Warfront is tough now..but could be tougher

[stormchazer]

As many on S2K may have surmised, I am a passionate patriotic guy. I like everyone are bombarded by bleak sad stories of the long deploymen of our guys and gals oversees and the struggles their families face at home. Everyday we here stories of how many were killed with every detail. I was reading some stuff last night and wanted to share this...

ON THE HOME FRONT: A WOMAN'S STORY


I was sixteen when America finally joined the war. I was young but I was not naive. I, along with everyone else, was afraid of this war and its effects. I remember clearly where I was when I heard Pearl Harbor had been bombed. I was sitting in the living room with my family listening to the radio that Sunday morning. We were all so shocked by the news. One of the neighbors came by to see if we had heard. The government was waiting until that afternoon to decide whether or not to declare war on Japan. I remember exactly what he said. "Why wait that long to declare war? We could have them whipped by then!" He could not have known how wrong he was.

All of the boys and able-bodied men went and left the women to take care of everything.

The war affected every aspect of life. Everything was rationed: food, gas, cigarettes, tires, shoes, sugar, coffee, and lard. I don't think we could have survived if we hadn't had a garden. Meat was a rare luxury that few could afford. There were some things that simply didn't exist for us anymore. Silk stockings were impossible as were purses because silk was used for parachutes and leather was used for shoes and other things.

My fiancé, Sonny Blades, was already in the Coast Guard and now he would have to stay for the duration of the war. I was afraid that he would be injured, or, even worse, killed.

Sonny and I were married on October 11, 1942 when I was just seventeen. He was home on a five-day pass and my brother Gean drove us to Jackson, Missouri to get married because there was no required waiting period there. Times were so hard that Gean had to borrow tires just to get us there.

After I was married my sisters Kathy, Rachel, and I all went to Chicago to work in a defense plant. We weren't riveters, but we worked hard.

Sonny was in the Coast Guard and was always on a ship or some exotic island. He sailed in the North Atlantic at first; but, then in January of 1942, his ship was torpedoed and was sunk. He was not injured and was given two weeks off. His ship was fighting Germans a long time before was declared. After the war, his service record listed his war-time location as classified because the U.S. wasn't supposed to have been involved in the North Atlantic until later. He was the last one to leave a German sub when they captured it. He had to go in and try to find the captain's log and open all the valves and portholes. I didn't know about this until after the war. He eventually ended up being stationed int eh Virgin Islands. He would write me every day and send lots of pictures. Sometimes though I wouldn't get a letter for days, or even weeks and then I would be a whole bundle all at once. Time in between letters was tense to say the least.

The only time I didn't worry about him was when he was on his way home. He would hitchhike from the nearest port. Hitchhiking was not dangerous like it is now. TO give a service man a lift on his way home a ride was an honor. They were given priority over everyone. In trains, they were given sleeping berths first. All food went to them. The country was fed after its soldiers. Still no one resented this. It was a different time.

I have heard others say that to them the war seemed far away and distant. To me it was very real. Every day you saw someone who had lost their son, their husband, their father. Whether you went or not you were still affected. If an otherwise healthy boy was born with flat feet he could not go and would be scorned ever after as if he had dodged the draft. Grieving mothers could not understand why theirs must die when one who seemed so healthy was so far away from battle.

I'll never forget how everything looked. There was a star in almost every window. If someone if you family was in the war, you had a blue one; and, if that someone had died in the war, you had a gold one. More than anything it was the lack of things you noticed. There were no cars at the gas station. Gas was so expensive that most people just put up their cars up in their barns because they couldn't afford to run them.

No one really knew what was going on over there. The only newsreels one saw was in the movie theater. Getting to see a movie was rare and then the newsreels were produced by the government to keep up moral. They didn't want people on the home front to see how bad it really was. Sonny's letters were censored and so were his pictures. They would either cut out or mark out anything that might reveal where he was stationed. I didn't hear about half the things that happened to him until the war was over.

Luckily he was reassigned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania eight months before the end of the war. I moved there to be with him. I stayed there until July when I became pregnant with our first child and decided to move back home to have the baby. I wanted Sonny to come back with me but he was on active duty until the end of the war.

The war ended on October 6, 1945. Sonny was home in just enough time to see his eldest daughter Sally Maureen born.

The war was a horrible thing that I will never forget. I hope no one ever forgets why we fought.


As told by

AFTON VIRGINIA BLADES



How tough is it now? Its tough for all those involved. I just like us to put things in perspective during a difficult time. We have suffered casualties in Iraq. From 1942-1944, on average, we lost 306 Americans a day. It wasn't in the paper, only with the Western Union and the telegraph families wish they would never recieve. God Bless our soldiers on this Veterans Day and may we never lose perspective.

Please answer the poll and tell us something about friends or relatives serving. I for one would like to hear about them.

[opera ghost]

I remember the worst feeling deep in my gut when the A&M bonfire disaster occured- I thought there couldn't be another more heart stopping moment. One of my guy buddies was a Junior engineering major- and a cadet. It was just the sort of thing he'd be out doing.

That was a long time ago. Karl graduated college and went straight into the army engineers. He kept in touch when he could- emails every now and then- but a military families will tell you, it can be hard to get information even in times of peace from a don't-fence-me-in bachelor in the service. From time to time another email woudld pop up that he was being restationed here- or there. We lost all contact with his family as the years passed- just getting those emails every so often, and every New Years Eve- he would show up on our doorstep with a bottle of Jack Daniels from wherever he had been last- to celebrate New Years Eve at our yearly party.... usually without warning.

