Utah World War II Stories; The Home Front

Eutaw World War Stories The Homefront was made possible in part by the Stephen G and Susan E. Dankers Family Foundation the Georges and Dolores doory Eckles foundation the Cleone Peterson Eckles endowment fund and the Willard Eckles charitable foundation. Additional funding was provided by the steward Education Foundation to see Comstock Platon foundation Kennicott Utah cupper the University of Utah the Utah Humanities Council and the contributing members of KQED. Thank you. Really the driving force of winning the war was the civilians here in the United States when they all reacted to what they had to do. They changed their jobs to build airplanes and to build ships to build tanks. You know 1942 we could build in automobiles. We started building tanks. And to give those American boys up to

fight with them. So when you get a whole nation all pointed in the proper direction you know they couldn't do anything except achieve victory. You were willing to do whatever you could to save those boys and girls. We didn't know for sure we'd win the war but everybody felt positive we would. Because after all we had great confidence in America. We were working in all kinds of materials of our bed but there were a lot of precarious times. But it was a real effort on everybody's part because we we knew that we had to fight a war to keep our freedom. There's not just one story of one or two. There are as many stories as there were men and women to fight.

Over 70000 Utahns shirt. And for each one in uniform there were 30 men. Women and children back home willing to change their life to create a means to win. As. The United States entered World War. Everyone in Utah found themselves swept up by world events and thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The government called for sacrifices large and small. Rationing of food gas and raw materials and a massive increase.

In production of munitions. Tanks ships and planes. All play a great part in our victory. I'm Rick Randall. Tonight KQED proudly presents the last of our four part series. Utah World War Two story. Utah citizens share their remarkable experiences from the home front. Before December 7th. I guess I was a young teenage girl just having a great time playing with my friends in the neighborhood. I was only 14. At the time and when Pearl Harbor was bombed when we were in church we came home from church and we heard the news on the radio and it was like it was in our own backyard. We were so devastated. Well I grew up in Monroe Utah and the time of Pearl Harbor our postmaster's son was on the Arizona.

Everybody felt kind of like it was someone in their own family because you know this was so unusual you didn't know. People who had been. Killed in a. I didn't see it. At that time no. It wasn't particularly didn't care. However you know like all children are 12 years old why I was immediately unhappy with the Japanese for having never done that. I was 13 years old when the war started. So I came home and. Listened to President Roosevelt gave his day of infamy speech. Called my friend on the phone. And. We talked about the war and. We decided. That we could beat those Japanese in about two weeks. Are you going to take that long. No. We were at. Brigham Young University when the war broke out and we were on campus at the time.

Everyone. Around this. We were aware of those some men were wanting to. To. Get. Their names on the list and go wherever. It was. A very patriotic time. All the. Men and well the boys in my class then were eager to go. And it was a heart wrench rendering situation. For. Parents to have their boys sleep. And. And yet they wanted to those who were. At four apps because of hail or whatever where they felt that. That was the day. Certainly when all of our lives. Started to change.

That. Really the whole course is a crossroads of the West. Frayne's routing through east and west north and south for that matter came through Ogden on the infamous 25th Street. It was the busiest place you can imagine one train after the fall. Soldiers from both directions. I remember fellows with their packs on their shoulder and everyone was busy going and coming and everyone was so happy as as laymen to greet them even though they didn't know them personally to welcome them or say goodbye to them. I wish them luck. It was. A heartwarming experience.

It was a nostalgic time. There were so many. There were so many farewells. One time my husband was being transferred from California to Florida. The train stopped in Ogden and. He sent me a letter later when. He said Oh I wish I could have gotten off that train if on a. $50 but it got off that train and I would have come home and taken a risk of getting thrown in jail. He said they would let me off the train and kept me on the train. Twenty fifth Street was finally labeled off limits. I mean these the Espies patrol that. They didn't fast enough and there weren't enough of them because you have a train on little two or three hundred soldiers or sailors going east and west. And it was pretty hard to control but it was it was wild and woolly. And one of our favorite diversions as a teenager. Was to park our car on Twenty fifth street and. Watch the girls work the streets. It

was open and about then. And the reason that had been developed such a reputation. When I boarded the train. My father shook his finger at me and said. Don't shoot at any of those soldiers can shoot or go anywhere with them or eat dinner with them or anything. I remember. That. Evening that. I thought I was probably going to deliver. And I sat out on the steps of my mother's. House. And. It was it. Dreadfully lonesome. Feeling. And I knew that there was this possibility that he may not come back. And I knew I might have two children. And had to support them. I was going back and stay with my parents. And they told him

that. They would be going to port of embarkation. And. I went down to the train and my room. And along that was said by two women. And that. Was. Once. And that was the last time I saw him. Until the war was over and he came home. And then at least. A week or two before the baby was due that he got orders to go overseas. And it was a real surprise and shock. We had about. Two days I think before you leave. And. Then. I didn't hear from him again for. Over a month. That's what it was from. And he couldn't tell me where he was. So I didn't know he was never. Free to tell me where he was

or what he was doing and which bad say sand or. Anything. But you know I'm. Listening to the news and knowing what he did. I. Often could guess. They wouldn't let me send any message to him either. I had a number. You always had a number where you could send. Any kind of information. But it wasn't like a telephone call it was and you didn't know where the number was going. You know you just had a number and give us poster IChing. So. Finally. We got this. Short telegraph that we could send information. And you're only allowed to say. I think that was 10 words you could use. And so we just said. Mother and Susan doing fine or something like. That. We mentioned Susan because now is a girl. You know to person that's away from home and doesn't have any information that's

