Remembering the members of the ‘Back-up Team’

PRIME – April 2015 By Jane D. O’Donoghue Special to PRIME When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, overnight we became a country at war with all the attendant sacrifices and unity. Much has been written about the men and women who stepped up immediately to serve in whatever way they could. They have been labeled “The Greatest Generation.” I christen the rest of us “The Back-up Team” This hypothetical team was formed by anyone able to pitch in where and when needed for the war effort. My grandmother became our caretaker as my mother learned machinery skills and labored 10 hours a day at the Springfield Armory. My sister Catherine found a part time job at Poole’s in downtown Springfield. I became a babysitter for 40 hours a week while the child’s parents both left home daily for essential production work. Our younger siblings became collectors of paper, tinfoil from gum wrappers and helped save grease or fat. Any scrap metal was prized also. All of these were gathered as requested by the government. Many families started growing vegetables and these were coined “Victory Gardens.” For those with automobiles, gas was rationed depending on your work. My grandmother coped with ration books in an effort to feed us and stood in line when it was known that special foods might be available. She especially enjoyed getting butter and claimed it was for me. That might be because I complained loudly about the terrible white block that was oleomargarine. Included with this block was a package of yellow food coloring meant to be incorporated so that we could pretend the oleo was butter. It rarely mixed evenly and there was no pretending it was butter. My mother especially found the scarcity of coffee difficult. She added chicory and other spices often to extend what coffee there was. We ate Spam, as well as other new foods such as beef tongue and kidneys, yet accepted that was a sacrifice on our part. Shoes could be bought with ration stamps only. Skirts became shorter and men’s trousers lost their cuffs to conserve fabrics needed for military uniforms. My next job was in Kresge’s after school. Rumors of nylons for sale in Forbes & Wallace or Steiger’s caused lines to form. This was the same with yard goods. In lieu of nylon or silk stockings, we spread a liquid called Leg-Makeup trying to resemble stockings. This streaked often, and flaked off onto our skirts. I rarely managed an attractive finish. I wrote letters to my cousins and often to their buddies who enjoyed letters from home, even if it wasn’t their own. When one cousin was stationed on Guadalcanal in the ordinance division, I received Vmail. These were letters written by him that were censored and photographed. This was sent Stateside and developed into a copy. Black spaces indicated what was deleted by the censors for security. What came to me was a lightweight paper printed with his writing. Neighborhood Air Raid Wardens patrolled to enforce blackout regulations. We hung heavy shades or curtains to eliminate any light identifying our homes, factories and businesses. Our area was especially vulnerable with Westover Air Force Base in nearby Chicopee. School children bought savings bonds and the City of Springfield also staged a huge Book and Author War Bond Rally. They raised a total of $1,326,673 at the two-week effort. This was enough to buy four bombers. Recently, I realized it is 70 years ago this month that the only President I had ever known died. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died on April 12th, and immediately we had a new leader in Harry S. Truman. I was a Junior at Cathedral High School, we were producing the annual Minstrel Show at the Auditorium and two performances were canceled. Schools closed for several days as the country paid respects to our fallen leader. President Truman was now in charge of guiding us in the war. Signs of peace in Europe were heartening. When the “Greatest Generation” came home, we rejoiced. Others who didn’t return, we mourned. The military men and women settled into their lives through work, and many found they could also attain further education. The “Back-Up Team” fell into place again, yet many realized the new skills learned when subbing for the military beckoned to them too. America had changed forever. Jane D. O’Donoghue is a Hungry Hill native and retired school librarian. Her writing has appeared in local and regional publications.