In honor of those who have faithfully served our country.
My father who served with the Navy in the Pacific during WW II. My mother was left at home to care for three small children. (I was not born until after the war.)
My first husband who was with the USMC in Vietnam. Wounded while there, he earned the Purple Heart and was given 10% disability for problems from his injuries there. Sadly, when he came home, he was met with protesters who called him “baby killer.” After he was discharged from the USMC, we came home with a USMC sticker on our car. One night in St. Louis we were followed by a car full of young people yelling obscenities at us. It was a scary time. He survived Vietnam and then was killed in an accident working on our car in our front yard. He never lived to see the Vietnam vets finally given some respect. I hate that!
My second husband is a 20-year veteran of the United States Air Force. He served in Thailand, France and Germany overseas and in Texas and California here at home.
My two sons (stepsons but still mine) also served in the USAF. The oldest one was disabled as a result of his time in the service. He was a disabled veteran who died over seven years ago.
The youngest served at the Pentagon while in the USAF.
Hard to believe that it has been less than 100 years since women were granted the right to vote. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the full rights of citizenship.
What is ironic is that four years before women were granted the right to vote, a woman had already been elected to the United States Congress. Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in Congress. While most of the USA did not allow women to vote until this amendment was ratified, some states had permitted voting by women.
Montana granted women the right to vote in 1914 and they soon elected Rankin to represent them in Congress. Rankin declared “I may be the first woman in Congress, but I won’t be the last.
She was right. Today there are 24 women in the Senate (24%) and 121 (27.8) in the House of Representatives.
While in Congress, Rankin proposed the formation of a Committee on Woman Suffrage, of which she was appointed leader. After WWI ended and her committee had issued a report for a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote, she asked the congressmen:
“How shall we explain to them the meaning of democracy if the same Congress that voted to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country?”
While serving her first term in Congress, she voted, along with 49 men, to not enter World War I. After serving two years in Congress, she did not run to be elected for another term. Some historians believe her vote against the war led her to realize she could not get reelected. Her brother, Wellington Rankin, who was a prominent Republican in Montana, advised her not to run. He said “I knew she couldn’t be elected again if she did vote against the war. I didn’t want to see her destroy herself.” Many of the suffragists leaders felt she betrayed their cause by her vote.
Although she opposed the war, once we entered the battle, she voted for war-time appropriations to fund the troops and supported the government taking over the mines to gain resources for the war effort.
After leaving Congress, she continued to be active working for pacifism and social welfare issues. She worked for better health care for women and children. She became a speaker for the National Council for the Prevention of War and attended the Women’s International Conference for Peace held in Switzerland. She purchased a small farm in Georgia that had no electricity or plumbing and worked with others in the state to organize a study group on antiwar foreign policy. This group eventually became the Georgia Peace Society.
In 1940, at age 60, she returned to her home state of Montana and ran again for Congress. This time she was not alone – there were six other women in Congress.
After America was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. When the House opened debate on the resolution, Rankin tried to speak. Speaker Sam Rayburn declared her out of order and members of the House began calling for her to be silent. Members pressured her to vote for the war or abstain. She refused to do either. She said “As a woman I can’t go to war, and I refuse to send anyone else.” She was the only vote against the war.
After the vote she huddled in a phone booth in the Republican cloak room until security could escort her to her office. She did not run for reelection but she said “I have nothing left but my integrity.”
Leaving Congress, Rankin spent time on her ranch in Montana and her cabin in Georgia. She continued her stand against war leading a 5,000 person protest march on Washingtn in 1968 where she offered a peace petition to House Speaker John McCormack.
The House honored her on her 90th birthday with a reception and dinner. In 1972 she was named the “World’s Outstanding Living Feminist” by the National Organization for Women.
When she died in 1974 she was thinking of running again for the House so she could protest the Vietnam War. Today there is a statute of Rankin in the Montana State House.
Eighty years ago today our nation was attacked at Pearl Harbor.
My parents’ generation sacrificed much in the next few years. My father was in the Navy and came back from the war with many difficult memories of death and danger.
My mother was left to take care of three children on her own.
President Franklin Roosevelt created the OPA (Office of Price Administration). This organization placed ceilings on prices of goods to prevent companies from taking advantage of the situation to raise prices on goods and also created rationing to limit consumption.
Ration books were issued to families restricting many things such as sugar and gasoline. I remember hearing stories of how people would trade their sugar rations for gasoline so they would be able to get to work.
Families were encouraged to raise their own vegetables to allow more food to be canned for the military. These “victory gardens” led to the government publishing guides on how to plant a garden and how to can the produce. Women’s clubs began with women sharing new recipes and ideas of how to create tasty food with less ingredients available.