terribly important to them to know if it's personal you know information. Dearest Gail I received your letter today and it sure was good to hear from you again. I sure hope the time will come so that I can get home and see you all again. Boy Logan High sure is going to town for your mother and I know you've been worried about but you must also found out before now I stay out of the entire crew escaped and truly are safe now all prisoners of war. Dear Mother Dad Maureen and grandma I hope you received my other cards. I would appreciate some big Hershey with almonds chocolate and candy chocolate and Sacra and a good pipe or two. Dearest folks at home 10 months ago today Elaine and I joined the ANC was surely surprised and happy to hear about Genevieve's baby. Thanks for the pictures and the clippings. Your letters always breathe home and I love them so. Lots of love

for me. Lots of love Sargent your loving son Raymond. Above all don't worry at all. Everything is OK and the treatment is well. More later love. One we got mail. That was a mirror we get sometimes you get do three bags of mail. You know because we hadn't had mail on a ship for a month you know and these fellows got pretty discouraged one in anything from home but they were really happy to when they finally did get some. We would buy. A to sand and it had red white and blue edging and it folded a certain way so we could write a very long letter. I hadn't thought about that but that was a proper way to mail a letter to him.

All of his letters that he wrote to me were were actually monitored. They were all occasionally read before they were sent. I have one letter where a whole paragraph is cut out. Of things that he said about going overseas that they didn't want me to know someone censored the letters and would cut out or black out words that you weren't supposed to say. One of my jobs on the ship was to be. The censor. I've been Mahle it went off the ship. Most of the men were were very careful. About what they said. They were instructed they couldn't tell them where we were what we were doing any of our plans anything else. They could write me a letter you know. But. Know no military advice before he ever left to go out. We had set up a call and so he would save up to tell me quite a bit by use in this call.

And so I knew pretty much where he was quite a bit of that time and so when I read the paper. I knew if it was affecting. What was going on with him. I had this one fellow. Robert Schwartzbach. He would try me with every letter. He had sent in his stuff. He knew that I was censoring him and they wouldn't get through. But he he exposed the very secret that grew up and had as an object to have me write him again that. He had a little fun with me and I don't recall any of my. Past. Well there might have been a word or two. Come to think about it I think there was a it was your husband was doing the century. Well after Pearl Harbor of course everyone you know we were we were

in war or we were president declared war. And so everybody was involved in it. Everybody not only those who went to fight but those in the community go there and whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa. That's what a reckoning is. We had rationing then because we weren't prepared to go to war. Our country had to cut back on everything. It all came kind of naturally in a way because we had all gone through the Depression and it was still really depression days and teleworking.

And you get your head around. There was a shortage of everything. Because as I said everything was being used you know to do things for the war and for the soldiers. There was still that very frugal attitude towards most things so that having to be rationed during the war didn't seem like any great sacrifice to me. Being 13 years old I didn't make that many sacrifices myself. But I started working at my dad's grocery store and about 30 south an atheist Crandall's market produce wasn't rationed but me. Milk and canned goods were all certainly rationed. When we had sugar rationing. And all of these things had different color stamps.

They had to ration books. I think that was a red one for me. And a blue one for I can guess. We get so much money. And we tell when these will stand satiny. Take it to the grocery store to get better sugar. One of the interesting things here is trying to check people out. We had one little adding machine that we would add totals up and then at that time they had little. Tax tokens. Looman tax stock. So we had to figure. The price the ration books. And the tax tokens and make change for them. And we had meat rationing. And I remember I used to worry and I used to send packages overseas sometimes to get to supplement the figure that I thought maybe. Normal. Candy. But then I found out later that being an officer. You. Got to eat in the officer's quarters. And they ate pretty well not and

ate better than we did when I was in the Navy. We had everything that day but I used to go to ship's store and buy soap and other things and to send to my mother because she couldn't because she couldn't eat them. I think the ones that had the biggest sacrifices were the older people a little old lady. Mrs. Wilson used to come into our store she was I would say between 80 and 90 years old and toddling around then she would come in and order a pound of butter and she lived alone but her ration book only called for a square of butter every two weeks I think and she would come in every three days and ask for a pound of butter and I would patiently

explain to her about the rationing system and she would not her head and she would get it. And three days later she would be in an order a pound of butter. Margarine. That came in a plastic bag with a small. Pellet inside that was yellow color and you would need then mold the bag and it would make yellow margarine. And that's what we have because butter again. So for the war effort Candy was hard to come by. Chewing gum was definitely hard to come by if you heard that somebody had chewing gum when the drugstore is you you hotfoot it up there. Got some. Leather. I remember my mother wearing canvas shoes for some reason that sticks out in my mind. We didn't have any problem with the rationing. People understood the rationing.

What we had problems with was the cold. So what we tried to do was keep them for our best customers. And so we would limit them to one six pack of Coca Cola. And you would get people riding around to each little store in the area picking up as much coke as they could buy. And my uncle almost got into a fistfight with this guy when he told me he was only selling one six pack of Coke. He turned to him and said Well you're a Nazi. I know that there was gasoline rationing but my father never owned a car so we didn't have to worry about that. The family wanted to take a ride on Sunday. It was only if you saved up enough rations stadiums to Bill. On your. Sunday. Trips.

