Afew days ago my husband and I re-watched the movie Pearl Harbor (theone with Ben Affleck – I’m sure there are probably older movieswith the same theme). Very realistic as far as the history and howthe characters behaved, the 40’s clothing, makeup, hair styles, bigband music, dances, etc. I know this because I was born 5 monthsbefore the war in Europe ended. The war with Japan ended 4 monthsafter that. Of course, being a new baby, I have no memories of actualpeople and events at that time, but I spent the first twenty years orso of my life hearing people talk about the “big war.” I knewpeople who were in it, and there was all kinds of literature andnumerous movies about it. Also, my father worked in anammunition/bomb factory in LaPorte Indiana during the war.

     Iheard many, many real-life stories about life during WWII, as well aswhat it was like to work in that bomb factory. It was not just onebig building. It was several different buildings, each one for adifferent kind of ammo or bomb. That was because if one of thebuildings blew up, they would not lose the ability to keepmanufacturing ammo in the others. The workers wore protectiveclothing and kept their hair covered because hair carrieselectricity. Both men and women were not allowed to comb or brushtheir hair inside the buildings. There were also numerous undergroundbunkers where bombs were stored, all designed so that enemy airplanescould not detect them from above. 

        Welived in government housing, an area called Kingsford Heights. Mymother and I visited the same area about 25 years ago, and we foundthe house we’d lived in. It made me cry. I’m not sure why becauseas I said, I have no real memories of living there. I think the tearswere for the many lives sacrificed during the war, and I’m sure themany marriages that did not survive the changes in man and wife whena soldier came home from that war, whether injured or not. Warchanges people, and back then soldiers did not get the kind of leavesthey get today. Some were “over there” fighting the war for 2-4years straight. Man and wife were practically strangers when thosemen got home, and even the wife had changed. Women had to get jobsduring the war, mostly to help the government and our men by helpingbuild war equipment. I’m sure you have heard of “Rosie theRiveter.” Women worked on assembly lines helping build ships,tanks, airplanes, Jeeps, trucks any number of necessary equipment.From those jobs women found a new independence, and they discoveredit felt good to earn their own money.

       Whenmom and I visited Kingsford Heights, it was very spooky, and for meit was a reminder that this could happen again, only today thingswould be much worse. The spookiness came from seeing all the housesstill there but lived in by regular citizens. Many of the buildingswhere the ammo was built were still there, a haunting reminder ofthat “big war.” The bunkers are still there, mounds of earth withno purpose. The open land is farmed now. We saw the now-emptygovernment schoolhouse, and I could picture the children playing andlaughing, too innocent to realize what danger the country faced.

       Mymost haunting experience was an abandoned train sitting on a trackthat led to the buildings. It was obviously on its way to pick upmore ammo to be delivered to various storage shelters throughout thecountry. But there it sat, rusting. It was as though the engineer gotword that the war had ended, then stopped the train and got off andnever went back. It was very, very spooky. I couldn’t understandwhy the government just left that train sitting there.

       Warchanged the world, and it changed America’s most common way oflife. I have heard enough real stories about the war, seen enoughreal pictures of bombed-out cities, wounded civilians, terrifiedchildren, starving POW’s, and pictures from Hitler’sconcentration camps to feel and understand the horrors of that time.I have a set of books by a war correspondent that is filled withpictures showing scenes from the war from beginning to end. Picturesdon’t lie. In one of them, a mother being evacuated from a Europeancity is looking out the train window and holding her child. The lookon her face just grabs you, as though leaving her home and friendswas like death, and if it happened to you or me, wouldn’t we feelthe same way? If my husband was off to war and I had to pick up andleave everything familiar, possibly all of it to be destroyed, Iwould be devastated. It would be even worse if I had small childrento look after and protect.

        Ialso have two scrap books of letters my mother kept from her bestfriend in high school, who was an Army nurse during the war and whoserved in England, France, Italy, North Africa and Germany. She hadeven nursed soldiers who’d survived the Normandy landing. There isno better proof of what war was like than letters from someone whowas really there and experienced all of it, including using herhelmet as a bowl to wash her underwear. I also have some of therationing stamp books the government gave out. People were allowed tobuy certain amounts monthly of things like gasoline and certainfoods. For a while women could not get nylons because nylon wasneeded to make parachutes.     

       Waris ugly and cruel. People lose homes and family members. The enemyrapes and pillages and flat-out murders innocent old people and womenand children. Lives are turned upside-down and never right themselvesagain. Unbearable memories instill themselves in peoples’ heartsand minds – memories that never go away. And War is ridiculouslyunnecessary. Why do some men think they have to scoop up everycountry around them and build empires through murder and rape anddestruction? I have great respect for all countries and their uniquelifestyles and beliefs. I enjoy learning about other cultures, but Icertainly don’t want us to attack other countries and try to claimthem as our own. There is never a valid reason for starting a war.

       Ifeel so blessed to have been born right here in the U.S. I want mygrandchildren and great-grandchildren to feel hope for the future, todream the dream of success. I want them to look forward to thefuture, not dread it because they fear what lies ahead. I don’twant them to have to give up their fortunes and their lives to fightfor freedom, and I hope they never take that freedom for granted.

       Wemust teach our children pride in our country, respect for our lawsand for all religions, and a desire to do their part to protect whatwould be a tragic loss if we allow an invasion of America, whetherfrom without or WITHIN. We must teach our young people patriotism, and one of the best ways to do that is to bring back solid teachingof AMERICAN HISTORY. Learn it yourselves. Teach it to your children.And insist that history is taught in our schools – ALL OF IT –not just recent history. Knowing our past helps us and our childrenunderstand the importance of protecting America’s unique democracy,the importance of strength and bravery and how those things help keepus out of war.

       Toooften we hear kids say that history is boring. I think it’s quitethe opposite! There are some truly interesting events in our pastthat are so exciting. All teachers need to do is make history fun andREAL. And it IS real! There is no shame in the mistakes that we madein the past. Every mistake became a learning experience, and learningthe why’s and how’s, learning how different habits and ways oflife and teachings were a hundred, two hundred years ago, only bringsit all more alive. And in learning the truth, our young people can doa good job of taking America into a future of peace and freedom.

      Encourageyour children and grandchildren to read books that involve realhistory, not just America’s history but world history, too. If theyare not learning it in school, take them to the library and findbooks that teach it. Check with the librarians as to which books arethe most entertaining for certain age groups. Take your children andgrandchildren to historic settings designed for public visits, andlet them talk to older people, especially veterans, about life in thepast. Take them to antique shops, where they can see first-handtools, clothing, farm equipment, pioneer kitchens and homes from thepast. Some young people can see a telephone from the “old days”and not even know what it is. There are many ways to teach historywithout it being boring at all. Be excited about it yourself, andthat excitement will be born in children’s hearts, too.

       Ican’t count how many times in doing my research that I have said,“Oh, my gosh! I never knew that!” Do you or your children knowwhy the strip of wood or steel across the entrance to the front dooris called a threshold? Do you know why June became such a popularmonth to marry? Do you know where the term “It’s raining cats anddogs” comes from? Do you know why railroad tracks are the widththat they are? It goes all the way back to ancient Rome, and it evenaffects the size of our rockets!

       Tothis day, certain facts, habits and sayings come from history, bothrecent and ancient. Get interested. Get educated. And bring it alivefor your children.