What Did I (or my mom and dad) Do During the War?

 Originally Written Between 2013-2015  

In order to answer this, I’ll have to determine which “war” is in question.  If it was World War II, I’d have to say that I did a lot of crying since I was born just four days after D-Day in June of 1944.  During the Korean War, I was in elementary school, and during the Vietnam War, I was a new mother living in St. Paul.  In other words, I did nothing to help the war effort in any of those wars.  The same lack of effort went into the Gulf and Afghanistan Wars.  

My parents were married a little over a year and had a two-months’ old baby boy – my brother, Steve when the United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941. Dad had poor eyesight, poor hearing, and flat feet and therefore, wasn’t drafted.  In 1978, my mom started writing historical articles for the hometown newspaper in Forest Lake, MN.  After several years of writing weekly columns, she was asked to write the history of Forest Lake in a book for its Centennial celebration in 1993.  She wrote six pages in that book about WWII and while I won’t go to that length, I will highlight some of her reflections as follows:

Those who served our country were taken from one environment under orders and were sent to defend our country in war.  Before they returned home years later, they experienced acts of bravery, compassion, humor, daring, and patriotism.  Forest Lake servicemen and women were stationed in all parts of the world, even on islands in the Pacific that not many had ever heard of before.  Some endured the freezing temperature of Iceland, and some walked on the hot sands of African deserts.  

The war in Europe was escalating which prompted an era of readiness in America by implementing the Selective Service Act of 1940 and the Lend-Lease Act of 1941.  Forest Lake men, between the ages of 18 and 45, began registering for the draft.  When the letter arrived with the simple salutation, “Greetings,” signed by the President, the recipient knew he soon would be processed through Fort Snelling in St. Paul.  Classification was important, from 1-A to 4-F.  Humorous stories about inductees were circulated.  One favorite story was about the fellow who had all of his teeth pulled to keep him out of the Army.  Instead, he was turned down because he had flat feet! (And, no… that was not my dad!)

Traffic increased dramatically on Highway 8 as men and women went to work at the New Brighton Arms Plant, Honeywell, and Northern Pump.  A few local plants produced war material to be sent to our allies.  The DiPonties of Forest Lake became involved in the production of gliders.  The Winnicks Scrap Iron business made a major contribution to the war effort by salvaging material to be used in making necessary military hardware.

Some Forest Lake women also joined the military such as the WACS (Women’s Army Corp), the SPARS (The Coast Guard), the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and the Women’s Reserve of the U.S. Marine Corp.

There are always unforgettable songs during wartime.  We heard, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me,” “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,” and Kate Smith’s singing of “God Bless America” stirred patriotic emotions.

Doing your part for the war effort became a way of life for civilians, as shortages appeared and rationing began. Ration books were needed to purchase sugar, coffee, meat, butter, canned goods, and shoes.  The women donated fat and bacon grease into our local meat markets.  Fat was used to make ammunition.

Cars had “A,” “B,” and “C” stickers on their windshields, indicating their gas ration status.  The posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour prolonged the life of the tires.

Housewives flatted their tin cans and donated their aluminum kettles.  These metals needed for the war effort were in short supply.  Many residents planted victory gardens, and many women used a canning factory at the school to can vegetables and fruits.  Forest Lake businessmen took time to help the farmers with their harvest because there was a shortage of farm help.

“For the duration” was a phrase heard so often.   No radios, refrigerators, washing machines, or cars were manufactured during this time.  Women’s nylons were very scarce.

Because of our proximity to war plants, Forest Lake was considered to be vulnerable in case of a bombing attack by the enemy.  Frank Weisser was appointed chief over a staff of 45 volunteer air-raid wardens.  The first practice blackout scheduled for 10:00 PM on a specific evening in 1942 was very successful.  By 10:01 PM, not a single light was visible in the village.  Homeowners covered their windows with “blackout curtains.”  Wardens patrolled the streets, and some who were trained as airplane spotters were stationed on the roof of the school.

Mom also recognized the many Forest Lake men involved in the war and described their stories while at Pearl Harbor, several countries in Europe, and islands in the Pacific, to name just a few.  She ended the World War II section saying that “… sirens wailed, church bells rang, whistles blew and the radios blared when the Japanese surrendered unconditionally on August 15, 1945.  The people of Forest Lake were caught up in the joy and relief of the announcement that the long war was over.  The returning G.I.’s found that the home front had changed considerably while they were away.  The newly married servicemen discovered a housing shortage.  As a result, temporary “basement homes” were built on many streets of Forest Lake.  Many men took advantage of the G.I. Bill, which paid for a college education or trade school training.”

As a side note, I’d like to tell you a little story about what happened to me while we were studying WWII when I was in the tenth grade.  I chose to write a report about my uncle Tom who, in addition to his normal military duties, was a musician in one of the army bands.  I interviewed him and wrote, what I thought anyway, to be a great report.  I even included a medal that was awarded to my uncle as a “show and tell” item at the end of my report.  I remember showing my report to a few classmates and then placing my typed report and medal in my locker for safekeeping until my class started.  When I opened up my locker, the report and medal were missing!  Naturally, I searched everywhere and reported the theft to my teacher and the principal’s office.  My mom was heartbroken.  She had promised my uncle that we would take extra care of the medal and now it was gone.  Of course, we never found it.  And to top it off…. My teacher insisted that I try to remember what I had written in my report because I had to hand it in.  He did give me a couple of extra days to re-create it.  After that experience, I made sure that I made a carbon copy of every report so that would never happen to me again.