It wasn't much I think the. Rationing was three or four gallons a week. They had three types of rationing stickers that you put on your car and a B and C. A was the least amount of gas just for the general public running around. B I believe was for business owners and C that was for more plant workers. A lot of people had vegetable gardens and they'd share their vegetables. Here they are. And could be a war time food problem. Victory Gardens from coast to coast. You and your neighbors have done a magnificent job of getting down to earth. I'm Kokanee out of it. The very last vitamin and mineral vital to the nation's food supply. Every body during the war was encouraged to have a victory garden. To

raise some of your own food. And to provide a means. Not only was some of the food. A lot of the food being diverted to the services and also it was much cheaper if you had your. Own victory garden to sustain. So. We saved everything. We even saved stream. Mother would. Roll up a bomb string and we. Keep. Adding string to the street to the grocery store. I do remember saving string. I have no idea why. And for sale you know you weren't supposed to throw. It Away. Keep put. In all morning turn it in like do. Newspapers now when gum came in a five pack. Five. Number. The gun was wrapped in white paper and coated for a while and peel that off. And saved it. And it was in a

big ball I have no idea. Whatever happened to the string nor the foil but I knew we had to say. We collected tin cans. And the tin cans were used to make Sarette to put morphine in for the soldiers. And the scrap drives the young guys would go around and collect tires a medal for for the scrap drives for the war effort saving is as easy as squandering. The. Strike. Will turn it into. Play. We'll. Try to. Keep. Our fighting men. Have enough. And on time. We go out and you know pick up any old tires and junk that we could find. If we could get something to haul it in. Which wasn't very low use a wheelbarrow.

And there was a shortage of rubber. I think to all the terrific shortage of rubber. And we don't get rubber. Will. Stop making good today. Because we happen know. Rubber for tanks. We have to use a steel trap. We also need rubber tires for Jeep and planes. They require a vast amount. We can dream up new rubber for them. We must rely more heavily on scrap rubber scrap rubber. Much of it lies idle in the hole. People still haven't got the habit of salvaging old rubber. See what you can find the medicine chest. In the kitchen you can dig up ice around pick up sacks of rubber accessory some of which happened rather practically all of us have fat. That's making nitroglycerin for shells. With facts are elsewise can do instead of garbage.

Save the grease from cooking deep fat pan drippings. Gripping the outstretched strainers this into a container holding at least a pound. She keeps this spot this fall. The women kept the grease and fat. I'm not sure what they did with it. She takes it to a butcher. He acts as a collector of facts. He buys it from her at a fixed price. The fats then go into the making of nitroglycerin and the nitrile. From two pounds of fat means five shots from an anti-tank gun. You know we sort of got into it in school. We talked about it a lot. We bought saving stamps if we are to win this war. Every penny that can be spared must go into war saving stamps and bond. That's why you see the minute wherever you turn.

All over this city where these huge posters of Uncle Sam. To buy war bonds. And I bought some and I could afford the time. And I'm sure everyone else did. Have the big rallies to buy savings bonds. And the kids would pay 10 cents for saving stamps. I remember in school all our teachers would sell. Red. As I recall they were red or dark pink stamps that we pasted in a small book. And when they were finished they we could save them for. 10 years or whatever the time was and we could turn that in. Then for a more on totaling $25 from that original originally told 1875 when kept it for about 10 years it was

$25. One of the unique things they did that kind of tied into the birth of of male students at college was that we we would have auctions where we would collect. Either war bonds and or stamps and then to have some of the most popular girls and boys in demand that you would put them up for auction. And I remember I had a. I had a friend who not of my own doing but was able to give me a number of of of not stamps books. I was bidding big time I was up in the hundreds for a date with a young lady that. Would never have gone with me in a hundred thousand years. I never care whether I do. Or you can you can get some money. What about silk stockings for women. There was no such thing. You know you couldn't get nylon. They were using a nylon for around.

The parachutes. The ones that were. Scratched on or something. We call them Navy nylons and they were gross a kind of cotton. And they even had a kind of an orange tint to them and they called them. We call them Navy noncoms. You'd go downtown and you would see to block the lines of women standing in line for that long to go in and buy a pair of nylon clothing store anytime you saw a line. Gathered in front of a store or something you'd almost always get in no matter what it was they had. That you could get you thought to me that I could use that pretty soon if you didn't need that right the moment I have like my cup and they would paint with an eyebrow pencil a seam up the back of the leg. And that's what I had because there

were no silk stockings. One woman I saw Drew mesh stockings on. I understand it now because I know women better than I did then. Fifty. Four million men and women more Americans than ever in our history are working today. More and more on production now. First civilian workers back up each man in a fighting force. This is good. Everybody's gone. I went to work at Remington Arms. It was out on Redwood Road and I guess 17th south. My mother in law who was a little dainty little thing you know she. She was really something and she had never done anything like that in her life but she figured that it was her patriotic duty.

To do something for the war effort. And she died on her. Her. Pantsuit or. Slacks. And off she went to work. She didn't know what the heck she was doing but she was helping. And they assigned her to inspecting bullets tracer bullets. I think that everybody was happy to be working there. And I don't think it was because. You couldn't find another job. It was just a nice place to work. And you did feel like you were doing something. To help. They were as I understand 24 hours a day 24 hours a day seven 24/7 for different shifts. There was a. Sign that said the slip of the lip can sink a ship. So you see we really weren't supposed to talk about. What we were doing there. I don't know how many people were employed with the arms.

