WWII Women.

[Wild Root]

Well guys and GI’s, I wanted to take a moment and share some photos of the great women who help in every aspect of the war effort. These images are so clear you would have thought they were taken yesterday.

Some times we forget how big a roll the girl next door helped out our GI’s over seas and here on the home front. This is one of my favorite subjects pertaining to WWII. The US home front to me tells such a story.

Songs like They’re Ether To Young Or too Old was really true! One like I like from the song is “What’s good is in the Army, what’s left will never harm me!� It was true to a point and that’s why when I talk to some lady’s from that era they tell me how they used to dance with their sisters and friends seeing there weren’t enough males to go around.

What a tremendous era! Look at some of these photos and see how they dressed for a factory job! It’s getting hard to see girls dress nice to dances over here now days! Arg, what a lazy generation I have to endure!

Any way, enjoy these images and hope they pay homage to our fighting and working ladies of the Second World War.

Root.

 

[Hondo]

Tremendous era: Thanks Root, Couldn’t have said it better, very true, to be truthful, I only wish I had discovered this era much sooner, what an era, I greatly admire all those who served, and of course the women.
Women in this era were I my opinion honest, loyal, sweet as honey, not like girls today self centered, money hungry hounds. Give me an old fashion babe, that girl next door.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Wonderful photos, Root! How ironic, too--I stopped at the library yesterday and picked up two books about women in WWII. One is about women correspondents, and looks very interesting. There is also a wonderful book about the nurses during the war--great stories and I learned a lot from it. It’s called “No Time for Fear� and is an excellent book.

Speaking of songs, have you heard "Uncle Sam's Blues"? One line reads "Uncle Sam ain't no woman, but he sure can take your man".
And how about Dinah Washington singing the "4F Blues"? Good stuff, that was!

 

[Wild Root]

Thank you Doll, I knew you might enjoy those rich color photos!

I once knew a fine lady from Church that had served in WWII. She was a Nurse and she told me some stories that made me laugh and some that didn't. Funny, no one really enjoyed the stories but me. It's so sad that some one who has such experiences become too old to listen to in most peoples minds. They think: Oh, I don't want to talk to them because they'll talk my ear off about the war or what ever. How rude is that! I remember every Veterans Day weekend I'd be at Church and they would ask for all the Veterans to stand so they could honor them. Well, this lady stood every time till she died. Some asked her why she did stand thinking she didn't do anything special well; she told them that she was a WWII Vet. She was the only Nurse of that war in my Church. She has now passed on, what a sweet gal she was.

Yes Hondo, it seems that women back in those days were something special. But, we must remember the human race has been around a long time and there were still those who were crooked, self centered, cheating, back biting, gossiping and the list goes on. It's mostly the strong, brave and true that stand out in history and we honor.

Cheers,

Root.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

That makes me sad, Root. I always enjoy listening to stories from the war, and find that I am approached by many people because I remind them of their wife or mother. That seems to break down the barriers and get people to start talking!

My grandfather was a corpsman in the war, but he has said almost nothing about his experiences. I can only imagine the horrors he must have seen, and for women and men to repeat what they saw can be a pretty difficult thing to do. You would really enjoy the book I mentioned above; the stories were incredible--some neat, and some just plain sad. The ones about 'specialing' a patient still make me a little teary-eyed.

Have you looked into participating in one of the projects interviewing veterans? I hope to start doing this soon, as I think it is important to record as many stories as possible while we still have the chance.

 

[Wild Root]

That sounds great Doll, I'd love to participate in interviewing the Vets. In fact, Josh Curtis has done lost of them! He runs into Vets a lot and he talks with them. He has recorded discussions with Vets and Hollywood actors of that time. In fact, one of his best friends flew B-29's in the Pacific and his friend gave him his flight helmet, life vets, and the button off the wheel of HIS B-29! It gets cooler then that, Josh once told me about a video he made. He told me his friend shot color footage on most of his missions and also on base. He has footage of inside the cockpit and you see the very wheel button that Josh was given! There is even real footage of them coming into flack, even see a B-29 in their group get struck down and crash into Mt. Fuji! Josh took the original 8mm film and converted it to VHS and put it to music. The music he chose was perfect! It's like looking into a clear window of time.