When the US went to war we recieved a new note:

Hey guys- love to tell you more but I'm going to kick some terrorist a$$ and the head hanchos say we don't get to know where we're going till we get there. Here's my email and I'll let you know when I get settled enough to have a mailing address.

PS Bekah dahling- doesn't look like I'm going to be able to make it to yalls wedding next summer. Best wishes- Alan give the bride a kiss for me.

And he didn't. But this May we finally got a note forwarded from his family to give a mailing address and the story aobut how they were supposed ot go to Turkey and got rerouted- he would be somewhere in the desert but coudln't say where.

"PS Requested leave over New Years- hold the JD till I get there."

That's the last note we have from him. We know he's okay though... his sister sent us an email about 2 months ago asking if it were okay for them to put us on his permanant "We're sorry to inform you" list.

And there hasn't been word. We're very proud of him *smiles* Very proud.... and looking forward to New Years. If he can't make it- we'll pour some JD in his honor and remind ourselves- he's over there so that we can enjoy our parties in peace.

[stormchazer]

Thanks Opera Ghost...I will remember to make that toast as well. No better way to toast someone then a smooth JD.

[Pburgh]

As some of you know my nephew and his wife are Marine helicopter pilots. They were both sent to Afganistan right after 9/ll and remained there thru Christmas. We all sent our love and lots of Christmas goodies to them. It was a very scary time. However, we were able to communicate with them by email. That was terrific and OperaGhost, I can't even imagine having no communication at all. I'll definitely have a shot of JD in honor of that brave soldier and his family and friends.

I was born in 1945, my Dad was in the Navy. My Mom really didn't know where he was or what he was doing during the time of my birth. He first saw me when I was 8 months old. Quite a coming home present. My sister was born in 1943 when my Dad was stationed in the states in Galveston, on a mine sweep. Mom went down to live there during that time. GD, you know about the hurricanes in that area, right??? Well my sister was born right after a major hurricane in a hospital without a roof!!!!

Anyway, I think war was more difficult on the family then because of the unkown - because of the lack of communications. No phone calls, no emails, and letter that took 2 weeks to a month to be delivered.

[stormchazer]

Thanks Pburgh.

[Stephanie]

There were several members that have already served over there that thank God, came home safely like Hurricanedude (BTW, has anyone heard from him?) and Aaron.

Marty's son JR was stationed in Saudi Arabia and then Iraq from March to July 3 with the Air Force National Guard. His fours years are done this February and he isn't signing up again. Fortunately he wasn't anywhere near the battles but he heard explosions, etc.

I hope that everyone on this board that has family and friends currently serving over there is able to see them come home safe and sound!

[Guest]

Two of mine and Chad's friends are serving in the Middle East right now. Alicia was Chad's next door neighbor for many many years. Good news about her is that she's coming home in the next month. We don't have communication with our friend Tom, but we think about him often and pray for his safe return. One of my sister's best friend's is leaving for the war next week. My brother's friend's father has been in Kuwait for 2 years now. Cody is such a good kid and my heart goes out to him every time I think about how hard this must be for him. I'm sure there are plenty more people that I know serving. When Chad and I graduated from high school, lots of our friends were enlisting so they could get their college paid for. I remember old coworkers who were enlisting too. Thank God for these brave men and women. And please God return them to us safely. Please.

[DaylilyDawn]

My youngest son Jared B. Mason is a second class Petty Officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. He has a interior communications rating . The first strike on Iran at the begining of the war on Irag was from the deck of the Roosevelt. I am very proud of my son who I almost lost on Jan.19,2000 in a carwreck after he hit black ice on I 95 on his way home to see if he could be a kidney donor for his older brother who had come close to dying from kidney failure 6 months earlier.

[stormchazer]

Thanks all of you!

[Miss Mary]

I have a nephew, Kristopher Sullivan, serving with the 101st in Iraq right now. In just a few days he's coming home for a 15 day leave! Originally he and his wife, my niece but I call him my nephew now, were going to just stay home near Ft. Campbell so he could rest, but now they're traveling up to the Cincy area for T-giving. It's all a secret, Kris doesn't know I'm popping in with my mom on that family celebration. We've been sending him many letters and care packages. He calles me his "Aunt Mary" now......I so want to hug him. I know I will be crying since I'm just about crying typing this! He has been thru the most horrible conditions but I still pray every single day for him. The past few weeks I've had a terrible knot in my stomach just thinking about the situation over there. Kris could have easily been on the copter that went down. So I can't wait to see his face and hug him tight!

Kris' "Aunt Mary" - having had 2 nieces on my side, we never knew what having a nephew would feel like. Now we know! He is family after all this - oh yes he is!

[wxid]

It definately could be worse. It is not Vietnam as they are saying sometimes. Remember, in the height of the Vietnam Conflict, an average of 100 (!!!) guys were killed per DAY! Thats 600-700 per week, 5,ooo per year!! Based on that, i would say this is successful. I don't think this has a chance of becomming even close to that.

[ColdFront77]

A 600 to 700 per week rate would be 31,200 to 36,400 per year.