It was a 30 caliber 50 caliber. And I'm not sure I think there was another one out there that they made these bullets. There were in the 30 caliber. Building. I was assigned to this clip machine. And if I'm not mistaken we would hand feed the bullets one at a time into this swopped. And then. Gowd full of crap. Down and. It would clip. The. Bullets. Into a clip. Then after I left that clip machine is when I was soldering the lids on. Cases of ammunition. Because after they left the clip machine then someone put the clips and Bandler's. On after they were these bandoliers and in the boxes then we would solder the lead on those bars. And we'd

write little messages with our names and. Inside the Box. And that made the list on the top of the list after we finished soldering it. And. I don't think we're supposed to do that a week and hoping that some of the soldiers will see it as it is. Do you remember what all of them were good luck and then we'd write our names and put our addresses because that would have been a bit too much. There wasn't too much to do in Mantei. We fish didn't we went out camping a lot but we didn't have much to Mantei to do it's a little town. Fifteen hundred people at that time. I worked at the Mantap parachute plant and it was that and just off Main Street in Mantei. They hired people from. Any place that they could get as far south as Escalante. And.

Vail maybe almost to St. George. He would hire whoever they could get because they needed that rail is they make a lot of shoots at that time. They were nylon and the cutters that they had cutters with pets the parachutes. And I think they were three pieces that. Go this way and then it had three pieces and they sold them together with two needles. And then they would inspect them and then they would go to the to the foreign needle. So the seams in the shroud lines that were down through the middle of the of the machine and then they had run the lines through and then from there they went to another operation. I worked. To day time part time and night time for get off sometimes at 10:00 11:00 o'clock at night. Well that you sign your name on those parachutes or no they won't let us do that. You can write any no yes no no. They wouldn't allow that.

There might have been a few girls. A few notes that we weren't allowed to tell me about this letter you got. I got a letter it's called the parachute company of Utah Mantei Utah April 17th 1943. Dear Mrs. Olson. The company has been advised that Sergeant J if hours of hobs army flying field recently made a successful emergency jump in standard parachute number 4 it 2 1 9 3 1 3 0 0 which was made here in the Med plant. You will be especially glad to hear of his safe landing because you worked on this particular patient. We are proud as I am sure you will be that your work has saved a man who is prepared to give his life in defending you and the rest of us on the threat. Yours truly perished you put me. In. A fight.

And. Killed a lot of pride. Working. For the past you can't be. The thing that scared me was the air raid drills at school where we had to get under your desk. Oh yeah. Oh yes I was very afraid. I come from a large family. I have four brothers and three sisters and I remember my mother being terrified. How was she going to make sure where all of us were so that she could gather us all up and make sure we were close to her. I remember Air Raid tapes. Some nights it would be a blackout. You'd have to put up blackout curtains over the windows. We would have to hang quilts at the windows in order for no light to be able to

come through the windows in order for the enemy planes to see us. That air raid wardens would come around and check. They would. Walk the block if they could see any light. Reading. Remember. There may be bombers up there looking for a target. The only light with you on all night. Oh I remember I was in elementary school and that. One time they told us that Japanese were sending bombs over Bibles and. Did not kick up or touch any. Well that was another scare. For the past several months since 10th Mauch long range free will is released in Japan. Carried explosives to the North American continent. They said that the Japanese were sending bombs by Balonne and I guess they had actually found a couple in Utah so they put out warnings not to touch anything. Maybe a booby trap might be booby trap.

It is believed the main purpose of the bombs was to start forest fires. But attacks were so scattered aimless that they constituted no military threat. To a little kid. It scared the heck out of me. I'll tell you that the government didn't call us they didn't send us a letter they merely posted these signs on telephone poles that tell us you can carry what you could take with your suitcase duffel bags with everything of your actions you may store your furniture or have somebody take care of it. This includes homes cars real estate. And of course that couldn't be done in a year let alone a week. The government said they would provide facilities to store

these items but you have to take sole responsibility. If they were to be lost or stolen or damaged. Our family did put all of our personal possessions into these government warehouses and we like all the others lost everything. Some of the internees were from were farmers from Orange County and and many of them lost their acreage. So can you imagine what a hundred acres in Orange County would be worth today. They lost the Japanese would say goodnight. You know you just do what they told you because you're native of USA and they were not against USA either because that's their home since they left Japan. We just got prepared and did what the government told us to do. But when they told us to dispose of our homes and our property

that kind of gave us a pretty good idea that we weren't going to be coming back soon. Army truck came to pick us up and took us to train station and put us on a train and we didn't know where we were going. They gave us one week to get all of our possessions and line them up on the street where buses would take us to a temporary holding. Center. And those temporary holding centers turned out to be racetracks and. Fairgrounds. And and. It was our unfortunate circumstance to be put into a horror story. Mercifully the government only had a stay there two months. And then they found barracks inside the racetrack that they were building at the time.

Six months they put us onto a train. Told us to keep all the blinds down. The train took us to Delta Utah. There was a 16 mile ride from Delta out straight on into the desert. And that was our first glimpse of topass. We didn't really understand. What was going on until we got there and have it in tourney's work. I think that was kind of a joke for everybody. Initially they told us that we were being put into these camps for our own protection. But when we went into these camps there were barbed wire fences around it with guard towers and the guns were not pointed out they were pointed and when we got down there the campus just opened. I mean there was of course no grass no plants that I recall of any kind no trees.

