Love Born in the War Front: An Epic Romance

By Lydia Bongcaron Wade

Love between two enemies is born and grows amid fierce battles, agony, and death at the height of WWII in the south of the Philippines.

Major Miko, assigned in Misamis Occidental, is a tough, fearless, and battle-hardened commander of an elite Japanese battalion, whose only objective was to win the war for his emperor.

Lee Ann Solis, a Filipino nurse, joins her brother, a USAFFE captain in the jungles, after their whole family perished during the enemies invasion of their province. When the two enemies, Major Miko and Lee Ann, meet and fall in love, the daunting cries of war, the deafening sounds of gunfire, and the constant threats to survival become muffled and replaced with joy and hope.

Will the two enemies love for each other prevail against the odds during and when the war is over? Follow this unbelievable story replete with adventure and romance, highlighting two enamored beings thrown into each other by the winds of war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496965141

Lydia Bongcaron Wade

This is the sixth book written by the author. Her first was a family drama entitled Where Miracles Grow. The second and third are memoirs: Grandma Series I and Grandma Series II. The fourth is a romance fiction, Love Born on the High Seas, and the fifth is an epic romance novel entitled Love Born in the War Front. She was born and grew up in the Philippines and has been living in the US since in 1985. She was a teacher for seventeen years in Manila, worked as an education officer in Nigeria for nine years, then was employed by the Department for the Aging as a case manager, benefits/entitlements specialist, and food and nutrition lecturer at four senior centers in Queens, New York, for eighteen years. She has traveled extensively within the United States and to many countries around the world. Her book Grandma Series II: Grandma’s Travels details her travel experiences. In between writing her books, she attends meetings with a writers’ group at McHenry College and hosts a radio show called The Homemaker with Lydia. This show is available at 101.5 FM, Huntley Community Radio, every Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and at HuntleyCommunityRadio.com.

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© 2015 Lydia Bongcaron Wade. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/28/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6515-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6514-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 The Spitting Prisoner

Chapter 2 Confronting the Enemy

Chapter 3 Knowing the Enemy

Chapter 4 A Developing Friendship

Chapter 5 The USAFFE Spies

Chapter 6 The Siege

Chapter 7 The Air Raid

Chapter 8 Counter Attacks

Chapter 9 A Daring Move

Chapter 10 An Enemy’s Confession

Chapter 11 A Noonday Raid

Chapter 12 A Long, Lonely Search

Chapter 13 Army Pullout

Chapter 14 A Poignant Reunion

Chapter 15 Two Ambushes

Chapter 16 Longest Days, Darkest Nights

Chapter 17 Camp MacArthur

Chapter 18 Colonel Stanley Bowman and Captain Emilio Solis

Chapter 19 Major Miko and Lee Ann

Chapter 20 The Officers’ Meeting.

Chapter 21 Combat Training

Chapter 22 Wedding Plans

Chapter 23 A Military Wedding

Chapter 24 An Emergency Officers’ Meeting.

Chapter 25 Dilemma and Desperate Measures

Chapter 26 A Decisive Battle

Chapter 27 MacArthur’s Camp, a Poignant History

Chapter 28 Rumored MacArthur Return

Chapter 29 A Liberation Wedding

Chapter 30 Kidnapped!

Chapter 31 An Unexpected Reunion

Chapter 32 A Father’s Quest

Chapter 33 Onward Journey

Chapter 34 Abduction Plans

Chapter 35 A Joyful Family Reunion

Chapter 36 The Macmillan Estate

Chapter 37 The Agonizing, Lonely Days

Chapter 38 Surprise Gift

Chapter 39 One Tragedy After Another

Chapter 40 Michael’s Turmoil

Chapter 41 To the Philippines and Back

Chapter 42 Michael, the Novelist

Chapter 43 Illness, Recovery and Romance

Chapter 44 Settling at Last!

Chapter 45 The Blind Date

Chapter 46 Fire in the Mansion

Chapter 47 A Persistent Suitor

Chapter 48 Pressing Legal Cases

Chapter 49 Love Born in the War Front, The Last Chapters

Chapter 50 The Concluding Chapter

Chapter 51 Letters! Letters!