No woman wanted to go out on the town without nylon hose. As the nylon was needed for parachute and other military needs, the hose became hard to find. (Like toilet paper in our Covid-19 situation).
When I see our generation facing a different type of crisis with Covid-19 – and the response we have made, I wonder how we compare to this “Greatest Generation.”
This past week one of the last of that generation died.
Bob Dole served in the Army and was injured in a German machine gun attack. He lost a kidney, he was temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. While he regained mobility, his arms never fully recovered. He lost the use of his right arm and his left arm was partially numb. He said he had to allow 50 extra minutes each morning to get dressed.
There are many stories of other men/women I could write about. But I’m sure you all know parents/grandparents of that “Greatest Generation” who lived through the Depression and World War II.
Sadly as my generation is gone, I wonder if anyone will remember and appreciate the sacrifice of that generation.
Just a few miles from my home is a sign that says “P.O.W. Camp Owosso.” The sign is outside of a oval track for car and motorcycle racing.
Being new to this area, this sign caught my interest and I decided to do some research on the camp. Here is what I found.
During World War II, over 6,000 prisoners were housed in Prisoner of War (POW) camps in Michigan. While approximately 1000 were held in the Upper Peninsula, most were housed in the Lower Peninsula. Many camps were held at former Civilian Conservation Corps barracks that were no longer in use.
In Owosso, this racetrack that was not in use because of the war was chosen for a prison camp. Reports of exactly how many prisoners were held here vary between 350 and 1000. After the war the Germans were returned to their home and the administrative records were deposed of in the 1950s.
The men were housed six to a tent and the area was surrounded by a fence. In the winter time they were moved to the barracks at Fort Custer.
(picture thanks to Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com)
Due to the draft, the U.S. had a huge labor shortage. The government allowed POWs to be used for labor in nearby farms or businesses. W.R. Roach Canning Company was the principal contractor with the government for prison labor. But many also worked on local farms. The prisoners were paid for their labor with 80 cents per day going to them and the rest of the wage going to the federal government to maintain the camp. The 80 cents was given in canteen checks which could be used for cigarettes, candy and other personal items not provided by the government. Most worked for six days per week at 8 to 10 hour days. While the men did not have to work outside the camp, most preferred that to staying in the camp as there was a little more freedom and most farm families would feed them lunch. The government provided a couple of slices of bread and a piece of meat or cheese for lunch, but the families felt this was not adequate for manual labor and many allowed them to eat the noon meal with their family. This led to friendships between the farm families and the POWs and they remained friends after the war ended.
(National Archives picture “German Prisoners of War at a camp near Owasso, Michigan, being paid with canteen checks by Camp Commander Captain Ohrt.” Dated 8/8/44 – photo by Sgt. S.L. Hertel.)
Reports from that time indicate that the men were well behaved and there was little attempt to escape. But then where would they go? Thousands of miles from home over an ocean and with their German accent, they would quickly have been captured.
However, at Camp Owosso there was an escape attempt that included two local girls. In July, 1944 two local girls helped two men escape from the Canning Compay where they were working. They spent the night in the woods before being captured by authorities.
The girls probably did not realize the consequences of their actions. Found guilty of conspiracy, Kitty Case received one year and three months and Shielry Druce was sentenced to one year and a day.
The girls’ motive for helping the men was not given but one of the girls testified that she was in love with one of the men. This attempted escape brought lots of new attention to the local county. You can read a novel based on this story. Cottonwood Summer by Gary Slaughter.
The prisoners were also heroes to one family. Eva Worthington had just come home for giving birth to her tenth child when her house caught on fire. Her husband, superintendent of the Roach Canning Factory, was at work. Several prisoners saw the fire, hurried in and wrapped Mrs. Worthington in a mattress and carried her to safety.
When the war ended the men were returned to their homes, but some came back and settled in the US, at least one man marrying an American young lady he had met while working outside the camp.
Today the racetrack once again welcomes family and racers to enjoy the sport. Owosso Speedway is one of the premiere short tracks in the state of Michigan featuring constant side by side action and fun for the whole family.
This is a repost from earlier last year. Since this month is Women’s History Month, I thought I would share again. While I only shared about the last three women on this list in this post, check out some of the others for some interesting and informative stories of women we do not hear about.
Do you like history? American history? Would you consider yourself knowledgable on our country’s past? If so, do you know these women?
Dorothy Vaughan
Mary Jackson
Katherine Johnson
Christine Darden
Jeanette Rankin
Dot Braden
Ann Caracristi
Virginia D. Aderholt
The list could go on and on. Somehow it seems the women have been sadly neglected in our history books.
