A squad from 1st platoon, "A" company was sent to replace the elements guarding the west entrance to Malinta Tunnel.

The scene was quiet when night fell.

So far, mention has not been made of a threat which, from 1130 February 16th on was as real as the terrible nuisance of the island's millions of blue flies. Everyone knew that the tunnel net under MALINTA HILL was, in all probability, filled to capacity with all manner of supplies and munitions. Engineers had estimated that those tunnels, properly loaded and detonated, could constitute a charge of sufficient blast to lift MALINTA HILL out of the earth, scatter it in fragments and leave a canal through the island where it had stood.

Deep concern for this possibility had kept many of the men awake many hours.

On the night of February 21st, the Japs made their first try at it. In the main purpose - if, indeed, their purpose was to blow up the hill completely - that first try failed, and in failing rendered the thorough accomplishment of the job forever impossible.

However, BLT #3 suffered. At 2130 hours, a deafening explosion rocked the southern end of MALINTA HILL. Flames and smoke and debris jutted from caves and tunnel entrances. Rocks flew in every direction.

The 3rd platoon of "A" company was deployed along the road under the overhanging bank of the hill. Six of their men were guarding one of the caves in the bank. The whole hill seemed to crumble on them. A sudden, inescapable landslide threw men to the ground, cutting and bruising them, isolating   "A" company's road block detachment, and burying alive the 6 men who had been guarding the cave.

At almost the exact same time as the explosion, about 50 Japs, in a column of twos, marched cut of the west entrance as if they were on parade. The "K" company squad allowed them to proceed about 50 yards, and then opened up with everything, cutting them down like grain. A few minutes later, Japs started trying to infiltrate out of the tunnel by ones and twos. They were picked off as they appeared. It was one of those irreconcilable Japanese acts. It netted them nothing but corpses.

Attempts were begun at 10:30 that night — and continued till 4:30 on the morning of the 22nd — to rescue the "A" company men - particularly the wounded — cut off by the explosion and landslide. PT boats came in to the bottom of the cliff on the bay below, but most of the wounded were in conditions too serious to permit lowering them by rope, and a heavy concentration of  Jap machine gun fire on the marooned men made much movement impossible.

The road itself had blown out, and, since it was hewn out of a sheer bank that dropped into the bay, nothing was left now but the sheer bank. The entire area of the landslide was an undulating mass of crumbled rock. It couldn't be traversed.

Nothing was left to do but wait for daylight. Only 6 men remained in fit physical shape on the other side of the blow—out. They maintained the roadblock throughout the night.

At the crack of dawn, a rescue party was led to the other side of the slide by the commander of company "A". Guide, adviser, director, chief rescuer of the party was a corporal those profession prior to the war had been mountain climbing. His tireless work and deft skill were the greatest contributing factors to the extrication of the isolated men, wounded and well alike.

By 1030, February 22nd, the casualties had all been brought out, and the rescue party had completed its mission. During the rest of the operation, "A"     company had no third platoon. The platoon leader and all but 6 men had been either killed or wounded. Those 6 who came through whole were distributed among the other platoons.

Again on the 22nd action was nil. Patrols were active throughout the day. Naval gunfire was continuously employed with great accuracy — and this was the case throughout the operation — and by its use, the tunnels' openings were closed off, one by one, Japs sealed inside.

During the night, another fatal attack was made against "A" company, and the Japs were hurtled back again - down the steep hill up which they had so often tried to push night attacks.

On the 23rd, preparations were made for a final push against and clean-up of enemy elements in the BLT #3 sector. "L" company was relieved by "A" company on MALINTA HILL, and moved into position for an attack, the following morning, on ENGINEER POINT.

ENGINEER POINT was pounded from sea and air and by mortar fire in preparation for the attack.

During the night of February 23-24, the enemy made his most serious attempt to demolish MALINTA HILL. In the early morning hours, 7 explosions, all in quick succession, threatened to tear the hill asunder. Foxholes crumbled, Flame belched from every hole in central and northern portions of the hill, and with it belched parties of Japs - either corpses blown out by the blast, or men driven out into American fire and death.

It was devastation - stark, awe-inspiring, terrifying. But for the Jap - not for its intended victim.

At 0830, the 24th day of February, the final Air preparation struck ENGINEER POINT after an hour and a half of grinding fire from mortars, machine guns, and naval guns. At 0840, "L" company and a battalion of the 503rd jumped off to assault the point.

The foot troops wore preceded by two tanks which blasted the mouths of tunnels on the northern slope of MALINTA HILL, in front of the infantry advance. The momentum of the shock attack vas never lost. The Japs were wiped off ENGINEER POINT and the attack mission was complete at 1100 hours.

And it was at 11 o'clock that the enemy forces in Hospital Tunnel made the last feeble gesture they would make at BLT 3     ...at the men who had struck them hard and tied them down and thoroughly, conclusively beaten them. They launched an impotent, quickly-repelled 'Banzai Attack' at "K" company's third platoon.

As the assault and conquest of ENGINEER POINT was completed, a battalion of the 151st Infantry began relief of BLT 3. They completed the purpose for which they had landed, that day. And on February 25th, THIRD battalion 34th Infantry (reinf) — left 'The Rock'.

Etched in the memories of the men were the faces and habits and friendships of the comrades they had left there. Ringing in their ears was the message their Corps Commander had sent to them:

"My hearty congratulations on the magnificent work being done by all officers and men of your force. You are making history in the eyes of all Americans as the avengers of the CORREGIDOR of 3 years ago."

The final touch of meaning was added on March 1st, when the commanding officer of BLT #3, commanders of the companies of his team, and several of the battalion NCO’s-returned to participate in the ceremony in which the American Flag was raised once more on the staff from which she had flown — a symbol of justice and freedom — and from which she had been ignominiously lowered by the forces of tyranny, brutality, and ignorance.

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