MEMORIES OF WORLD WAR II -
Through
the Eyes of a Young Child
I would like to share my
recollections of World War II, as I saw them as a young child, ages 6- 10 years
of age. Both of my brothers were in the
Navy, following my father’s footsteps in World War I. We lived in Southern California, (South Gate) ten miles from the
coast near the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors.
South Gate was an industrial,
suburban town eight miles from Los Angeles.
It boasted of industrial plants: Goodyear Tire and Rubber and General
Motors. I’m sure these plants were used
extensively in the war production effort.
We lived at 3416 Southern Ave, corner of Virginia Ave. (long before my
father built the new house on the corner.)
Southern California at that time was
very much on alert, with the recent bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Certain steps were taken to protect our
coastline, our cities, factories and establish defense plants, therefore
protecting our country and us.
These recollections are mine only,
and therefore some may disagree with my observations. But they are very much etched in my memory. It occurred to me one day that perhaps I should
write down these events, when one night at a dinner with my family and friends,
I was asked many questions about the war years. It seemed not one of them had even a vague idea what we went
through as a family, as a community, and as a country. It reminded me of the generation not knowing
about the Holocaust, because no one ever talked about it.
Perhaps things were different in
other parts of the country, but probably not on the East Coast. But I’m sure many of these events occurred
there also. I cannot attest to those
events. I only write about what I know
happened in Southern California during the War years.
CHAPTER I
World War II was a time when the
United States acted as a complete whole, every move being for the war effort
and our country’s preservation.
Patriotism was at an all time high.
You knew who your enemy was. You
knew what must be done by home sacrifice in order to help our boys and our
country. Every aspect of our life was
directed toward this goal. I wish to
talk about some of these war efforts as they affected me and my feeling at the
time about this effort.
The whole country came alert and
various war measures were in place to protect us in case of bombing. The Japanese threat of bombing was very
real. The coast was so vulnerable with
all of our shipyards and factories, especially aircraft factories. (Lockheed in
Long Beach). Los Angeles was a key harbor for ships, as was San Diego and San
Francisco.
Since growing up and having my own
family, I have often thought about the sacrifices my folks must have made, and
the unspoken fear of one’s sons going off to war and possibly not
returning. Both of my brothers did come
back in one piece and so did my husband’s two brothers, who also served in the
Navy, stationed in the Pacific.
We felt fortunate as a family. And I did feel such a part of that
experience, even at my young age. I
wish to write about my families’ way of dealing with the war and other
experiences. I also wish to convey the
role of the schools in the war and the whole Southern California area, where I
was born and went to school.
My first recollection of the war
came when my 17 year-old brother Bill joined the Navy in 1942.He hadn’t
finished high school. In those days,
you could sign-up with parent’s signature. He and I shared a room with built-in
bunk beds. I was seven years old. I was his little baby sister and waited on
him all the time. (So it seemed) He panicked once when I came down with the
measles during his finals, because he hadn’t had them. But he never did get the measles.
With Bob it was different. He was 14 years older than I was. (Bill was 10 years) He had his own life. I don’t remember much about it, until he met
Marie. They were married in 1943 and
that is my first memory of Bob at the start of the war. It was raining hard the day of their
wedding, and I knew it was special. He
was stationed on the East Coast (after boot camp) and wasn’t around very
much. Marie moved to Connecticut to
live with another war wife and to be near Bob.
My father was an Air Raid Warden for
our block. He wore a special hard hat
and armband. We had air-raid warnings
often and blackout drills at night. We
all had special drapes installed to block out any light. Dad would be on duty and walk the bock to
see if anyone showed any sign of lights at all. Even a cigarette light could be seen from an airplane.
My mother did not go to work in the
factories like so many women did. I
know she thought about it because she once said she wanted to learn to drive
army trucks. They did use women to do
many menial jobs for the war effort. I
heard her say she felt she should stay home with me, as women did in those
days. I don’t remember any of my
friend’s mothers working either. They
all did their part in other ways.
I know she knitted and crocheted
Afghans, rolled bandages and many other related activities. Her church group did many of these
things. I even remember learning to
knit in school to make 6-inch squares.
They were given to women to sew together to make blankets for
hospitalized servicemen. Mom taught me
to knit. I wasn’t very good at first,
but I soon learned to do a decent square.
.
Ed’s Mom (Nana) worked in the
Hospitality Club cooking at the South Gate USO. She was very involved.
They cooked meals, held dances, wrote letters and so forth. The USO played a very big part in my
community. Dances were held at the
Hospitality Club. It was very famous
and popular with the men. Bill had said
that he had heard about it all over the Pacific.