Most of Josh's collection is from vets, they give him this stuff because he loves it so much and they love the fact that he is so passionate about it.

As a side note he'll be getting an original nose section to a B-25J soon! I'll take some photos when he gets it.

Take care,

Root.

PS. Doll, nice posters! Very nice.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I'm friends with a nice lady that I met while volunteering at a hospital (we worked at the information desk together.) She is the neatest person, and was amazingly independent and ahead of her time, especially for the era. She brought her yearbooks to work one day (from 1939-40), and pointed out her friends and schoolmates. I remember that she pointed out quite a few that had been killed in the war...

Her husband, whom I never met (he died a year ago), was a navigator on a PBY. She told me some neat stories about him--for example, he was originally a pilot, but apparently made a rough landing in front of some higher ups and was immediately switched to a navigator!
At one point, his plane crashed in the pacific, and he and the crew were stranded for days in shark infested waters. She met him after the war, and married him in 1948. Wished I could have met him in person, as I think I would have enjoyed talking to him as much as I like talking to her…

What do you think of the color footage they recently released? I occasionally catch one of the shows on TV, and it always amazes me how crisp and clear the images are.

Josh is a really neat guy! The last time I spoke to him he was planning to travel to Kingman to pick up some bombs. Did he ever end up doing that?

I really like this poster, too:

 

[Wild Root]

(Josh is a really neat guy! The last time I spoke to him he was planning to travel to Kingman to pick up some bombs. Did he ever end up doing that?)

Yes, he did get them! I saw them last time I was over. So cool!!! Also has an original pilot side windshield from a B-17! (Hondo, don't drool) It's 40's bullet proof glass and I couldn't even lift it! So heavy!!! Also, it's still in its wooden frame ready for shipping! The dumb thing is N.O.S!

Very cool people you mention Doll! I wish you could have talked to her Husband too! The stories he could have told would have been really cool.

Take care,

Root.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

You know, Root, I'd love to hear stories just from my grandfather! But, like I said, he has said little to nothing about his experience. We only recently found out that he had been stationed in Waikiki--I'll tell you, were shocked when he mentioned this because it was just a matter of fact statement, and no one had been asking him anything related to the war. I asked him to tell me some memories about the 40s in general, but I think he couldn't understand why a young person would be interested (I'll bet this is true for a lot of people who lived them) and didn’t really say much. I did find out that his favorite song was ‘Cherokee’, and that he used to play it on every jukebox he came across.

Anyway, back to the women! I picked up a book-on-CD collection from the library a couple of weeks ago--it's called Love Letters from WWII. Neat stories, some from women, some from men. Quite a few women on the book worked in USOs or in aircraft plants, and they even spoke with an American women who joined the Women’s RAF (she had been adopted by Welsh parents and it took some doing before she was allowed to join up.)

 

[Hondo]

Root/jitterbugdoll: Lyrics/music are cool, I always drool over the B-17s, I'm on some kind of mission these days, seeking info, stories on this era. Its true, really sad were losing many from this era. After so many dumb dames, I seek perhaps the impossible, well its one for my baby and one for the road....Cheers, man do I have the blues.....
Victory at Sea had some good color films, but I heard the DVD sucks, film editing and sound. I enjoy seeing that B-29 video, even the old B/W films from actual battle flights are awesome! My dad was in the Navy last few years of the war in the pacific, The Navy lost so many sailors/soldiers/ships near the end, he rarely talks of the time but I'll join him and my younger brother to meet some of his pals/shipmates/vets at a reunion in San Diego, these guys saw some of the heaviest action on Sipan/Iwo Jima/Okinawa, honor a vet :cheers1:

Lets listen:

Uncle Sam's Blues
~Traditional


I got my questionnaire baby, you know I'm heading off for war
I got my questionnaire baby, you know I'm heading off for war
Well I'm gonna kill somebody, no one knows what for

Well Uncle Sam ain't a woman, but you know he sure can take your man
Well Uncle Sam ain't a woman, but you know he sure can take your man
There's 45,000 guys in the service and hes got them doing something they just don't understand

Well I'm going to do some fighting, of that I can be sure
Well I'm going to do some fighting, of that I can be sure
Well know I wan't to kill somebody, won't have to break no law

I got my questionnaire baby, you know I'm heading off for war
I got my questionnaire baby, you know I'm heading off for war
Well know I wan't to kill somebody, won't have to break no law

Wow what a neat song, I love this picture below

BTW: I had to find out what "Wildroot cream oil is

 

[Wild Root]

Ah yes, Wild Root Cream oil....

