Inevitable idleness in this broken city has made swapping stories the most popular pastime today. There's no shortage of material too, each being an epic worthy of a movie scene. Just don't expect the facts; all the tales are embellished with extremes of heroism, savagery, luck and misfortune. I'm having a devil of a time getting people to stick to the facts.

One family with a woman who was bedridden for three years had a lucky escape. Trapped in a vicious crossfire, they were told to head west; the Americans are over there just across the estero. They refused to move at first, but the continuous tide of retreating refugees convinced them. The old woman was carried through a hail of bullets and shells, and all reached American lines unscathed but for one insignificant shrapnel wound. The Americans right there gave the old lady an injection. She's now doing well in Santo Tomas — even walking again, I'm told.

One story I'm a bit skeptical about is told by the father of a fellow made out to be a hero: Sergeant Luis Rodriguez Asencio (CIO) of Bataan, 1942, 21st Division Company C Engineers under General Capinpin. A group of several hundred were trapped in a rotonda between Nebraska and Remedios by a single Japanese machine gun in the southwest corner of the plaza. The Americans were five blocks east at Taft, but all attempts to poke a single head up to escape drew a bead or two from the Japanese. So there they stayed and agonized as shells fell all around.

To make a long story short, Luis decided to take action in the predawn darkness of February 13. The 24-year-old and four others (De la Cruz, Fortaleza, Sepulvera and Sanchez), with just one pistol and bolo between them, killed the four Japanese manning the emplacement that stood between their families and freedom. Of the five only Sepulvera survived. The refugees, including Luis's father, mother and three other children, made it to safety unmolested in the morning. The father wanted me to take the case up with G-2 for recognition of his son. I asked Aurelio Montinola to check the story with relatives who might have been there.

. . . .

A case of looting is under investigation: About February 7 or 8, armed looters entered the house of Luis Campos, shot and killed their house-boys and rifled through Luis's goods. Who went around armed in those days but guerrilleros or makapilis?

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