Old Man of the Sea (Part VII)
reached the beginning of the Big One, World War II.
Pastor: It's difficult to imagine what things were like when America finally
entered the war. What was it like for civilians, and did you get called back
to serve?
Old Man of the Sea: I was pretty old to be called back, although if the war hadn't
ended when it did, I probably would have been called back. I had injured my ankle
pretty badly before the war began, and doctors told me I would probably have to
walk with a limp. That was when I found out about the full power of prayer. We
prayed about the healing, and the ankle was fully restored. I could have served
if I had been called.
Pastor: This was your first brush with healing prayer?
Old Man of the Sea: Yes. I knew prayer could do marvelous things, and I had
experienced a sort of miracle before that, but it wasn't anything as serious as
physical healing.
Pastor: Want to tell us about it?
Old Man of the Sea: Well, it takes us away from the war, but God's workings
should always go first. As I said earlier, I had a really nice country store and a
very loyal clientele. One morning when I went to open up the store, I found
someone had beat me to it.
Pastor: Somebody had broken in during the night?
Old Man of the Sea: That's right. They didn't do much damage, but they knew
what they wanted--cigarettes, candy, bakery products and pop. I didn't keep cash
in the store overnight. I called the police, then got busy in prayer. Sometime later,
I got a call from the police. They thought they had caught the robbers. They brought
the two men and their car to the store, and sure enough, they had all the stolen
booty in the car. But catching them so quickly wasn't the miracle.
Pastor: What was the miracle, then?
Old Man of the Sea: It was how they were caught. The police in the area were on
the lookout for unusual vehicles or activities. One patrol car observed this car going
around and around on rural roads. There seemed to be no reason for this, so the
police pulled them over. They immediately saw the booty in the back seat and realized
they probably had the crooks. When they asked the two men why they kept riding
around and around, they said they were lost. These men lived in the area. God had
so confused their minds, they were kept "lost" in their home territory until they were
caught.
Pastor: It was interesting how God caused them to be caught. Did you experience
other miracles later?
Old Man of the Sea: Yes, I was blessed to watch some of God's handiwork. When
some of these stories became known, especially to relatives, I found myself elected
as a combination counselor and prayer leader when they had problems.
Pastor: Let's get back to the war. Did you have any part in the home front activity,
and what was the home front like?
Old Man of the Sea: This was the greatest period of time to be an American, because
there was total national unity, no complaining, and total dedication by all citizens for the
good of the country and all mankind. I never saw such wonderful attitudes, the turning
to God, and complete cooperation. We have never experienced such a phenomenon
before or since.
Pastor: So after the people realized God was in control after the Roaring Twenties,
they now came to the realization God was always in control?
Old Man of the Sea: That would be an accurate conclusion. The Selective Service Act
meant every able-bodied American man up to middle age was subject to the draft to serve
in the military. Many men volunteered immediately. You don't see much patriotism today,
although many people who complain about our leadership toss out the word that they
represent patriots. What baloney They don't even understand the issues. The good news
was that our country was now in a position to crank up our industries and produce war
machines instead of cars and other civilian items. It took almost to the middle of the war
for us to get up to speed, but when we did, the tide against the Axis turned.
Pastor: Would you address the differing aspects of the home front? Most people
today know nothing about activities of the home front.
Old Man of the Sea: My store was at a four corners, where three of the roads were
well traveled. I was appointed the local Civil Defense Warden, and was basically in charge
of civilian war activities. It was my duty to warn local residents when air raid practices
would be held so every person would know what was expected and what they should
do. When we had an air raid practice, my duty was to see that there were no lights
anywhere and that all cars and trucks were stopped. For those people we couldn't
contact otherwise, my wife would walk to their homes in the afternoon and inform them.
These air raid practices were very serious. We knew early on that the Germans had
subs just offshore in the Atlantic and observed our city lights. We also knew they were
experimenting with a new kind of aircraft--the early jets. Almost everyone worried that
the next blast of air raid sirens would bring the real thing.
Pastor: So the danger was not all at the scene of battles, but also right here on
American soil?
Old Man of the Sea: It was. We were all concerned about spies, and it was no
trick of imaginations. The Germans had quite a number of spies here. The Japanese
didn't because their difference ethnically, was too stark. There was a steady stream of
spy stories and the capture of spies. Along with that, we continuously feared an
air strike. On the West Coast, the Japanese did managed to land a couple of rockets,
but they were pretty much duds.
Pastor: What was daily life like on the home front?