Topass head was divided into 42 blocks. There were about 225 people per block. And. The bad thing is there was only one latrine. And one shower facilities were all 225 people. It was tarpaper shack basically admit there was no sheet rock or anything on the inside. It was the black tar paper. I don't recall that there was any lighting in there other than what hung from the ceilings. They were they were pretty basic. There was electricity in the units but no running water. Then when the really cold weather came the barracks had no skirting along the border. So wind blew underneath the barracks and made the floor very very cool. Of course in the. Summertime it got over 100 degrees and there wasn't any trees for shade so. And when storms were a big item there. The barracks were so flimsily made that the the dust would just come right through the

floors and. Everything in your apartment would be covered with dust and. Nobody could eat in the barracks. They all had to go to Central mess hall to me. And then we had. Our. Our meals. Just like the army. You know. Somebody cooked for us and we could work as well. SS You know help serve the meals. Boredom was a big issue because people who had worked hard all our lives suddenly had nothing to do. There was a situation where were the married men the older men had jobs. Many of the men actually got jobs in in the price mines and. In the sugar beet farms. Then there were people who were like fire wardens and I remember some of them were carpenters $16 for.

Waitress nineteen. For a little bit more you know Administration and $21 as a block. And many of them built gardens where they could actually. Make things grow and that alkaline soil. I don't know how they did it but they had some beautiful gardens. They built these. Beautiful dresses and chairs out of building crates. And many of them are still around. And the government realized that we were not espionage agents. We were not the enemy. We were just ordinary US citizens. Our confinement in terms of the camp was. You know exclusively within the barbed wire fences. But then eventually as we were able to establish our own self government we had our own hospitals on social activities. They gave us a little more freedom to the kids.

It was a big adventure. No hardly any school and they could just run around and do whatever they wanted. I mean we didn't realize what was going on. The people that lost their homes and they lost their jobs and things like that. The older people some of them never ever were able to rehabilitate them and so. The whole premise of this incarceration was because the Japanese-American people could not be trusted. And they could very easily be US espionage agents for Japan. I mean if that was the whole thesis of it. 25 years after the war ended not one case of espionage ever came even to trial. Against any of the 120000 attorneys. My mother worked out in two seconds to start a war and she got acquainted with these German prisoners and she really liked them they were

out there. So I guess they they were happy to be where they were. I think you know. It was out at 33 around second Street. It was initially close there with a barbed wire fence it was a Delta boot camp and there were both German and Italian soldiers. I never saw any Japanese there. I know that during harvest time that people in agriculture could go to that second Street people and they had to sign up for prisoners for the day for our hourly work. Unique thing about this was the Italians and if you study the history of the war where the Italian government had surrendered and many of the servicemen I yes they put them in because they didn't know what to do with them and sent them here.

But they could walk the streets they were well seedy they wore uniform. They had their uniforms so you could tell that they were prisoners of war. Oh I hear lots of stories about. Because they were stationed here. And I had a neighbor who was working there she was a chauffeur for people and she'd come home and tell stories about how well they were treated and how some of these women were having affairs with all kinds of stories whether they were true or not I don't know. All your shoes are covered now. They never said a word. I said to all your best. I know what they are saying or you are so scared or you're just your doll. I have any idea what I was saying. And I have. To go one step farther and say that they were entertained many times by the. Local. Populace including young women and some of them they wanted to stay. I understand because they like United States and they. Would have preferred to stay.

My friend and I decided doing what we call a turn on. There were 400. Approximately this varies with hotels up somewhere between 450 women coeds and 50 men. So we had kind of a right fielder to choose from. He. Decided to make the best of a bad situation and I suppose that's. One of the things that led up to the infamous polygamy France. There were a few of us that got together with the all the women involved in it too and thought it would be a great thing to have a dance and to have one for a couple of years. We were ecclesiastical about it. We we went to the Scriptures and then Isaiah. The fourth chapter in the first verse and says in the last days seven women take hold of one man saying Come let us be called back in. So we went that route. Every fellow had to take every girl that asked him up to seven after

seven he had the right to say no and then you just took whatever means of transportation you could. I didn't have that much trouble I could load six girls in my car. Lawrence borrowed a neighbor's milk for the little delivery home delivery truck and had a little red Sunday-School chairs in the back. He brought his boy and the modus operandi at the dance was that he would take her turn dancing once with each wife. So you go through all six wives in turn and come back to the first. But. It took a little time to do that. And the girls were beginning to be bored so they came up with the idea of having a girls choice. And there were some good looking guys there that had their full complement they had had more than their seven didn't have take anymore and girls want to dance with them. They stood in line tapped him on the shoulder. I've always said the real trick of that evening wasn't in how you spread yourself over the dances during the evening. So you took home first

and who you took home last. So you got to the door and taken your first date up. And I looked back at the car and there were five little faces all pressed up against the window to see what the what the term of affection was going to be getting the girls it because what you did first you're probably going to be expected to be Lex which was OK. I don't believe they could have ever done it again I wouldn't have had quite the same it was a it was a little tongue in cheek but it was also a little bit of necessity. And everyone was everyone was a good sport about. Started at camp turns is a civil service person. Drawing for the officers in personnel different places in the city were assigned to go. John Agar the movie star. He was stationed there in Camp Kernes.

