Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Eighty-one years ago, December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Hawaii thrusting the United States into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s War Address broadcast on the radio termed it “a date which will live in infamy.” Men from every family enlisted or were drafted into the armed forces–16 million served.
The women and children left behind sacrificed. Similar to World War I, the females on the home front took the places of the males who went to fight. “Rosie, the Riveters” worked in the factories, which had converted to making war materials instead of assembling cars.
Sugar and meat were among the products rationed. To cope with the shortages, mothers found cookie recipes that used local honey instead of imported sugar. They bought small, wooden boxes filled with dried cod fish, creamed the seafood and served it over mashed potatoes for dinner.
Qualified teachers were in short supply. Young ladies with little more than a high school education were granted emergency certificates and taught in one-room, country schools like I attended. They led their students to begin each day by standing beside their desks, facing the flag and placing their right hands over their hearts to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Instead of buying candy with their coins, children purchased savings stamps, which were pasted into a booklet. When it was full, they traded it for a war bond costing $18.75. In ten years, the certificate could be cashed in for $25.
In 1945, the Allies victory ended the conflict. Our nation’s people celebrated in the streets and then everyone headed home. Although my generation were children not soldiers, the war instilled in us a deep love and loyal support of our country. In the words of former Illinois governor, Adlai Stevenson, “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
According to the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, there are just over 167,000 veterans of the Big War remaining. They are in their 90s or older. When the Greatest Generation is gone, will the American people still “remember Pearl Harbor’ so that it never happens again?