The last three were among the first to learn that World War II was officially over. Recruited, along with thousands of others, these women worked decoding messages sent by the Germans and Japanese. As the war with Japan began to end the Japanese could not communicate with the USA directly because lines of communication had been cut. It was determined that the Japanese planned to send a message announcing their intent to surrender via the neutral Swiss. The message would be sent to the Japanese ambassador in Bern who would then take it to the Swiss foreign office.
As the message came through to the Japanese ambassador Virginia D Aderholt was the one who decoded the message. From there word was sent to President Truman that the surrender would be coming shortly.
These three women were part of the larger group who helped to break the complex systems used by the Axis Powers to hide their messages in secret. These young women were recruited from colleges all over the USA. Young and eager to help with the war effort as their husbands and brothers were fighting, they did much to help our country not only win the war, but saved many American lives in the process.
Representative Clarence Hancock of New York stated:
I believe that our cryprographers…in the war with Japan did as much to bring that war to a successful and early conclusion as any other group of men>
Want to know more about these terrific women?
Check out the book Code Girls – The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II written by Liza Mundy.
And follow my blog for the next few days as I share stories of other women neglected in our history books.
Women like “Stagecoach Mary” a formerly enslaved woman who carried the U.S. mail – and her rifle – through the Montana mountains.
Lulsa Capetillo, a Puerto Rican labor leader who was arrested in Havana for wearing pants in public.
But today reminds me that we have so many heroes to thank for our freedom, not only for the USA but much of the world. Today is D-Day.
On June 6, 1944 soldiers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada stormed the beaches in Normandy, France in a move to push the Nazis out of western Europe.
How many died that day? There are numbers out there but who can know exactly how many perished with the chaos of that day.
In Bedford, Virginia there is a memorial with 4,414 names representing every Allied soldier, sailor, airman and coast guardsman who died on D-Day. This number was given by Genealogist Carol Tuckwiller after years of research. This, of course, is only those killed on June 6.
In Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France is a World War II cemetery honoring the American troops who died in Europe during World War II. It covers 172.5 acres and contains 9,388 burials.
The total number of lives lost in World War II is really beyond comprehension when you include all the lives of those lost from the Axis alliance of German, Italy and Japan. Add in all the civilian lives lost – what a terrible number that is.
We will never know how different our lives would have been without the sacrifice of the brave men and women who fought in that terrible war. But, today, we should stop and thank God for our freedom and remember these heroes.
My husband and I visited the Fort Custer National Cemetery today. We were impressed by the entrance to the cemetery. All along the main road were rows and rows of flags.
This Avenue of Flags was dedicated May 26, 1986. It is composed of 152 flagpoles located along the main road, and an additional 50 flagpoles arranged in a semi-circle at the head of the thoroughfare. These flags are displayed from Easter through Veterans Day with 50 flags from the 50 different states are flown on special occasions.
Named after General George Armstrong Custer, a native of the state of Michigan, Camp Custer was built in 1917. In response to mobilization for World War I 2,000 buildings were built to accommodate some 36,000 men. After the end of the war, the camp was transferred to the Veterans Bureau. The Battle Creek Veterans Hospital was completed in 1924.
In 1943 Fort Custer Post Cemetery was established with the first burial. Army rules at that time required officers and enlisted men to be buried in separate sections. Today you will find Section A filled with graves of enlisted servicemen and in Section O the graves of officers. Today there is no separation.
During World War II more than 5,000 German prisoners of war were held at the Fort. The POW’s were used to supply farm labor because of a shortage of workers due to the war. After the Germans departed back to their country, 26 Germans were left behind, buried in the Fort cemetery. Sixteen were killed in a car accident and the others died from natural causes.
Every year on Volkstrauertag, which occurs in November, the cemetery hosts a ceremony of remembrance for these 26 German soldiers. Volkstrauertag is a day of mourning for Germans and honors their war veterans.
The National Cemeteries Act of 1973 transferred the cemeteries from the Department of Army to the National Cemetery System, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In accordance with this Act, Congress created Fort Custer National Cemetery in September 1981. The Fort Customer Military Reservation and the VA Medical Center all donated land for the cemetery.
We found the arrangement of the graves here different from any other national cemetery we have visited. Instead of long row after row of white tombstones stretching out one after another, this cemetery is filled with areas of trees with sections of graves in between these groups of trees. With the tombstones flat with the ground, it was almost like driving through a park with areas of trees and then open beautiful green grass areas.
