World War II united Americans, people from every walk of life, like no other war, before or since. They included…
...The Housewife carefully tending her Victory Garden
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...Children gleefully collecting tin cans, tires, aluminum pots, and newspapers for the latest war drive
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...‟Rosie the Riveter” working on the assembly line
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...Factory workers manufacturing ammunition in plants throughout the country
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...The grocer struggling to understand how many ration stamps customers needed to buy a pound of ground beef
Courtesy of The Home Front, U.S.A., Time-Life Books, 1977 and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
…Frustrated drivers dealing with gas rationing, and using wooden tires due to a rubber shortage
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...The oldest son who stayed at home while his brothers went to war
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
...The office worker who happily purchased War Bonds every month
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...The bicycle-bound courier delivering a dreaded navy Department telegram
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...The heartsore mother hanging a service flag in her living room window, proudly proclaiming the number of sons and daughters she had sent off to war
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
...Ship builders constructing thousands of Liberty Ships, LSTs, and landing craft
...The stars of stage and screen who ran seven “Stagedoor Canteens” across the country while others traveled the world with USO shows to entertain the troops
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
Betty Fuetsch Wrigley was the epitome of a Rosie the Riveter, although technically she passed the red-hot rivets to a worker who handled the heavy-duty rivet gun. She worked at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington, where damaged warships were repaired and modernized. Grateful ships’ crews often hosted dances to celebrate the completion of repairs. She met a young sailor named Bruce Campbell at one of those dances, but was later saddened to hear of his death.
Photographs, Invitation and Dance Card, Thank You Notes, Letter, Note Book, ID Badge, and Separation Document
Courtesy of Betty Wrigley
Nothing spoke more poignantly about a family’s sacrifice than a service flag displayed in a living room window. Each son or daughter who served was represented with a blue star. A gold star meant the family had made the ultimate sacrifice: a loved one killed in service to his country. The parents of Marine Private First Class Harold Stakes created their own version of a gold star flag while grieving for the loss of their 18-year-old son after he died of malaria on a distant Pacific island.
Blue Star Service Flag
Courtesy of The National World War II Museum
Framed Blue Star Emblem
Courtesy of Kathy Hatcher
Marine Private First Class Harold Stakes
Hand Made Gold Star
