Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:44 | Zig Zag Pass was so narrow that the supply planes had to fly right through it between the mountains. One didn't make it out. Ernest Stiles remembers the relentless fighting there, including nighttime banzai charges. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Keywords : Ernest Stiles Zig Zag Pass Philippines Douglas C-47 Skytrain crash Japanese banzai carbine artillery
His outfit was headed to the European theater, but Ernest Stiles was not on the roster when it came time to go. He never found out why, but he was sent to jungle training and reassigned to a Pacific bound unit. Once there, he found assurance that he would make it through and he found a leader he admired.(This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
The kamikaze hit just as Ernest Stiles was climbing down the cargo net to hit the beach at Luzon. He made it to the beach and turned to see the ship sinking. He was soon on the other side of the island, where he would face the worst fighting he would see, trying to take Zig Zag Pass. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Ernest Stiles pays tribute to friends lost in the battle to reclaim the Philippines, including a heroic medic who insisted on doing his job in the face of certain death. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
They were human beings and he didn't want to kill them, but Ernest Stiles figured it was either him or the Japanese, so he did what he had to do. There was one time, though, when he drew the line and rightly refused a direct order to kill. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