He got scientists to go to. The all male club to make arrangements for a dance activity for the soldiers. I was assigned to take him out there when he came out. He tapped me on the shoulder and he was so excited he says we got it. We got it. That was kind of a thrilling experience for me. His wife was Shirley Temple and she was Kema to be with him for a little while. John a girl that was in the hospital the same time. Saw the tearful. When I got a of how God says to go rather different was there before them. And so. She was very upset. During Rodino you know said do come good things for the soldiers be I come do my low tap dance and hand out your better days and they give me your tray and I spread it around for you. And I did. Going to bed so my hand I had. A bad return.

So when I get on tough days here never had raw nerves. It was fun. And then the second day. I could not say good days. The way you got your news during that time was over the radio and in the newspaper. But then you know back then you didn't have television or anything and the only thing we would see what was going on would be the news release in the movies. And. Or the radio. I remember. Admiral. Atri called in-born. My dad would listen to them every night

so we could hardly miss him. But the. Most exciting thing to do was to go to the movies and see they always had a newsreel. Where they would show the week's news. And they would show the soldiers the fighting men and the tanks rolling and the airplanes going. And. My mother would just. Come out of there with tears in her eyes. Thinking of her two sons. What really was terrible was listening to the radio every night Keeping track of what was happening to. Me and overseas. And then always said have somebody been killed. It was from your own hometown. Or some even you. And you were always listening to see if some. Plane had been shot down that. Might be. Well. On.

Americans but. Also. Neighbors and people you knew because. Sometimes. It would be somebody's. Brother. Or somebody else's son and. You know the wires he. Can. It. Was heartbreaking. When I turned 12 years old. I started noticing boys and I thought well he was the handsomest guy had ever seen. And so we were sort of. Friends. And when he went off to war we corresponded back and forth as friends. I had no idea that he was going to participate in D-Day. There was no way that he could tell me that. He was on Omaha Beach. Omaha Beach the Bloody Omaha. It was nine days later. My husband and two

other. Servicemen were. Detecting landmines and he stepped on an I-talian. Box mine and. It. Was like all. The two soldiers that were with him were killed. I guess from the shrapnel. But he he survived that. And. That's when he flew to England and then he came home to a hospital to recuperate for a year. Bushnell hospital was in Brigham City and that was an amputee hospital for all those men who. Were amputees I didn't know of any other any other injuries that was mostly amputees. I remember the day that my sister and I. Went down to see him that Bushnell hospital. He was. He was a big man. He was six foot three and weighed about 200 pounds. When we saw him at now

he weighed about 146. And he just looked terrible. He smelled awful. I looked at him and I knew that right then and there I was going to marry him. I knew it the minute I saw him although he grabbed my sister and kissed her first. I played basketball in their wheelchairs. They played volleyball sitting on the floor and they. And they had a bowling team and they would bowl on their one leg. Hop up the lane and throw the ball. And I was involved in a lot of those activities. Celebrities came there Gary Cooper came there with his wife. Alan Ladd came there they build. A golf course there Bob Hope came there to dedicate the book the golf course. They had everything there they had. There's the ad. Packs.

Bush now has a fabulous place. There are a six hour show where as nurses have to rush now or call that nurses. There had been a lot of amputees there. Just wards and wards. And I was assigned to one and. There was one. His name was Ralph Hamlin Gucci. He lost one arm on the opposite leg so he can use crutches or a wheelchair anything on his song. So I used to take him to the movies quite a bit. And I've known several people that went through that area and I said. Frankly I am a Gucci's still because we got to be such good friends. Then there was. Another patient that. Never talked to anybody I'd try to talk to her name just ignore me. She really made. An effort to every. And then he had to go to surgery and

hairiest revise. And we got him right back from surgery. And so I had data to take care of us. All right. And he reached out and held my hand. And he said Oh I'm so glad you're here. And can sit there but I just cried and he said I'm so glad you're here. And. So I knew I didn't even know he was. He never talked to me. And then when he got out of anesthetic he never talked to me again but I knew I had reached him on some level. Well he's in many revisions on his leg on his stump and course when he got prosthesis as he had a lot of trouble with blistering and and soreness on his leg but he never he never

complained he never said why did this happen to me. No you never did. He always said everything's going to be OK. Everything will be ok. I have one letter that he wrote to me from Bushnell hospital. Dearest StarLink gosh honey I can't wait until tomorrow to Whitings. I'm going to do it tonight. Gus I'm sure glad you came down. It makes me feel so much better. Every time I see you. I wish more and more that we were married. But I guess the time will come. When I came back into the ward of a guy said. So that's your one and only. And I said yes and they think you are really swell but so do I. Only more so. Gosh I can hardly wait until next weekend. I just feel so different when I'm around you. I know what they mean when they say Love is grand because I'm so much in love with you. Well honey I must sign off because the lights are going out. Goodnight. All my love and kisses. Yours forever. You had down.