Servicemen would come for miles to
go and meet local girls. My mother
always said she was glad that I was young and that she did not have to worry
about servicemen and me! (Now I understand why, having raised 3 daughters.
Some of the favorite songs during
the war years were, “Don’t Sit under
the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But
Me”, “Johnny Come Marching Home”, “Deep
in the Heart of Texas” and many others.
Newsreels in the movie theaters showed war footage and the progression
of the
War. Radio broadcasts did the same. I can still hear F.D.R.’s voice.
We entertained servicemen in our
home many times, especially for the holidays.
We had one or two every holiday for dinner. Bill often brought home buddies when he was on leave. They were always so lonesome for home. They really appreciated our hospitality. I always got a lot of attention, because I
probably reminded some of them of their own kid sister.
All families with servicemen hung
small, approximately 8 x 6 inch white mini-flags in their windows or on the
door. One blue star represented one
family member in the service. Of course
we had one with two stars. We were
proud to show our family’s servicemen.
Gold stars were servicemen killed in the war.
At school, patriotism was evident
also. History classes reflected this
loyalty. School décor followed
suit. Every Friday all of the students
at elementary schools assembled in the main yard and learned to march. We marched in formation to patriotic music. Usually it was John Phillips Sousa Brass Band.
This probably went on for an hour (or so it seemed). To this day, every time I hear march music I
think of those days.
We all loved it. We felt so patriotic. We felt like we were in the reserves of the
Armed Services, learning to march and take marching orders. I considered it fun. We all shared about our family members in
the services. Of course there were a
few who did not have anyone in the service.
My biggest thrill was when my brother
Bill came to see me at school one day to say goodbye. He was being shipped out to sea.
I was so thrilled he did this and so very proud to have him come in
uniform! He looked so handsome in his
uniform. It was one of my thrills in my
lifetime. He made me very proud to be
his sister.
At school we had air raid drills. They were similar to Earthquake drills that
we had had since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. (Before my time) We had
to get under our desks with our hands over our heads and away from the windows,
which the teacher pulled the blinds shut.
We also had to learn to evacuate the building when the siren
warned. It was strange to hear the
sirens go off instead of the usual bell.
I don’t remember any Air-Raid shelter.
The “All Clear” sound and life would return to normal.
I don’t remember being particularly
upset during the war. But I knew it was
serious, and everyone obeyed without question.
My mother bought me a ankle bracelet with my name and birthdate on
it. This was in case we separated. The only upset I can remember was when
airplanes flew overhead in formation, very low. We thought they were our planes, but the sound was eerie. On the roads, we were often stopped and
pulled over to let convoys of army/and or marine trucks pass.
Our family had a world map hanging in
our kitchenette where we ate our meals.
My parents marked where the battles were and the war’s progression. Bill and Bob’s location were supposed to be
secret. But they and my parents had a
code system they used in their letters home.
Of course I did not know them, and my parents never told anyone. This was strictly against the rules. All servicemen’s letters were censored. But my brothers never were blocked out, so
evidently their system worked.
CHAPTER 2
Our country
responded to the war effort by a system of “rationing” gas and certain food
items. Rationing Stamps were issued for gas, sugar and flour. Other items too, but I don’t remember what
else was rationed. My mother, friends,
and relatives traded stamps to get what they needed. People didn’t travel
much. Long vacations were not
done. We took many Sunday drives for
our pastime.
Scrap metal was at a
premium for the war effort. I did not
get a new bicycle, only a used one for Christmas that another child had
outgrown. But I was thrilled anyway.
All of us in the
community had a Victory Garden. We all
grew our vegetables, and of course we had apricot and avocado trees. We had a grape arbor over the carport in
front of the garage. We also had
chickens, which my family ate and had fresh eggs. My mother canned, as most women in those days did. All of this helped in food production for
our boys in the war.
All aircraft
industries were camouflaged. Military
netting was stretched over them to make them look like small hills, with
plants, grass and trees inserted in the netting. We used to drive by Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach a lot. They
made B-17’s. You would never know a factory was there. In other parts of the city, balloons reached
into the sky, in case of enemy planes.
(I really don’t know the purpose of this).
As I said, we took
many Sunday drives. Our favorite was to
drive to the harbor to see the ships.
Not all parts of the harbor were restricted. On Sunday afternoons the Navy frequently held Open Houses to let
visitors tour the ships. I must have
toured 20 ships throughout the war. The
sailors were so glad to see us as a family.
The ships were mostly destroyers and battleships. I never did see an aircraft carrier, on
which Bill served.