You know, it was funny how I came up with that for a user ID. I have always loved the 40's Ad for Wild Root in an old barber shop I go to with Fearless Fosdick on it. It says: Get Wildroot Cream Oil Charlie!

Here is what my avatar used to be.

 

[indieflmkr]

Doll,

I just wanted to say how common your experience with your Grandfather is among vets. This is often due to not wanting to re-live painful experiences and also for not wanting to pass on those painful experiences for fear of spreading the pain to loved ones. There is also something about a lack of reference that makes it difficult for vets to talk to just anyone about their experience. If they do not feel you have enough of a reference with what it was like, they are at a lost for where to start.

I have been a WWII reenactor for 6 years now is this exact thing is one of the reasons we do what we do. The fact that we make all efforts to portray the average person during the war, using the correct clothes and equipment, we are like walking time capsules for vets. The sights and sounds of the things they actually used and wore transport them right back to when they were there.

I cannot tell you how many times I've been in a living history display and a family comes up to see us. Kids, grandkids, greatgrand kids and grandpa. The simplest thing will catch grandpa's eye...a canteen, can opener, tooth brush.

He'll ask if he can look at it, then mention -- yeah -- I had one of these, you ever get the bristles stuck in your teeth -- that happened to guys all the the time. I remember when I was at such and such and we were in our fox hole and this guy sharpened the end of his tooth brush cause he lost his fighting knief.

Grandpa will free associate all these things with the reenactor and the family will stand there dumbfounded with their jaws wide open. When Gandpa moves on to the next display, his son or daughter will come up to the reenactor and say:

I've heard more about what my grandfather did in the last 5 minutes than in all of my entire life. He has never said a word about any of the things he just said.

I see/hear this happen over and over and over at events. I can't tell you how heartwarming it is to see the vet finally able to talk comfortably about what they did and the family finally able to share those experiences. I've heard of vets who haven't been able to talk about what happened for 60 years until they attended a reenactment with their family - and that gave them the shared reference to what happened that he needed to start talking. It's an incredibly powerful experience. This is why reenacting is so important to our history.

I encourage you to take your grandfather to a living history event - I can help you find one if you're not sure where one is close by. I think you will be amazed at the effect it will have.

At the very least, you might try bringing things that you've collected from that period or books you have on the era. This will help show him you truley have an interest and the objects you have can help connect with his memories.

Do you know if he was stationed in Hawaii during Pearl Harbor or after?

Troy

You know, Root, I'd love to hear stories just from my grandfather! But, like I said, he has said little to nothing about his experience. We only recently found out that he had been stationed in Waikiki--I'll tell you, were shocked when he mentioned this because it was just a matter of fact statement, and no one had been asking him anything related to the war. I asked him to tell me some memories about the 40s in general, but I think he couldn't understand why a young person would be interested (I'll bet this is true for a lot of people who lived them) and didn’t really say much. I did find out that his favorite song was ‘Cherokee’, and that he used to play it on every jukebox he came across.

Anyway, back to the women! I picked up a book-on-CD collection from the library a couple of weeks ago--it's called Love Letters from WWII. Neat stories, some from women, some from men. Quite a few women on the book worked in USOs or in aircraft plants, and they even spoke with an American women who joined the Women’s RAF (she had been adopted by Welsh parents and it took some doing before she was allowed to join up.)

 

[Wild Root]

indieflmkr you have hit the nail right on the head. I have gotten to talk with some vets and they see my clothes, car and all that I have collected and they love talking about those days. Some find it hard seeing I'm so young to them. I'll ask them who their favorite band was, they'll say: Oh, you wouldn't know who I was talking about, I would say: TRY ME! So, they say they loved Tommy Dorsey or some one like that and I'll ask them what song they liked the most and they'll tell me and I'll just sit there and reminisce like I really lived then. I have almost completely immersed my self in this era and even my Grandmother has told me that I know more about her era then she does!

