Next Tuesday is December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. In 1941, Japan bombed Hawaii forcing the United States into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s War Address termed it “a date which will live in infamy.” Every family had men who enlisted or were drafted into the armed forces.
Women also played a large part in the war effort. At least 150,000 served in the Women’s Army Corp (WAC); 84,000 became WAVES, the U.S. Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service; and at least 20,000 Women Marines helped “free a man to fight.” More than 59,000 American nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps.
Similar to World War I, the females on the home front took the places of the males who went to war. ‘Rosie, the Riveters’ worked in the factories building war materials. Completed airplanes were ferried from the manufacturers to military bases by the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS). They were considered civilians although they flew almost every type of military aircraft including B-26 and B-29 bombers.
Bright red lipstick roared into fashion for a surprising reason. Germany’s dictator, Hitler, reportedly hated the cosmetic, so American women painted their lips. The color represented the U.S. Flag and symbolized strength.
Fans of the ‘great American pastime’ were entertained by girls. Our area Rockford Peaches was one of the six teams that made up the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which existed from 1943 – 1954.
When Allied victory seemed assured in 1944, government-sponsored propaganda began urging women to “return to normalcy” and work at home. It didn’t matter that some of the ladies enjoyed the autonomy their employment provided; the returning men would need the jobs.
In 1945, the war ended, our nation celebrated in the streets and then everyone headed home. The young people settled down. The grooms became breadwinners and their brides were housewives. Together, they produced about 77 million ‘baby boomers’, the largest generation ever created.
The veterans of the Big War are dying. Will the American people still “remember Pearl Harbor” when the Greatest Generation is gone?
The men at Pearl Harbor will be remembered as other historical men will be remembered, & that is through books, or by visiting the historical site. Bill and I visited Pearl Harbor on one of the tours we took with the Badgers, and it was very impressive. Oil was still coming up to the surface from the ship all of these years later.