A little flag seemed like a little silk flag with stars on it for the number of children and people that you had in the service and mother had that in the kitchen window with four stars for my three brothers and for me. And of course there are. Occasionally one of the blue stars. Changed to gold star which meant that the person had been known my mother and father kept asking me to find out what I could with the missing in action. Was he on an island somewhere or you know something like that. I was aware not much besides being a nursing student. And I know my brother was in that Pacific. And of course that worried me quite a bit you know. But I don't think I had the full realization of a war at that time. But you know I soon learned a bit after that when I decided to go into the Navy and I was on my way

to the train on the radio came there. The information that my brother's ship had been sunk. And that he would never see again. Where I was stationed to work was called S-O cue that sick officers quarters and that an officer came there while I was there and his name was Lieutenant Bates and he told me that he had been on that ship. And that my brother had died and that I should tell him my folks and that he was a very nice man. And it was really quite mentally disturbed over the whole thing they had gotten off of the ship and there were not enough rafts to go around for everyone. And so some of the people were

swimming and hanging on and whatnot. You know so many of them just died and one was my brother and Lieutenant Bates then wrote a letter a very nice letter to my parents. 43 letters and telegrams came to my mother and father in Los Angeles with notification the people in the East Coast had received radio broadcast. From Germany. Giving my name and my serial number and their names my parents names and address. That I was safe in a prisoner of war. It meant a lot to my parents.

Well and I wanted the service I promised my mother that I would write often. So my first letter went out about the second day of November. And the next one was I wrote was the 6th of November and that was the first one I received. It told that we were prisoners of war and that was our first direct information. So she had gone all those months without a word. But the one letter that finally shows how. Tough a strain that was was on of chosen today to read. And she wrote it to my sisters who were in a different town very different doors. We were all excited over knowing that the prisoners were liberated and yet I get so burdened at times. Knowing that suffering and loss of prisoners over there just seems like I can hardly wait. I'm not hearing anything from them. The last letter was December 17th and at times it's almost unbearable. Just when I get my hopes and courage up high then someone throws a wet blanket.

I do pray and trust God. If it wasn't for him I'd be crazy. I know this winter has been more of a nervous strain than any one knows yet it's no wonder I forget everything I should remember. I've been ashamed of myself at times like I did about Mrs. Cole. I forgot to ask her about her only son who is pretty safe. I wonder how she would feel though if she hadn't heard a word from him in five months and I would hear every day they were killing the prisoners and starving them and marching them freezing their feet etc.. I don't I don't want them present myself but all I want for Mother's Day. Is just your prayers that God will give me strength and courage and bring my precious boy home. Love Mother. They send a telegram to his parents when he was saying that he had been injured and that there would be letters coming. Well when he wrote home to his mother and father he wrote a letter and said I

guess you wonder why you're wondering what I'm doing he said I'm fine I'm fine. They had no idea what his injuries were. This letter that he brought to his folks will kind of gave you an idea of how positive he was and how he never got down he says Dearest folks. Well here it is Wednesday and time to write you another letter letting you know that everything is OK and I am in good health. My legs are coming along swell. I am in a hospital over in England and everybody treats me swell so please don't worry. Maybe it won't be long before I am back in the States. The war news looks very good. So let's pray it won't last long but I sure would like to get back to my outfit in France. They sure are a bunch of swell fellows. They were with me when I got hurt. And they sure felt bad. But I will see them after the war. I received the Purple Heart yesterday and sent it home. It sure is a pretty metal.

Just in case you want to know pop. I was with the first bunch of fellows that hit France on D-Day. It was pretty tough something I never want to see again. And as soon as I can forget it the better. I lost some good pals that day. They were the kind of guys that would stay by a friend through anything. And I dare say this folks if I had to go through the same thing again I would do it because I am fighting for a real cause. I have the most wonderful parents in the world and also the best brothers and relatives. And I want to live in a free country. I hope you're all in good health at home. Please don't worry. Please tell everybody hello. Good night and may God bless you all. Keep smiling. I had done one thing that I have regretted. The war ended and I didn't write a letter right away until my folks over say. My. Brother. Fell on the floor you might say for. Several

days before she found out I'm safe and I didn't even realize that that was happening. I knew of. But I felt so guilty that I didn't write home immediately. Because she was suffering. It meant. As much to me as a good that that war was over. My own personal situation. I would have gone in had I been old enough I suppose because servicemen were a hero of. The day. I remember that pretty distinctly. I took a bus downtown and boy it was wild. And.

I remember right. I was 15. And the service men that were stationed in Kernes Clearfield were what we all a lot of them were downtown. It was there was one big party. There was a conga line right down Main Street right from Brigham Young. Yeah you remember that. I mean they were all dancing down Main Street from the monument down. I don't know how far they went. Must got at least four so. When the European war was over that would be the day. We we were just so thrilled and course we didn't have television so we can't say anything. We don't go to the movies and they would show up on the news. Well we may have a show of the celebrations of everybody in the country and how. People. Are gathering together the thousands of people in New York gathered together and celebrated and hugged each other.

And I you know they just can celebrate tonight. It was a marvelous marvelous thing. And it's funny. Well our little boy course. He reacted very strongly when I told him the war was over. When the European war is over. And I remember him saying. Oh man my daddy can come. I remember one when even went overseas the first time. I went to the. Railroad Station. And. There were all these other people there. And boy was there. And. Of course Clark was there and Norm's uncle over there. And. A couple of friends and my. Sister and. And. My sister in law and we all were there to say goodbye to Norm. And I just felt so terrible. And I'd been on all those people there.

