Yanks toast their arrival inside Manila brewery
By H. D. Quigg, United Press staff writer
WITH 37TH INFANTRY DIVISION, MANILA, Philippines (Feb. 4, delayed) – One of the first large buildings reached by advanced elements entering Manila was the Balintawak Brewery and the Doughboys lost no time in toasting their arrival.
The brewery was undamaged, although flames were cracking in a warehouse next door where the Japs apparently had stored supplies.
In the cool interior of the brewery, the Doughboys quickly pulled plugs from a large tank of beer and began filling their helmets and any other available containers.
They naturally had a tough job keeping the floor from becoming flooded. In an effort to help, I filled two canteens, two-quart bottles and my helmet. The cool beverage seemed the finest I ever tasted.
One of the first Doughboys into the brewery was Pvt. Timothy J. Moriarity of Lowell, Massachusetts, who, after sampling a helmet of the cold beer, declared it was even better than the beverage dispensed at Donhue’s “best beer in lower Massachusetts.”
But, he agreed, 33 months of jungle fighting may have biased his judgment.