When I talk to vets I give them my whole undivided attention and they love it. They ask me if I'm board and I say: NO WAY!

It is a real special feeling to connect with a vet and see them gleam when you know what their talking about.

There are those that have experienced so much that it is very painful to talk about. I give those guys a chance to talk about it and if they say they don't want to talk about the war, I'll tell them I respect that and I understand how hard it must be.

WWII Reenacting is such a great thing. Some I have talked to have said it's as dorky as the Star Trekies and when they said that I was so close to slapping them right in the kisser! To me it's reliving history and preserving it for future generations. I have been out to Camp Roberts and it was great! I want to get into reenacting soon when the money and time is there. It's a great thing!

God Bless our Vets!

Root.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I hope you get the chance to start reenacting soon, Root. It is great fun as well as an immense learning experience.

I assume you would be going GI, which is good as there always seems to be a shortage of hardcore GI units around.

 

[Wild Root]

Yes Vlad ol' buddy, I want to start soon. I may try and go for the October Roberts battle this year. Don't know.

I would like to go GI but all my good friends I have are in the German 352! So, my first battle almost two years ago was as a German! I know, catch you breath, it's ok! I'm still very American but, some reason all my buddies love the German stuff. I have to say I like it a bit my self. It looks good man but I'll never do 12th SS or any of those impressions.

Swinggal, I click on those links and find no images. Were there suposed to be images? Not sure.

Like to see them though!

Root.

PS. Here is something to get back on track.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Yes Vlad ol' buddy, I want to start soon. I may try and go for the October Roberts battle this year. Don't know.

I would like to go GI but all my good friends I have are in the German 352! So, my first battle almost two years ago was as a German! I know, catch you breath, it's ok! I'm still very American but, some reason all my buddies love the German stuff. I have to say I like it a bit my self. It looks good man but I'll never do 12th SS or any of those impressions.

Hehe. It is hard to imagine you in a German uniform, really. Probably because you look so good in the GI dress uniforms.

I am actually a German Waffen-SS reenactor myself, which I do in addition to Russian. Basically I go as a Russian to all the Eastern Front events and as a German to all the Western Front events. As I said, it is always good to see more GIs even if only as additional targets for my Mauser k98!

By the way, here is the site for my German group.

http://www.dasreich.net/

And as my attempt to keep this on track, here is a image showing a DRK nurse.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Wow, I love that last photo Root--she's a looker!

I would be interested in reenacting, but I don't know of any local groups...it’s probably too hot for most people to go traipsing about in wool uniforms! Incidentally, despite the extreme heat, during WWII there was a training base for British pilots in Mesa (located about 10 minutes from where I currently live.)

Indieflmkr--as for my grandfather, I'm sure that what you mentioned is the case here. We've thought that for some time now, actually. But I don't know if we could convince my grandfather to go to a reenacting event--I'm not sure he'd feel up to it. Anyway, he lives in Rome, GA, so I only see him once a year...perhaps the next time we visit we can try some of things you mentioned, and perhaps he will be inspired to talk. I know he thinks it's neat that his granddaughter appreciates the things he grew up with!

I believe he was stationed there after Pearl Harbor. I'm not sure the exact date that he enlisted, though. Isn't there a website that you can go to in order to confirm such things as dates of service? His last name is very uncommon, so I would imagine that might make it easier to find information with limited details.

And, to stay on track, my photo contribution:

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Great idea for film shoot...

Hey girls, what about a Rosie the Riviter-esque shoot?


Them Gremans look mean.

 

[Hondo]

Wow, I love that last photo Root--she's a looker!

I would be interested in reenacting, but I don't know of any local groups...it’s probably too hot for most people to go traipsing about in wool uniforms! [/IMG]

Interesting poster, Germany, the nurse (looker) looks like a guy!
Wish I could as well, reenact, but I have serious hearing loss (it was that accident) its not an old age thing, I'd make a good standin once I get dress uniform, no combat.
Thanks to all for the neat pictures. You folks rock!

 

[jitterbugdoll]

Bob, that's a great idea! And it just so happens that my father is building an airplane in his garage. Alas, it's not a warbird, but I'm still trying to convince him to paint a pinup on the side!

Hondo--thank you for posting those song lyrics!