Patriotism was so
strong in our country at this time. One
was proud to be an American. Prouder
still to serve in the war, or have a family member in the services. All the country’s efforts were war-related. Any “foreigner” or their ideas were
suspect. Japanese (which were called
“Japs” and foreign-born Germans were especially suspect. Movies, newsreels, newspapers all reflected
these opinions. We would probably call
that propaganda today, from our side.
It was the American Way.
One of our patriotic
duties were to buy “Saving Stamps, and/or Bonds” to help finance the war
effort. Us children at school saved our
change to buy saving stamps to put in a book.
We were taught not to
speak of our local involvement in the war out in public. The fear was an enemy agent would
overhear. “Loose Lips Sink Ships” was
the motto. We never repeated what our
servicemen told us to anyone. There
were spies around.
We had several Russian
neighbors on our street. One in
particular was suspect of being a “red” (Communist) because he never enlisted
in the service. He was about 40 though
and possibly was waiting to be drafted, I don’t know. Russia were our allies, but all was not well. They were feared, even then.
Our neighbor (Bill S.)
was under suspicion because the FBI came to our house and talked to my
mother. They lived next door to us, on
Southern Ave. He and Julia were a
family and had a son named Gregory, whom I played with once in a while. He was a few years younger than I was. I used to go a lot of the Russian family
parties in the Old Russian neighborhood of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles. The older women wore crocheted white
headscarves and long skirts. Food was
abundant, and we had a good time. Bill
and Julia were good to me, I think they liked me to take care of their child at
the parties.
We were friendly with
Bill and Julia as neighbors. But I
often wondered what my parents said behind their back because he never served
in the military. Mother never told me
anything about that. I’m sure there
were some hard feelings, because everyone else was in the war effort.
Johnny and Luba were
across the street on Virginia Ave. They
were Russians too. We were friendly but
they kept to themselves. They had a lot
children, but they only played in their fenced yard. I never played with them or knew their names. This was unusual for those days, since all
of us kids in a neighborhood knew each other and played in the street a
lot. (At least on Virginia Ave.) These neighbors gave your Dad and I a
wedding present, I guess out of kindness to my parents.
CHAPTER 3
The Japanese
As I mentioned before,
we called our enemy “Japs.” I guess now
it is considered the equivalent of the N word. It was the way of the war.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, fear was at an all time high. I used to feel it, and I was very
young. Fear of the Japanese was
rampant. . The California coast had a lot of Japanese living near it,
fishing and farming on lands near the coast.
It was feared the Japanese would spy for their Mother Country, even if
they were citizens. The country felt
they would be loyal to their ancestors.
Ancestry was very important to the Japanese. That is why all Japanese were sent to internment camps. American or not. They had a disadvantage of being known. It was feared they would radio Japanese ships from their fishing
boats and coastal farms.
I don’t question now
the morality of what we did as a nation – but all I do know is that we weren’t
attacked on the West Coast. Whether if
was right or wrong is a question for the history books. But remember they were the enemy and had
bombed us first.
The Germans
The Germans were
feared but of course they didn’t round up all Germans. Many Pro-Nazi Germans were arrested by the
FBI for spying, sabotage, especially on the East Coast. It didn’t pay to speak German or acknowledge
your ancestry at that time. They
remained low-key.
Many American-born
Germans were also rounded up for “holding camps.” The FBI had been keeping track of the American Nazi party members
for several years. In the 1930’s there
were 20,000 members. Most did
eventually drop out of the party. The
party changed names and party leaders in the 30’s.
The German families
detained were not all Nazis, but supposedly of “suspicious activities.” The largest holding camp was in Crystal
City, Texas.
The Germans that came
to the United States in this century tended to congregate into their own areas
or cities. For instance the Germans
founded Anaheim, California. The name
means Aunt Anna. The Phoenix Club in
Anaheim is still very active socially.
They serve German food, beer and have weekly dances. Skokie, Illinois was another German
city.
(Note: some of this historical information came
from the History Channel and Internet.)
CHAPTER 4
The Americans and our allies were
winning the war. By August of 1945 the
war was over. The United States had
dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, August 6th and August 9th. I have listed my brother’s ships and war
activities in a separate chapter.
When the war was over our whole
country celebrated. My mother and
father took me to downtown Los Angeles on the “J” streetcar to watch the
celebration. It was a sight to behold. I shall always remember it. Confetti, paper and balloons were flying out
of the tall buildings. Southern
California had a “downtown” then. The
streets were wall-to-wall with civilians and servicemen shouting and
partying. It was like New Years Eve and
the Fourth of July combined.
The servicemen and every available
single girl were kissing each other and shouting.