Chapter 52 The Best Selling Author

Chapter 53 Patricia and Leana

Chapter 54 Travel, Speaking Engagements

Chapter 55 Love Born in the War Front, The True Ending

Chapter 56 A Complete Family Reunion

Bibliography

Acknowledgment

Epilogue

About the Author

DEDICATED TO THE

VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II

IN THE PHILIPPINES AND THEIR FAMILIES

A gripping story of heroic battles in the jungles and dangerous terrain in

Misamis Occidental, Philippines between the USAFFE and the Japanese during World War

11, and in the midst of it all, an enduring tale of love and romance between two enemies.

"For true love transcends all barriers, strengthens the weak, recognizes no creed or ideology, survives the worst of elements,

advances through gunfire and meets every obstacle with courage and strength."

And the True Lover is not a myth.

By Lydia Bongcaron Wade

Prologue

Love in the War Front

War II in the Philippines and in other Far East Countries was characterized by untold stories of countless people affected by the cruelties and horrors of war, soldiers and civilians alike.Unbearable suffering, scores of lost lives, damages to property and loss of livelihood, disease, hunger, torture and agony could not be described or contained in any history book.

Before the war began in the Far East, the Philippines was a U.S.Colony, ceded to the United States by Spain.The island nation was then named a Commonwealth, with Manuel l. Quezon as the first Philippine president.

The country’s military was ill-equipped and lacking in qualified officers and men, in military weapons and equipment. Military capability as a whole was poor and inadequate. The challenging task of building a small, poor and fragile country was undertaken by the United States with the full cooperation of the Philippine Government.

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, full mobilization of Filipino and U.S. military throughout the nation became enforced during the grueling days that followed. The USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East was formed and Filipino guerrillas worked side by side with the Allied Forces. General Douglas MacArthur who had retired was recalled and designated the Commander of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East, including the Philippine Islands.

This book is focused on the struggles of the USAFFE in the jungles of Misamis Occidental, a province in Mindanao, the second largest island south of the Philippines. Many places and battle scenes included and described in the story actually happened, and names of some military characters are real.

The love and romance parts are fictional although based on the true premise that love is possible between enemies, can grow and survive amid the perils in the battlefront, and can endure the changing events and the passing of time. The author wishes to send a strong message to the readers that no matter how impossible the situation is and regardless of how hardened one’s heart is with hate, true love surfaces and prevails.

Such is the love described in the book between a fierce, battle-hardened commander of the Japanese Imperial Army and a Filipino nurse working with the USAFFE Medical Team in the jungles of Misamis Occidental.

It is hoped that through this book, the readers will remember and pray for the veterans of the last World War, whose bravery and commitment had helped shape the world we are now enjoying in this age of peace. At the same time, may they enjoy the romantic episodes, which hopefully will provide more inspiration to those who believe in the power of true love.

Lydia Bongcaron Wade

Chapter 1

THE SPITTING PRISONER

Commander, we have a prisoner who kicks like an angry horse and curses like the demon. Do we have your permission to get rid of this woman prisoner right now? Major Yanaguchi looked up from behind his wood desk and said, Give her the punishment she deserves and see if she quiets down. He dismissed the annoyed soldier and headed to his bathing enclosure.

It was an oppressively hot and humid late morning in the remote, hilly village off the town of Aloran, Misamis Occidental, south of the Philippine Islands. The thick bamboo grove and the tall coconut trees bordering the Japanese military camp failed to shield it from the scorching heat. The light, gentle breeze did little to suppress the humidity.

Mikito Yanaguchi, a Law graduate from Stanford University in Connecticut, U.S.A. commanded a hundred and twenty-man Japanese battalion in the camp situated on the banks of a small river. He was 30 years old, the youngest son of a colonel in the Japanese Imperial Army stationed in Negros Occidental, an ocean across Misamis Occidental.

Yanaguchi hated this war. He had resented being held in a compound of men, women and children of Japanese ancestry at the onset of World War II in Asia. Most of all, he hated leaving America. He was only a child of five when his parents migrated to the greatest nation in the world. America was his country, as far as he was concerned. He became a U.S. citizen at 15 years old. But now, he was not only a Japanese officer but an enemy of the only nation he had learned to love as his own.

