World War II was a slow progression in the 1940s, but my high school days were filled with new challenges and excitement. We had many trips to Longwood Gardens, Valley Forge, and historical sites in Chester County. However, it was not wise to travel too far because of the uncertainty of the war situation. A German sub was sighted off the coast of Atlantic City. Two German spies were captured in Chester. The stories were endless, and people just stayed home, and the war was reported to us each day by radio and newspapers. The war years were depressing because no one knew for sure how the fighting was progressing from Anzio to Guadalcanal. Many friends and relatives had been wounded or killed, and these were hard times for all Americans.

Every evening at five church bells at the Episcopal church would ring in memory of those killed in the service. A blue star flag was hung in the window for a son or daughter in the service. A gold star flag in the window showed that someone in the family had been killed. We were consumed by the war and uncertainty of those times. There were many stories of Germans landing on the east coast and Japanese on the west coast. The bombs seemed to be coming at any time, so there were endless air raid drills in practice for these expected bombs, which fortunately never came to West Chester.

There were very few young men around West Chester. They had mostly enlisted or been drafted. All men's sports teams were discontinued until the war was over. The Army Postal School at West Chester State had drill classes and inspections for all army troops every day. The soldiers marched everywhere, including the streets in our neighborhood and through town. We were at war; as a kid I was very aware of this crisis for our country.

Click Here to return to the previous page.
.