WWII Homefront

My friend told me a story about his uncle Manny, who was a WWII vet, and like a second father to him.

It seems Manny, in WWII, was out on the town with the boys from his unit, and met up with some girls. Not wanting to get in any trouble, they all gave false names to the girls. Trouble was that Manny fell in love, and it took him more than a month to tell her that his name wasn’t really Henry.

His wife called him Henry until the day he died this past year. My friend just gave his brand-new son a middle name to honor his uncle Manny.

The baby’s middle name is Henry. Now this might not have made you choke up like it did me, but it was nice to be able to write a story about true love!

In WWII, like every other war, people from home sent care packages to their loved ones fighting overseas. It may not have always arrived in a timely manner, or in the best of condition, but it was something from home, and it was cherished.

Want to make a soldier’s day? How about sending them a cup of coffee, and a thank you note? It’s really that easy.

http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj

Green Beans Coffee’s “Cup of Joe for a Joe” program will take your $2 donation, and give a cup of joe, along with a thank you note that YOU get to write, and give it to a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine serving overseas. I got two thank you letters in my email today! That made MY day! I was able to do something nice for somebody, from the comfort of my own home, and you should do it too. Buy a cup of joe for a Joe. A portion of all proceeds goes to help the families of soldiers, as well.

As you may or may not know, Holyoke, MA is nicknamed “Paper City” due to it’s predominant industry- paper. Paper mills, paper converters, all over the place… but mostly down by the river to facilitate shipping.  This is where the majestic Connecticut River takes a cramped tour through three separate canals, in a not-so-pretty are of town, sometimes shadowed by derelict and empty buildings, overhung by vines and metal refuse from it’s human population.

But in WWII? Business was booming!  Several paper mills, like National Blankbook (where Betty worked), and companies like Pal Blade and Tool were converted to weapons manufacture for the duration.

Long before she married my grandfather, my grandmother Betty had gotten a job at once such paper mill along the river, where they were manufacturing the Browning Automatic.  She was a line inspector, and she took her job very seriously, because she knew from spending her free evenings at the local USO dance hall that “Our Boys” needed to have everything  in good working order, so they would come home safely.

She told me that her supervisor was not an easy man to get along with. Actually, she didn’t even say that much… she rolled her eyes when she mentioned him.   She looked so proud, telling me about how important her job was, and how she never lied, and never let anything slide by her.    Apparently one day she stopped the line- she had discovered an important defect in the finished product, and wasn’t going to let that happen!  Her oh-so-charming supervisor told her that they had a deadline to meet, and how dare she stop the line.  She pulled herself up tall and told him, “These weapons are for Our Boys. You can’t send them.”

Suffice to say the supervisor started the line back up, and sent Betty home for the day.   She positively beamed as she told me, and with a conspiratorial grin assured me that the entire shipment of weapons was rejected by the Army.  She was right all along!

Get’em, Betty… patriotism and pride like yours helped win the war!