He was shipped to Japan with his family and compatriots before the war escalated in Southeast Asia. Yanaguchi was eventually ordered to enlist in the Japanese Army, much to her family’s objections, especially her mother. She knelt down in front of the Supreme Commander, Tugashi and begged him to spare her son from being shipped abroad.

Nichi brought Tugashi many expensive gifts. She offered her daughter Nimi in marriage to the stern but good looking general. But there was nothing anyone, even the hot-tempered commander could do to avoid the deployment of every man, even those who barely passed their early teens from joining in the military build up. Even Yanaguchi’s own father, Onito Yanaguchi, high officer in the Japanese Imperial Army could not spare his youngest son from being deployed to countries in the Pacific, to Burma, then to the tiny island nation, the Philippines, a U.S. colony in the Far East.

Increased militarism was Japan’s preoccupation and prime project during this shaky period in world history. Europe was already immersed in the upheaval that promised to be a worldwide conflict. At first, America was merely an outsider and many Americans believed they were out of harm’s way, until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The sneak attack that killed more than 2,000 naval personnel and civilians riled the otherwise peace-loving American people. It united them and spurred them into action. Pres. Franklin Roosevelt declared war against Japan soon after the bombing.

Yanaguchi heard soft singing when he got out of the makeshift bathroom. It sounded more like crying than singing. Major, that young woman is impossible to handle. I beat her up with a bamboo pole, but she would not stop kicking and spitting at us. I knocked her down hard too. She became quiet for a while, but she began cursing us again when she woke up. She even sang, as if to taunt us.

Yanaguchi became curious. Who is this woman that sounded like a spitfire? Didn’t she know her life was at their mercy? Japanese women to his knowledge were usually subservient and docile. Were Filipino women in these parts savages? This unusual woman behavior intrigued the young major. He dressed up hurriedly in his uniform and headed to the prisoners’ barracks.

The woman’s head was bowed. Her clothes were torn, baring the bruises on her fair shoulders, on her back and legs. Her long hair was disheveled, covering half of her dirty, oval face. The loud greeting in Japanese by the guards made the woman look up. She stopped her almost inaudible singing.

Yanaguchi held the woman’s chin. Immediately, he felt saliva showering on him. The spitting spitfire, he cursed softly. He had the mind to slap the woman hard and then have her shot right then and there, but he hesitated. The woman’s fighting spirit challenged him. It was completely novel to him to be treated by a woman in this way.

Untie her ropes. Take her to my quarters, he ordered the guard near him. The woman was kicking as hard as she could and screaming as she was dragged to the major’s quarters. What a bitch! Perhaps what I will do with her will silence her for good." He thought wryly, thinking of what he would do with the kicking, spitting woman. In his quarters, he took water and gave it to the woman who was staring at him with venom in her eyes. She drank half of the water but spat the remaining liquid at him.

Yanaguchi grabbed her roughly, tore off her already torn clothing, kissed her bruised lips hard and threw her into his cot. He took off his uniform and was about to rape her, but he stopped when he heard her singing. The song was the same tune as the one he heard before. "Ang guerilla ay naghihirap, nang dahil sa mga bundok at mga gubat. Ang puhonan namin ay buhay, nang dahil sa aming bayan… (The guerrillas are suffering much in the mountains and forests. We give our lives for our land……

Chapter 2

CONFRONTING THE ENEMY

Yanaguchi hesitated. He had never forced himself on a woman before, much less on a helpless, defenseless woman. He had a girlfriend, his classmate at the University. She was an American of Asian ancestry. They dated many times but he never forced his wild desires on her. After graduation, they planned to get married but her parents objected to his Japanese beginnings.

He dated three other girls when he was working as an Assistant Attorney at a Connecticut Law Firm. His mother told him once: My son, respect young women as you would respect your sister, and older women as your mother or grandmother. Has he lost his sense of justice and dignity now? He recoiled at the thought. He allowed the woman to continue singing. When she stopped, she wiped her tears away with her hand, sat up and stared at him with pleading, doleful eyes.

