided to use this plan instead of their original one. They reported this to Laureta, who then said he would arrange an escort for the men. They needed cargadores and at least 20 armed men to protect from man hunting tribes. He would also send two of his most trusted scouts to guide them. The Filipinos would hold a fiesta in their honor. (Fiesta is on last paragraph of 159 – end of chapter on page 162).

McLish had been with the Philippine army regiment in Mindanao when Corregidor fell and the forces surrendered. He was very optimistic and warm. McLish suggested that they proceed directly to the headquarters to talk about the plan. Jack confirmed if what Laureta said about the radio and the submarine were correct. “McLish has a radio, but he doesn’t communicate directly with it to Australia. He relays through another station controlled by a Colonel Fertig in Misamis Occidental, the province west of here. McCoy and I have already sent messages to Fertig for relay to Australia.” He also confirmed that Laureta was right about the submarine being there not too long ago. Mike and Jack went to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Reyes’s house to eat a good meal, and then McLish sent them over brand new clothing. Colonel Fertig was the overall guerrilla captain of Mindanao, and his radio line controlled all communication to Australia. Shof announced that he sent messages to Fertig requesting the entire party to be taken out as soon as possible. The main Japanese forces in Mindanao were around Davao City. “McLishexplained that all the ex soldiers and civilians formed bands, though not all were interested in fighting the Japanese. Some of them turned out to be gangsters. Their goal was to eventually get all these bands under one command. “Guerrilla military operations were limited to raids, ambushes and sniping.” However, “McLish hoped to keep these bands alive because they served as a major source of intelligence for the forces in Australia.

Start of chapter on page 181 – top of 182: Filipinos were fun loving people; an example of this is the coronation of the Queen of May. Days passed by and the men still didn’t get a followup message from Fertig. “McLish offered to provide transportation so that the men could go directly to Fertig to speak with him. McCoy, Mellnik, Ben, and Victor were to go. Soon after the men left, they had received word that the Japanese were planning an expedition against their headquarters. However “McLish was unalarmed, as rumors spread fast. Even if this were to happen, his troops would be notified even before the Japs arrive. This is because in a few Filipino towns, some men had been chosen to act as spies to send warnings to the headquarters. Buckwheat (placing great distance between oneself and the enemy in the shortest possible time) was a term to describe the evacuation of some Filipinos. Dyess and Boelens were set to travel to meet with Fertig shortly after McCoy and Mellnik left. Dyess suggested bringing Australian supplies through aircraft, and constructing a landing strip on the flat coastal areas. At this point, rumors were still spreading about the Japanese expedition, but McLish was still unalarmed. However, news spread that “enemy troops from Cagayan pushed eastward along the coast to their small garrison at Balingasag, only 25 miles from Medina.” Balingasag had been bombed by the Japanese → unrest among the people. Still, the men at the headquarters did not care. They were confident in the place’s fortification → encouraged people to remain in their homes and continue normal life; they even attended a wedding in the meantime instead of buckwheating. Things seemed to be getting normal in Medina until one night it was announced that a Japanese aircraft had landed on the island. Shof was about to open fire, but the guy in the aircraft turned out to be Sam, who had went to the neighboring village to get supplies. McLish returned the next day, and congratulated the men for correctly handling the Balingasag situation. He suggested that they should leave soon, so the Japanese won’t find out where they were. They would plan to move out the next day to Daan Lungsod. Shof entered Jacks room, perturbed. McCoy had sent a letter to him saying that Fertig hadn’t sent any of their messages to Australia!

McCoy was mad that none of their messages were sent to Fertig and demanded the right to communicate with Naval Headquarters in Australia. Fertig had remained adamant to keep the men on Mindanao for some reason. After a lot of persuading, Fertig finally sent a message to Australia saying McCoy and Mellnik were set to leave, but didn’t mention any of the other men who wanted to escape. MacArthur sent orders for McCoy and Mellnik to leave on the next submarine. After some discussion, they decide it’s best for McCoy and Mellnik to go first so that they could take measures with appropriate naval authorities on the rest of the men’s behalf. This made the other men upset that they couldn’t leave soon, but what was even more upsetting was the fact that none of their names were reported to Australia. This meant their families didn’t know they were alive, and that they couldn’t escape soon. They were upset, but decide McCoy would get them out safely as soon as possible. Since they were to stay on Mindanao for a while, they offered to work for McLish’s organization. McLish promoted them because of their diligence, meaning all the men had become officers in both the Marine Corps and the Army. Jack tested his new pistol, and hit the bullseye → gained a favorable reputation among the rest of the organization. Word arrived from the west that the submarine and McCoy, Mellnik, and even Dyess had departed on board. Dyess interested Fertig with his idea of bringing air supply from Australia, so Fertig let him on board. Apparently when going to Fertig’s headquarters, Boelens and Dyess had narrowly avoided an attack by the Japanese. They made it just in time to board the submarine, but Boelens stayed back to work on the airstrip. In the meanwhile, the remaining men would continue working for the guerrilla organization in Mindanao. Upon reaching Australia, McCoy, Mellnik, and Dyess reported the atrocities of the Japanese against American and Filipino prisoners of war in the Philippines to General MacArthur.