Old Man of the Sea: It was much different than most people living today could
understand. Much of the "me" that make up most Americans' outlook on life was not
there. It was an "us" attitude. There were some slackers like our former vice
president who used money and influence to escape the draft, and some conscientious
objectors who were assigned civilian duty. It was an honor to be a military man and
the mother of a soldier. Mothers were given big stars to place in their window to show
it was the home of a soldier. People were proud to serve. Those that didn't serve in
some capacity were looked down upon. Kids took part in the war effort by gathering
scrap metal and paper. They had victory gardens and were given a big V to place in
the window to show their contribution. They bought war stamps each week at school,
and were proud when they had enough stamps to buy a war bond. They collected
model planes representing our fighters and bombers. The older kids joined the
Civil Air Patrol. There was a string of 15 minute radio programs every day, and you
could find kids glued to the radio, listening to the adventures of young spy hunters.
Pastor: It would seem the young people really played a very supportive role
during this time.
Old Man of the Sea: They were very important. It was great to see a pair of seven
and eight year olds hauling a wagon loaded with old papers or scrap metal down the
road.
Pastor: What about the domestic situation with things like rationing and price
control?
Old Man of the Sea: I don't believe we'll ever see Americans embrace controls such
as those. Virtually every commodity was rationed. You were issued a coupon book
that had stamps for every imaginable item, from shoes to tires. You were entitled to
a set amount of everything from two pair of shoes a year to meat. Some things such
as tires were mostly unavailable. Gasoline was strictly limited, and you didn't see cars
used for pleasure. Sugar, coffee and many items were more valuable than gold. Butter was
in such short supply, margarine was developed. Anything needed by our troops was
strictly rationed. Only vital needs such as moving freight--mostly by train--emergency
vehicles and farm needs were not strictly regulated, although tough questions about
need had to satisfy the reviewers. New farm machinery was unavailable, and farmers
had to be able to patch equipment because parts were scarce. There had to be a
strong reason for farmers to get more than the usual allotment of gasoline. In the
rural areas like mine, school children were released at one o-clock so they could
help on the farm. There was an urgency I have never seen since.
Pastor: What about the lives of women?
Old Man of the Sea: They all suffered a great deal. Mothers and wives saw their
menfolk pack up and leave for camp. Some never saw their men until the war ended,
and they were better off than the ones whose men didn't survive. This also affected
the children when they all of a sudden didn't have daddy at home. Because of the
need for military manpower, essential industries brought women into the industrial
workforce. I don't suppose most people today know about "Rosie the Riveter". She
was the poster girl for women working in industry. Eventually the various women's
military units were formed. Make no mistake, women played a major role in our
war effort at home and as troops.
Pastor: How did the war affect other parts of society such as the news media?
Old Man of the Sea: There was strict censorship of newspapers, magazines and
the radio. You never knew when an apparent innocent comment might give the enemy
a hint of something that could prove critical. Letters from GIs were censored, too.
The musical and motion picture industries were morale boosters. Songs such as
Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree were
very popular. The latter was an admonition for lovers not to stray during long periods
of absence. Movie stars appeared to urge people to buy war bonds, and many movies
were made about war time activities. Volunteers and big stars from the entertainment
industry staffed USO venues where military people could spend some time in
relaxation. One very sad note was the origin of the "dear John" letters. You can
imagine the depression that would put a GI far from home in. For many, the girl back
home was his inspiration. More people went to church, and prayer became a frequent
comfort to many.
Pastor: The early years of the war were quite depressing as Hitler controlled the
ocean and the Japanese captured island after island in the Pacific heading straight
towards both the U,S. and Australia. When did we realize the war had turned in our
favor?
Old Man of the Sea: The first couple of years we were helping the Allies by the
Lend Lease Program, where we leased our ships to them. We sent convoy after
convoy of mostly converted commercial ships loaded with food and about everything
else the Allies needed. The German submarines were lethal, sinking ships in the
convoys almost at will. Then we came up with some new scientific stuff like sonar.
This enabled our ships to locate the German subs even submerged. They could no
longer hide underwater and pick off our ships like sitting ducks. At the same time,
we now had production lines full force and were cranking out war machines at a
fantastic rate. Our workers, both men and women, did an amazing job, and our
farmers were producing food like never before. The national effort was almost
beyond belief. We now had well trained men for battle, and women were added
as military support troops. Thousands of young women went to Washington and
elsewhere to handle the huge clerical and administrative load. Everything was
working like a well oiled machine, but I believe the use of sonar to end Germany's
control of the ocean was the key.
Pastor: We'll move to the conclusion of the war, rebuilding our enemies' countries,
and the new social problems in America in our next chat.
Rev. Walbear
Note: Pictured above are some Victory Gardeners. My dad had one of those.
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