I just wanted them all to myself. And we I shared it with everybody who was naturally concerned too. But. I felt kind of cheated. Everybody was there. And. And. I remember going out around the station just crying. Feeling horrible. So when he came back I didn't want anybody else to go. And I didn't tell my mother she couldn't go. And I left Clark home and I left the baby home. I left everybody and I went down on my own which now seems kind of crazy but I just wanted that moment to myself. And. It was funny because. After we. Hugged and everything and. Kissed and. He said Mom where's the baby. And he expected everybody else. And I was there all alone. But anyway we went home shortly and everybody else was there

to greet him later. When he left he had beautiful black hair. It was kind of. Kinky back here. And it was just beautiful. And when he came back and. I signed him he looked like he was a little older. With that gray hair up in France where her hand is pretty girl. And he of course. She is older and these actions now we were just kids to begin with. That that kind of. Changed him going overseas. And like as we grew up. Everybody was happy because that was the first day. We knew that when V-Day come I mean it was a relief but I don't think there was a huge celebration. The war was over. The war was still

going on and they were just wanting to move the. Servicemen the army and the Navy to the Pacific. I didn't expect Norma I'd have to go because he had. So many points. That I thought he had time at least to stay. Stay. But I remember that time. Mom and. There is a mixed feeling as far as I was concerned. I thought that would end the war. But I was also horrified. You know when they drop the atomic bomb I'd I'd just as I remember I wasn't thinking too much about the horror horrible. Thing that that would cause. I guess I was just so glad that the war was over. That I wasn't thinking about as much. But then afterwards you know when we when we got through with our celebrating and we thought of all. The devastation that might cause to sort of. Sort of was

hard. It was sort of hard to know the lies that. That happened to so many people. Who wish that it could have happened some other way. But. From what I understand that it actually saved the lives of many more people. I'm sure it was a tough decision for President Drew. I think it was the right one. Because if I'm afraid if we had invaded Japan it would have it would have been really bad. I don't think the Japanese people would have given up then and it would have cost a whole bunch of people's lives if if we'd gone in there. When we heard about the a bomb being dropped. It was just unbelievable. Fantastic. I remember. Hearing about that and say oh boy. Maybe this war's going to be shorter. And then they dropped a second one. And.

The war was over just in a few days. Well I was really excited of course when the war ended that's what we prayed for. The whole time it's gone but it will soon be over. And that he would come home and that we could live a normal life again. That's what he wanted most Well just to be able to go to work and come home and be with their family and do the normal things. Donna and I were on the train with his parents. Going to get his release. When we heard about. The war being over. Coming back call me. Everyone was just. Super elated. The JD of course was something we'd look forward to for. Four and a half years. I was 16. At the time. And. Headed downtown and. From. First south clear down to.

6 south. On Main Street it was just packed with people. Were. Always. Smiling and joyous and greeting each other. Serviceman or kissing the girls. I was too young for that. And fortunately. You saw the famous Life magazine cover. Of a sailor kissing the girl. It was just like that. I got really excited and they started to drive an older women and give them kiss and say hey we're not ours and I've given him hugs and didn't matter whether you knew or not. They just kind of crazy. I remember everyone being extremely happy and. Everyone was banging on pots and pans and drums. And you never witnessed anything like that

before or since. I have. And I don't think in this country. It was just one huge glorious smile on everybody's face. And mixed with relief that that war was over. When I was just six years old I watched my two older brothers leave me on trains to join the Navy. In the process. They linked arms with thousands of Utahns. Who stepped forward to face the dangers of a nation at war. The pride I felt putting on a smaller version of my brother's uniform and snapping a salute to the family camera. Was a nation's pride. Felt by millions of families and loved ones across the country. The confidence of knowing we were all in this together. The certainty that we were fighting a just war.

And a sense of all that so many citizens stepped together is one. We've talked to more than 80 Utah men and women who answered the call of their nation. Through the many hours of listening to the stories in our series. We have been touched by the so called average American doing so many extraordinary acts. To shape the war. I will never forget them. The men from our state who suffered during the Bataan Death March. But walked out of prison camps with their heads high. Four years later. Victorious. The Utah navigator on the same Doolittle Raid was the first to bomb Tokyo. The pilots and gunners who manned bombers over Europe. The terror of 30 seconds over a target. In the battle for survival when some were shot down and taken prisoner. The paratrooper who jumped behind enemy lines in Holland. Watched his best friend die in his arms. And

fought his way out because there was a job to be done. The young wife. Expecting a child husband at war. Sitting alone on a porch weeping softly to herself. Her tears of the memory just as real. Sixty years later. I'll never forget meeting with Japanese-American veterans. Who said goodbye to their families in government internment camps. To fight for freedom in Europe and throughout the Pacific. Remember the soft words of a dignified gentleman. At one time was a fresh faced kid on the island of e-world Jima. Nor in his own horrible ones to save the lives of his body his record. And I'll always carry with me the story of the sailor who ship was torpedoed after delivering the atomic bomb in the Pacific. And the horror of spending days adrift in the water. And schools of shark attack him in

his power. Remember each of these Utah World War Two stories. In my heart and I consider each of the seventy thousand top veterans of that war hero. For serving their country and standing strong in the face of danger. This is our history. Crafted by the service and sacrifice of a generation. At home. In the factories and the air at sea on the beaches and in the jungles. They did more than win a war. They gave each of us a future. We must never forget. The.

The. Know in. Utah World War Two stories the home front was made possible in part by the Stephen G and Susan E. Dankers family foundation the Georgette's and Dolores doory Eckles foundation the Cleone Peterson Eckles endowment fund and the Willard L.. Eckels charitable foundation. Additional funding was provided by the steward Education Foundation the see

Comstock Clayton foundation Kennicott Utah copper the University of Utah the Utah Humanities Council and the contributing members of KQED. Thank you