Mopping up continued throughout the day. Able Company “sealed numerous caves” in their sector and suffered a handful of wounded; Baker Company patrolled its own area, but had no enemy encounters worth reporting. With their zones of operation secured, both companies started preparing their nighttime positions.

John Pope compared the terrain to a football stadium complete with bleachers. “We did not want to be on that playing field with the enemy in the stands shooting down on us,” he said. Fortunately, his group managed to get to the high ground without incident. From their new positions, the terrain dropped steeply away into a jumble of rocks, with only a single path providing a possible approach for the Japanese. Pope and three buddies were detailed to guard this path. “It was not possible to dig a foxhole so we gathered rocks and built us a three-sided fort blocking the path,” Pope recalled. “While we were gathering rocks, Henry Roberts shouted “Hit the deck!” I heard firing close by and looked up to see what was going on. [Major Schechter] and a few men were standing below us and suddenly began firing in our direction. They were doing a little reconnoitering and spotted a group of enemy soldiers squatting below us and watching us build our fort.”[7]

As darkness closed in on the little stone fort, John Pope prayed for an easy night. Nobody wants to die close to the end of the battle. He did not know it, but this night would be the last he ever spent in combat. Yet one more man would crack – and one more man would die – before it was through.