My 91-year-old friend Mary remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor and life during World War II. I asked her to write down her memories on paper for me.
On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, Mary, her parents, brother and sister drove from their home in Iliff to Peetz. They were going to spend the day with her aunt, uncle and cousins.
In Mary’s words, she wrote, “We were looking forward to dinner because my aunt was a fabulous cook. During the meal, the radio was playing in the background. Just as I was commenting to my mother that the home-canned corn was really good, the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor came over the radio.”
“I did not realize the enormity of that until my uncle jumped up from the table yelling, ‘This means war!’ He didn’t know that his son who was stationed in Hawaii had been injured in the attack.”
Mary was ten years old, and her uncle’s reaction terrified her. She was very frightened. FDR was president at the time, and her uncle was correct. The United States would soon be involved in WW II.
While the war was being fought overseas, it affected everyone on the home front as well. When I asked Mary if people talked about it much, she replied, “Oh yes! Nearly everyone had loved ones in the service, and everybody was really worried about them.”
She went on to add, “Everyone waited eagerly for the distinctive air mail letters from overseas to arrive to learn that their loved ones were safe.”
During that time, FDR delivered fireside chats. Her whole family sat around the radio and listened to their president. She recalls that he had such a nice, calming voice on the radio.
Many items were in short supply. The government issued ration books. She recalls her family had to be very careful how they spent them.
They used them to get items such as meat and sugar. She recalls her family missed having enough sugar to bake cakes.
Butter was also not available but white margarine was. It came with a little pellet. Her mother mixed it into the margarine to turn it yellow.
As for new tires for their vehicle – forget it! Gasoline was in short supply, so they only drove when necessary.
Everyone was encouraged to plant victory gardens for fresh produce. Their family raised cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes. She recalls her mom canned like crazy, especially fruits. They drove up to a cherry orchard in Loveland and picked a lot of cherries to can.
The government also urged housewives to save their used cooking fat. Mary remembers her mom doing so. The fat was donated to the army and turned into glycerin to make bombs. The donor received four cents per pound for the used fat.
Her youngest brother was born during World War II. Mary remembers that their doctor was serving overseas. Health care in the area was very poor at the time. Her mother was in and out of the hospital but thankfully she recovered.
Schools were also different and not as good. The younger men teachers were serving overseas. During the war, women teachers and older men taught the children.
One day Mary remembers being at her aunt’s house in Iliff. She was outdoors playing with a bunch of her cousins. They saw a sight to behold. At least 100 bombers flew overhead. They seemed to go on and on.
She and her cousins weren’t frightened because they knew they were friendly bombers. They were headed somewhere, but she had no idea where they were flying off to. At that moment, she felt very patriotic.
During the worldwide fighting, prisoners were captured. A group of German POWs were housed at the Great Western Sugar Dormitory in Sterling located on Front Street. Mary’s house was only about a block away from a sugar beet field. She remembers some German prisoners thinning their neighbor’s sugar beets.
The war took a toll on FDR’s health. Mary distinctively remembers being at her aunt’s house getting a Toni home permanent when the news of his death came over the radio. She felt very sad because she liked him and his wife. President Truman was sworn in to become the next president of the United States.
Finally, the war came to an end. In Mary’s words, “My best friend and I were walking out in the country and were really happy that the war was over.”
Years later, Mary went on a trip to Hawaii and was able to visit the site of Pearl Harbor. It was very emotional for her seeing the USS Arizona. Her cousin who had served in Hawaii was injured in the attack. Just being there and realizing so many bodies were still down in the ship brought the war home to her.
So, Mary was eating home-canned corn when she heard the news on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. She was getting a Toni home permanent when FDR’s death was announced on the radio. She remembers how people on the home front coped during World War II.
That’s because…she was there!
Susan Davis is a former Sterling resident and author of “Small Farm & Big Family”, “Ancestry’s Journey”, “Bushels of Nostalgia” and “Lovebirds for Life.”