World War II 1/2008

GRANDMA RITA’S RAMBLINGS
To my grandkids with love,

JANUARY 2008

WORLD WAR II


A FOUND TREASURE


I am so excited to tell you of the wonderful treasure that I discovered a few weeks ago. I was preparing to write an e-mail to you about WWII. I wanted to relate to you some things that happened during that time that would be interesting to you. It was then that I came across something that was just what I needed to help me.


One day, I was digging around in an old file cabinet in the laundry room. It contained things that I seldom need--old income tax reports, old papers and letters too good to shred. As I was going through some of it, I found it. There behind some file folders was a bunch of old letters that I had totally forgotten that I had!


Looking more closely I realized they were letters written by your grandpa Lynn some sixty-five years ago during WWII. After looking at them and seeing the dates I remembered that his mom had given them to me a number of years ago. Why I never read them or remembered that I had them I don't know.


At any rate, here were hundreds of letters stacked in chronological order from the time your grandpa Lynn boarded the train leaving for Boot Camp in December of 1942 until when he was discharged on March 7, 1946. I was so fascinated with reading them that I almost forgot to go to bed that night! After many hours of careful reading, I just last night finished. Writing was something your grandpa enjoyed and was good at so he wrote sometimes every day or every other day. I imagine he easily averaged every three or four days all through those four years.


He was not able to identify where he was. In a couple of the letters he had given a bit too much information and the censor cut out part of the letter! But he did write a lot about people he met, He carefully maintained his love for the Lord and always enjoyed meeting new people at the various churches and Christian Fellowships--and USO's along the way. .


The following information I write about has been gleaned from those somewhat yellowed and long neglected pages. Yes, I say again that these letters are, I believe, a real treasure and I hope can be preserved in our family for years to come. I hope you will have an opportunity to someday read through some of them.


IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND PLACES
(As Grandpa Lynn saw it) 1942-1946)


I don’t intend to write about events particularly, but about people that I think might be of most interest to you. You can read such facts in other sources. It amazes me how little I knew about the various battles, such as Iwo Jima and Normandy. This was largely because we didn’t have communication like we do today.


For instance, there were newspapers, radios, letters, V-mail, telegrams and word of mouth. Compare that to TV imbedded reporters, very adequate phone lines, e mail, satellites, and many other ways that I don’t know or understand.


So let’s get started. Why don’t you pull up a chair by me and I’ll dust off a few albums that haven’t been looked at for years. As I mentioned I have already gone through my file drawers to get my computer brain to remember.


SEEING THE WORLD

Your Grandpa Lynn had a unique opportunity to see places and meet people that gave him a perspective that he previously had not had. It was December 1942 and this young man of twenty years who loved his home state of Minnesota was about. to see lands and seas he had never before known.


In his letters he was never able to reveal his location, but from pictures in our album we know that he covered lots of places. All were in the Atlantic, European side of our country. But first he must take training in Lawrence, KS, (KU) and Syracuse, NY.


His first time out on the Atlantic was on the USS Pennewill. After a number of months and many ports, he came back to Norfolk, VA for more training in diesel, pumps, evaporation, and refrigeration. His work was down in the engine room where it was hot and smelly.


After completing his further training, he was assigned to a destroyer named the USS Laub. From what I gathered he did not see any serious action. There were some tense times. For the most part he was fortunate enough to see a lot of the world on the Atlantic side at the expense of Uncle Sam.

In the album there are many pictures of Recife, Brazil, Alexander, Egypt, Rock of Gibraltar, Valetta, Malta, Sliema, Malta, Puerto Rico, Trinidad (Island NE of Venezuela), Casablanca, Toulan and Cannes, France, Marseille, France, Algeria, North Africa, and others.

There is more--let’s go on and browse through more of this old album. You will see many newspaper articles that I assume people sent him, of the Yalta Conference when world leaders met with Roosevelt on issues regarding the War. The reason was that the Laub was one of several destroyers that escorted Roosevelt to the area where they met. He said that was pretty exciting.


FOREVER FRIENDSHIPS:

Every place he went he spent his time off, (called Liberty), looking for good churches where there would be people of the same faith that he could connect with and find good Christian fellowship. As a result he developed strong friendships that lasted his lifetime. He was very good at keeping contact with many of them after the War. Also the USO’s were plentiful and treated servicemen with great honor. It was a wonderful place to meet other servicemen and women.


He had one special Christian friend. His name was Willard Nuss. They were close because their assignments were to the same ships. Throughout the War they would be separated for a time, but seemed to always get back together so they could go places together. This was a miracle that they could never have orchestrated themselves.


Even since your grandpa died, I still hear from Willard’s wife who lives in Toronto, Canada. She sent me something she wrote in a senior paper that she edits. Here is a part of what she wrote about these two sailors.

“Willard’s first assignment on the USS Pennewill brought on a life-changing encounter with a fellow sailor Lynn Manlove--a Navigator--who was sitting on his footlocker reading his Bible when Willard went down the ship’s stairs to the sleeping quarters--”

Willard has told us of this a number of times-- how much your grandpa helped him spiritually.


He also had many lady friends he met in these many places. All of them were acquaintances he met when he was on liberty. One special one was Mary who lived in Lawrence, KS. Because of severe opposition from parents, Mary ended the relationship.




BACK ON THE HOME FRONT:
(as Grandma Rita saw it)


As for me, life on the Nebraska farm went on much the same after we heard that famous speech through the crackling and static of our little radio. The voice was that of our President, Franklin D Roosevelt, who informed us that our nation was at war. It was December 7, 1941. The Japanese had just attacked Pearl Harbor.


I was a freshman at Wauneta High School. I usually drove the 8 miles to school in our 1938 Oldsmobile Coupe. However, when gas rationing started I stayed in town more with my Grandma Miller. I only went back to the farm on weekends.


The government saw the importance of farmers continuing to produce crops and it affected us in two ways--less fuel rationing, and young men who were farmers often didn’t get drafted if they could prove themselves essential to the war effort. There was no one of draft age in our family.


I remember only a few of the things that we were rationed, or hard to get. Sugar, gas, -- and you wouldn‘t believe this next item--ladies silk stockings! No such things as nylons in those days. I’m sure there were other things but these are the ones that I remember.


We were very proud when sister Lois became a Navy nurse. She was stationed in Mare Island CA. There she met her future husband, Smitty, who was also from Nebraska. This farmer turned Marine was back in the States and in the hospital from health problems developed in the Pacific with serious health problems. He is one of many who do not want to talk about his war experiences.


One of my heroes in the service was Mason Miller, my cousin, who was in the Infantry. I wrote him faithfully. Below is a bit of a letter that he wrote to me on April 11, 1944 when he was in a foxhole in Italy fighting the Germans.


“Tonight I’m glad I’m in my hole. Jerry seems to think that we have something important parked around here someplace and he’s bound and determined to put it out of commission. The concussion from the shells exploding nearby causes our candle-flames to flicker and jump. Me, too, sometimes! Our home is fairly safe--we have it sandbagged and dug deep----”

This letter reminds me of a saying that I often heard during those four devastating years. “There are no atheists in foxholes”. As was true on 9/11 the seriousness of war turned hearts to God and prayer. We as a country were also united, as I have not seen since.

Now that I’ve started writing about this I don’t know where to stop! There is so much more to tell you. --Like, the many good things that took place during those years, and the after affects of the War. I continue to think of things that I want to include. My next writing will be “After the War”. This will include how your Grandpa Lynn and I met! (No more girlfriends at every port!)

If there is something in here that you would like to ask me about, just let me know and I’ll try to clear it up.

Love to all and God bless,
Grandma Rita



.