They lost no time in plunging into guerrilla activity. Jacks troop was a ragged, barefoot army with a low supply of resources (guns, ammunition, fuel, etc.). The good thing was that they had a steady food supply. During rice harvesting season, the Japanese would attempt to cut off Filipino rice supply by seizing the grain for themselves → made Filipinos mad → increased support for guerrilla troops. Sometimes, the guerrilla troops could harass the Japs to the point where they would retreat. The troops also printed their own guerrilla money. There was a short radio wave receiver in the headquarters → could print newspapers and distribute to the public → would keep Filipino morale high. The worst part was that there was a huge lack of medicine → many soldiers fell sick through diseases such as gangrene → had to get limbs amputated without anesthetic. Malaria was also extremely common, killing much of the soldiers and civilian population. The men in the troop were assigned different tasks. Mike and Sam created soap factories, shoe factories, and fuel distilleries. Sam was also assigned the job of stopping black market profiteering and hoarding. Jack focused his attention on learning more about the other islands. He found out that inter island travel in the Philippines were doable through small sailboats. The Japanese just assumed these sailboats were for fishing purposes and did not attack. Many guerrilla organizations existed in the Philippines → Jack established many relationships with them to gain valuable military information. A few talented young Filipino navigators were hired to go on expeditions. They traveled to multiple islands and wrote reports on the status of the Japanese there. These reports were sent to Australia and would prove to be valuable information for MacArthur in planning for the Philippine invasion. Encouraged by the success of these ventures, they send three men to penetrate far off Manila. Unfortunately one of the men died from malaria, but the other two carried on. During these few months, the men felt secure, even though there were many dangers associated with being part of the organization. The danger of encirclement by Japanese landing parties was a common threat. One of these Japanese landings, that occurred on the town of Tubay, almost ended Jack’s guerrilla service.

The Tubay incident started when McLish assigned Jack the mission of reconnoitering a town on Lake Mainit in the Surigao Province as a possible site for the new headquarters. They wanted new headquarters because Japanese attacks against the towns in Gingoog Bay were getting more frequent. Mainit was completely abandoned, and after a quick inspection, Jack heads back to Tubay. He lives in the house of a Chinese merchant named Ong Oh. On the third day in Tubay, Jack fell extremely sick with malaria, to the point that he was too weak to leave bed. At this time, the Japanese came. A Japanese gunboat landed on the shore of Tubay and started firing, so everyone left their houses in a rush. Jack was left behind in the bed. Thankfully, a Filipino officer named Jorge Tirador saved Jack. Jorge takes Jack in a boroto to his hut, where his family aids him by providing the necessary resources. Jack lost a lot of weight from the malaria. For his astonishing act of courage, Jorge was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the Filipino Government. Jack sees a swarm of locusts at Jorge’s hut completely destroy all his crops. When Jack had recovered enough, he arranged with Jorge to travel back to Daan Lungsod by banca. However, at that time, Mike arrived, thinking Jack was dead already. He also announced that the Japanese were all over Gingoog Bay.

Mike had been on the beach off the coast of Gingoog Bay, as he was supervising the repair of one of the diesel launches. Suddenly a Japanese warship arrived and began towing the launch. Mike opened fire on them with a rifle, but the gunboat was far too powerful → Mike left the battlefield. He returned to Daan Lungsod by foot, where he saw people urgently preparing to move the headquarters. They decided to go to Linugos on the northeast shore of the bay, a fishing village they had not yet occupied. They fled in the night, for the enemy ships reappeared and shelled Daan Lungsod, Medina, and Gingoog. The men found out that the man guarding their ammunition was killed → their ammunition was captured. Some of the men were on their own missions and did not come to Linugos. Shof announced that the Japs still maintained control over Medina and Gingoog, and recently landed in Anakan, just a few miles south of Linugos. Anakan was the location of the radio, but the men there had safely hidden the equipment so the Japs wouldn’t find out. The men and Linugos were eager to get the men out of Anakan ASAP → raided Japanese → Japanese withdrew from Anakan. When Spielman returned from his mission from Surigao, he brough back a soldier named McCarthy. He announces that his daughter, Juanita, would be marrying Spielman soon, and the men congratulate him. News arrived that a submarine came, and Sam left for Australia. The other men couldn’t leave because they were at the wrong place
The men were concerned because McCoy still hadn’t made arrangements with Fertig to make sure all of them went on the next submarine. Shof was sure they would be able to board the next submarine, but they had to go to Fertig’s location and stay with him. The men get ready to leave.

The men board the U. S. S. Athena and head to Balingasag, at the mouth of the Cagayan Bay. They see enemy ships and almost retreat, but the Japs merely thought the Athena was a fishing ship. Their journey safely ended at Misamis, and they proceeded to Fertig’s headquarters. After discussion, the Shof, Mike, and Jack were cleared to board the submarine at Nasipit on November 15, which was extremely close to their headquarters. The three marines meet Leo, Ben, and Victor for the first time in 5 months. They said McCoy had promised to personally petition President Quezon of the Philippines, then in the United States, to remit their sentences for homicide, in view of their valuable contribution to the men’s escape. These pardons were granted. Leo Boelens was suffering from severe dysentery, but was determined to finish the airstrip. This decision cost him his life, as a Japanese landing party made a surprise raid into the area, and Boelens was killed.

Several days before November 15th, Jack and Mike hiked from Rizal (headquarters) to Nasipit to check the depth of the channel where they wanted to dock their boat. McLish commissioned Mike and Jack to lead an advance party to Nasipit early on the 15th in one of the trucks. The trucks stopped well before they reached the docks, but the men carried it all the way. They boarded the submarine called the U. S. S. Narwhal, and met its captain Frank Latta. The submarine leaves Nasipit, and the men are now officially free. Last paragraph of page 224 (which continues onto 225) – shows what Jack has learned over the past two years as a prisoner of war.