What is your name? Yanaguchi asked buttoning his shirt quickly. She did not respond. She continued to stare at him as if she did not understand what he was saying. Yanaguchi helped her stand up and led her to a chair.

Do you speak any English? He was certain she could not speak any Japanese. He did not know how to speak her language either. He thought of a way to communicate with her. Somehow, he longed to speak with this brave woman. Perhaps he could get some information about the guerrillas. Also, he had not seen a woman in a long time, much less speak to one. His eagerness mounted. Guard, get one of the prisoners at the prisoners’ hut. Ask which of them speaks English.

There is no need for you to get an interpreter. I can understand every word you say. Yanaguchi was so surprised to hear the woman speak that he almost tripped on a bench when he turned abruptly. She spoke clearly and fluently. Yanaguchi sat on the edge of his wooden desk and looked at her prisoner intently. She was beautiful in spite of her disheveled appearance. Her brown eyes were sad and appealing. Her tanned skin smeared with dirt was flawless. If her long, black hair were brushed, perhaps it would have been glossy and smooth. When he led her to the chair, she was limping. She could be about four inches shorter than his height if she straightened up.

Oh, so you could speak English well. I’m glad. What is there to be glad about? I am not going to answer your stupid questions if you intend to interrogate me. You may kill me here, right now, but you will not get anything from me. The woman suddenly spoke decisively and bravely, pounding her dirty fists on the desk.

Don’t you know that I have the power to kill you quickly or slowly in the most heinous way?

Sure, I know, you bastard!! All you brutes are happy go lucky killers! Get on with it! The woman lashed out with increasing fury. Her previous sad eyes were flashed with hatred.

The major stood up slowly trying to figure out his next move. Should he attempt to rape her again and then shot her afterwards? Or should he order his guards to take her away, rape her and then kill her in their most merciless way? He could do anything he wished with this insolent, fearless woman. But again, he hesitated. Why should he even ponder on what to do? He could not understand himself.

Guard, take this woman to the isolated cell behind the mess hut. Give her no food or drink. Major Yanaguchi sat down heavily on his chair after the guard had taken the woman away. "What a woman! He had never encountered a woman remotely like this one, so fiery, so challenging and so courageous.

He could easily have strangled her to oblivion and forget about it. He had more pressing problems in his hands. His scouts had been ambushed last night and this morning, his advance platoon of 30 soldiers to their planned attack on the northeastern part of Oroquieta was wiped out by the guerrillas. Damned guerrillas! He was transported back to his responsibility as the leader of an elite contingent.

Yanaguchi tossed and turned in his cot that night. He was not thinking of the setbacks his army had encountered in the hands of the USAFFE. The woman occupied his thoughts. Her appealing beauty surfaced above her dirty and miserable appearance. Why did he not take advantage of her? How was it like to bed her, savor her sweetness? Perhaps her antagonism would have melted if he kissed and took her in his arms tenderly. He had not had a woman in what seemed ages. The war had obliterated his human cravings. He became callous and devoid of emotion. Now, he sensed a strange new feeling.

He got up slowly. It was past midnight in his time piece. Everything was quiet except for the howling of dogs in the distance and the chirping of cicadas among the bushes around their camp. He looked out his sleeping tent. He could not see any guard around his tent. The figures of the border guards patrolling alongside the bamboo enclosure around the camp were visible in the semi-darkness.

He took out his ration of dried grilled meat, a grilled sweet potato, a small banana and filled his tin water bottle with water. He crept out of his tent noiselessly and headed to the solitary prison at the back of the mess hut. He listened inside before he unlocked the bamboo door. The hinges creaked a little as he opened the door but the figure crouched on a bed of dried coconut leaves did not stir.

Chapter 3

KNOWING THE ENEMY

Yanaguchi looked down at the woman curled in her sleep, as if she was cold. Nothing covered her half-naked, bruised body. He looked down at her for a long time. He was filled with pity. All the goodness in him took over. He took off his shirt and put it gently around the sleeping woman. He