A place of history, a place of honor, a beautiful place.
History books are full of the deeds of men – both good and bad. But what about the women? Surprisingly women have accomplished a great deal that has never really been given the attention it deserves.
Yesterday I wrote about the women who helped break the codes of the Axis forces in World War II. If you did not read that post, I encourage you to do so. I also mentioned a book that gives much more detail about these thousands of women who helped us achieve victory in that war.
While these women were working to help win the war, another woman created a lot of controversy in her lack of support for the war.
Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the United States Congress. She was elected in 1916 four years before the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment did not give women the right to vote, it guaranteed them the right to vote. Before passage of the amendment, women in many states already had the right to vote. Montana was one of those states and thus was the first state to send a woman to Congress.
The following states granted women the right to vote prior to the 19th Amendment:
1890 Wyoming
1893 Colorado
1896 Utah, Idaho
1910 Washington
1911 California
1912 Arizona, Kansas, Oregon
1914 Montana, Nevada
1917 New York
1918 Michigan, Oklahoma, South Dakota
A native of Montana Rankins was an activist for much of the 20th century and a heroine to the feminists in the 1960’s.
Her first vote in the House of Representatives – the first cast by any woman – was to vote against a declaration of war against Germany in 1917. That time she was joined by 50 in the House and six in the Senate in opposing the war.
Years later she was the lone member of Congress who voted against Franklin D. Roosevelt’s declaration of war against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. That vote cost her political career.
In retirement she became a world traveler meeting many leaders of other countries. She also spoke on women’s rights, called for election reform, and continued to advocate for legislation to protect children.
As a member of Congress, she had sponsored a bill with Senator Joseph Robinson to provide much needed health care for mothers and children.
During hearings on the bill a Dr. Howe objected that women should quit fighting for the vote and stay home and take care of their children. He said babies were even born blind because their mothers did not have the sense to use silver nitrate to prevent the blindness.
Jeanette Rankin: “How do you expect women to know this disease when you do not feel it proper to call it by its correct name? Do they not in some states have legislation which prevents women from knowing these diseases and only recently….were women permitted in medical schools. You yourself, from your actions, believe it is not possible for women to know the names of these diseases.”
Dr. Howe: “I did not like to use the word ‘gonorrhea’.”
Jeanette Rankin: “Do you think anything should shock a woman as much as blind children? Do you not think they ought to be hardened enough to stand the name of a disease when they must stand the fact that children are blind?”
While I personally did not agree with a lot of her political and social stands, I was impressed by what she accomplished as a single woman in that time of history in the USA. Interesting that we do not hear much about this first woman elected to Congress. Think you might enjoy learning more. You can – take a look at this interesting and controversial woman in the book “Jeanette Rankin – America’s Conscience” by Norma Smith.
(Details of interaction between Rankin and Howe are found in the Montana Historical Society Archives)
Do you like history? American history? Would you consider yourself knowledgable on our country’s past? If so, do you know these women?
Dorothy Vaughan
Mary Jackson
Katherine Johnson
Christine Darden
Jeanette Rankin
Dot Braden
Ann Caracristi
Virginia D. Aderholt
The list could go on and on. Somehow it seems the women have been sadly neglected in our history books.
The last three were among the first to learn that World War II was officially over. Recruited, along with thousands of others, these women worked decoding messages sent by the Germans and Japanese. As the war with Japan began to end the Japanese could not communicate with the USA directly because lines of communication had been cut. It was determined that the Japanese planned to send a message announcing their intent to surrender via the neutral Swiss. The message would be sent to the Japanese ambassador in Bern who would then take it to the Swiss foreign office.
As the message came through to the Japanese ambassador Virginia D Aderholt was the one who decoded the message. From there word was sent to President Truman that the surrender would be coming shortly.
These three women were part of the larger group who helped to break the complex systems used by the Axis Powers to hide their messages in secret. These young women were recruited from colleges all over the USA. Young and eager to help with the war effort as their husbands and brothers were fighting, they did much to help our country not only win the war, but saved many American lives in the process.
Representative Clarence Hancock of New York stated:
I believe that our cryprographers…in the war with Japan did as much to bring that war to a successful and early conclusion as any other group of men>
Want to know more about these terrific women?
Check out the book Code Girls – The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II written by Liza Mundy.
And follow my blog for the next few days as I share stories of other women neglected in our history books.
Women like “Stagecoach Mary” a formerly enslaved woman who carried the U.S. mail – and her rifle – through the Montana mountains.
Lulsa Capetillo, a Puerto Rican labor leader who was arrested in Havana for wearing pants in public.
Grandma's Ramblings 