You
couldn’t move for all the people. The
streetcars could hardly get by.
It was a special time for my folks
and me because we knew our boys would
be coming home. I was always grateful
to my parents for taking me downtown. It’s
a memory I will always remember and cherish.
We Won!!!
CONCLUSION
The World War II was the second
global war of the 20th century.
It also was the last war that the United States has won. The WWII generation hoped it would be the
last global war. When communism came
into its own, it looked as if history could repeat itself. I feel the atomic bomb kept all the nations
fearful of mass destruction. Smaller
wars started by the communists came into focus, the Korean, Viet Nam. The Gulf War erupted over Kuwait and oil,
and then the various Balkan territories over aggression.
Our nation had a different attitude
about these other wars. In WWII the
country came together as a whole. I
feel that it was because our shores were threatened. Fear of internal threats produced paranoia and at the same times
a patriotism which I have never seen since.**
It was a time when some of our civil rights were on hold, especially the
right of free speech and the right to assemble.
As I began to write these memoirs, I
became very emotional at times. It
re-kindled some -of the inner thoughts and turmoil that have been hidden a long
time. There were times when I had to
walk away from this project and return several weeks later. I was surprised at the emotionalism it
aroused in me. But I’m glad I returned
and finished. And it was fun to
research some of the forgotten facts of history.
After talking to several war
veterans and those of my generation, they too had “stuffed” their thoughts and
feelings.
After a brief time when the war was
over, the country wanted to return to “normal”, to get on with our lives. But the country was never the same. War changes everyone. War is hell. We won the war. We had
come together as a whole for our preservation.
We wanted to move on the make a better life for our children.
Factories returned to peace-time
production. New “GI” tract homes were
built on former farmlands. Cars, toys,
appliances were manufactured again.
Some of our boys that came back went to college on the GI bill, married
and started families. Bill and Bob, and
Dad’s brothers, Jim and Dick did just that.
We had a booming economy with many
changes from the war. The US settled
down to a growing prosperity, hoping threats were behind us, and we could
pursue the American Dream.
And then communism reared its ugly
head – but that is another story-
**(Written in the years 2000 and 2001
before September 11, 2001.)**
FOOTNOTE:
My brothers were always deeply loyal
to the navy. They talked about it a
lot. In fact when Bob retired at age 65
he went on a trip on a navy ship in the Pacific Ocean. They did let former Navymen go on a
“cruise”. He was thrilled. He always had a sail boat, mooring his at
Dana Point Harbor.
Bill was buried at sea per his
instructions. His naval services at
sea took place on May 6, 1981. The ship
was stopped for the ceremony, the flag was flown at half mast. A six man rifle squad, 2 flag bearers, 6
pall bearers and a 30 man platoon were formed from the crew. A picture of the ceremony was sent to his
widow, Sylvia, along with the flag and a nice letter giving details.
SHIPS
12/01/42 Enlisted. Boot Camp, Farragut, Idaho
Quartermaster
First Class
09/13/43
USS Mission Bay – American Theatre of Operations and
Asian Pacific Theatre
10/31/44 USS Mendecino – Tokyo-Yokohama Area
04/13/45
Philippine Liberation
04/45 Okinawa
Gunto Operation
08/28/45 Invasion of Okinawa
04/15/46 Discharged with Full Honors:
1.
Victory Medal WWII Asiatic Pacific Area – 2 stars. Also African-European American area.
2.
Philippians Liberation – 1 ribbon
3.
Good Conduct Medal
4.
Medal-Bronze Star Enemy Aerial attack, Tokyo, 2-45 to 4-45
03/03/42 Enlisted, Boot Camp South Dakota,
transferred to Norfolk, VA
01/43 SS Permian – communications liaison,
Signalman First Class
04/43 SS Cearaloid
07/43 SS Yoma
08/43 SS Roger Williams
08/43
to 03/45 Detached Duty “US
Armed Merchant Vessel” Signalman
SS Montgomery City, Communications
Liaison
02/09/45 SS
Andrea Gritto (sp) detached
06/42 Guantamano,
Cuba
07/42 Key
West, Fla. – Gulf Sea Frontier Convoy Center
Trinidad
07/43 Armed
Guard Center, Brooklyn N.Y. for duty
Duties: Signalman First Class
10/16/45 Discharged with honors and Good
Conduct Medal
SPECIAL NOTE: Bob’s and Bill’s Military Records were received by me per my
written request (as their sister) from the National Military Records. Nothing personal, medical or confidential
was sent to me. I mainly wanted the
ships they served, and the battles they were in. –Joanne Ingram Frost