Senior Viewpoint

On 12/07/1941 I was two years old and living in West Allis (I think). Shortly thereafter, we moved to Milwaukee and bought a corner grocery on 24th and Cherry St. That's right across from St. Mikes church and about five or six blocks from you. Small world, ain't it?

Mom worked the store while Dad worked third shift at Blackhawk Machine - making bomb casings I believe.

The only things I remember about the war were all the gold stars on the doors of homes down the block, ration cards, and when I met a returned amputee who lived half way round the block. He used to let me push his wheel chair when we went for 'a walk'.

Following the war, I met a returning vet who had lived with us in Ripon - where I was born. He was a student at Ripon College, and the ski jump champ of Wisconsin one winter. He used to carry me down to the college on his shoulders for pep rallies.  During his short visit to our store, he accompanied us back into our living quarters, dropped his pants, and revealed his two new artificial legs. They were awarded to him for living through a mortar attack on a jeep in which he was riding. I don't know if he ever skied again.

SANTAS ELF. I know and knew almost all the guys from St.Michaels in my era. We hung out at Norris playground, 18th and Kilbourn. I attended West Division HS. The family in the upper flat lost 3 Sons in WWII and I remember the postman ringing once and the screaming upstairs. We had block captains with little tin hats, ration stamps amd victory gardens, some at home, and some at the outskirts of the city. War Bonds were sold everywhere and Bob Hope ended his radio show with "bye bye,buy bonds".

Every weekend the Sailors from Great Lakes Training Station in Illinois came to town to the USO and elsewhere for R&R.If you were in the military it was for the duration, draftee or enlisted. The song "Lets remember Pearl Harbor as we did the Alamo" was popular.

"We had block captains with little tin hats"

Yes! And they would walk round during a 'blackout' looking for light sneaking through a window.

I also recall that at St. Mikes, we'd have air raid drills and have to march down to the basement and stand facing the wall.

And I saw German prisoners working what local farmers referred to as 'pea viners' out in the fields just down the road from my grandfather's farm. Seems to me that they were pretty happy to be here rather than back in Europe facing Patton.

But I'll bet you never came home from school to find the FBI sitting in your living room, grilling Dad? I'll have to finish that story one day when we meet.

Update. If you are interested in the life of WWII German and Japanese POWs in Wisconsin, you can read all about it. See 'Stalag Wisconsin' at our own Brookfield Library.