Two Dawsons in World War II
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This e-mail was sent by Berniece Lemmons on 24 Nov 1998.
I am sending you a copy of a questionnaire that Matt Close, an 8th Grader in Adel, Iowa sent to Paul Dawson regarding his service in WWII. It is lengthy but thought you might like to see it. I will also try and add something that I sent to Matt. If you don't have time to read it at one sitting -- you might make a copy and read it later. I think it is a fantastic project for an 8th grade class. What do you think?
ADEL-DE SOTO-MINBURN MIDDLE SCHOOL
215 NORTH ELEVENTH
ADEL, IOWA 50003(515) 993-4778
David J. Elgin, Principal
Dear Grandparents and Friends of 8th Grade Students:
This year's eighth grade class is reading about World War II and the Holocaust. They will be reading the play "The Diary of Anne Frank" and the book "Friedrich" by Hans Peter Richter and many other personal choices of reading material to enrich their understanding of this time period. Along with this reading unit the students will also be doing an interview with someone who lived through this period of history.
This interview is designed to fit a wide variety of people. It can be completed in person, over the telephone, or through the mail. Students will share the completed interview in the form of a feature article.
Some of the questions raise sensitive and personal issues but are intended as a way of sharing history, not as invasions of privacy. If you are not comfortable answering a particular question, feel free to skip over it.
We appreciate your cooperation with us on this project. Praise and respect for those who endured and triumphed through the 1930's and 1940's cannot be overstated. Thank you for sharing your time and memories.Sincerely,
Pat Stalter, Reading teacherINTERVIEW FORM
Questions 1 - 10 are for everyone.
1. Year of birth__1923______, Your age in 1941 when the United States entered WWII__18________.
2. What was your life like before the United States entered the war in 1941? Tell something about your Childhood such as your favorite books, friends, good, clothing or entertainment. What was your family life like? Tell something about your parents and family, daily chores, school, teachers, toys, games, good times and bad times.
My life was spent in a small town in Western Kansas. I lived about a mile from town. My favorite books were about animals and adventure such as "The Call of the Wild." We raised most of our food, buying only sugar, salt, flour, etc. We raised our own animals for meat and had our own eggs and milk. Most of our entertainment was having parties, and an occasional movie.
Since part of that time we never even had a radio, and TV had not been invented, we spent most of our evenings around the piano, with the light of a kerosene lamp singing, or listening to the "hand cranked" Victorola. We had no electricity. We usually went to bed quite early since we had to get up early to do chores such as milking, feeding the chickens and hogs before school. Even though by today's way of life we had very few of the things we enjoy today our life was happy. We had very few toys that we hadn't made ourselves such as sling shots or wooden guns that shot rubber bands.
We had great respect for our school teachers.
3. How did you get the news about the war and the world? How many radios did you have in your home, how often did you listen, and what were your favorite radio shows?
We had only one radio in our home. It had no built in clock like the ones we have now and the sound quality was very poor. We listened to Amos and Andy, Lum and Abner and the Grand Old Opry. (Since we had no electricity the radio was battery operated.)4. Where did you live during WWII? Did you live in the city, in a town, or on a farm?
I lived in Ford, Kansas for the first 1-1/2 years of the war and finished High School. I then went into the Air Force.5. What was the best thing that happened to you during the war years?
I got married, so that is the best thing. I also enjoyed week-end passes to London when stationed in England.6. What was your work or job during the war years? Was it affected by the war?
See items under section referring to military service.7. If your were in school during the war, tell about that. Did you study about the war in school? Did you have special recycling drives or government bond campaigns? Did school change because of the war?
I was in school only during the first part of the war so we did not really study about the war.
8. Where were you and what were you doing on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor? How did you get this news?
I was in my hometown and, as I said earlier, I heard the news by radio in the drug store.9. Where were you and what were you doing when you first learned that Germany had surrendered in May, 1945? How did you get this news?
I was back from my overseas service and stationed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota when I heard Germany had surrendered. I got the news by radio.10. How did you receive the news that the atomic bomb had been dropped? How did you feel about that event?
I was home on furlough when I heard the atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan. While I was deeply saddened by the number of civilian people who died, I knew it would shorten the war and save tens of thousands of American lives because we would not have to invade Japan with a land army. And, after all, we did not start the war.11. The following is a list of terms we have touched upon in Reading Class. Please tell what you remember or thought about these.
The Great Depression
During the depression very few people had enough money for anything but the bare necessities. We bought very few clothes. We even half-soled our own shoes with soles you stuck on with glue because we didn't have enough money to buy new ones. Some families even made dresses for their daughters from flour sacks and cattle feed sacks. It cost 25 cents to go to a movie and a dime for a hamburger. Even so, many times we couldn't afford those. On Saturday nights we would go downtown and considered it a great treat when we had 10 cents to buy ice cream.Adolph Hitler
We all thought Adolph Hitler was a "power mad" maniac who, with the Nazis, wanted to rule the world and they didn't care how many people they killed or how much misery they caused the entire world to accomplish the job.
The Nazis (See above)Concentration Camps
Concentration Camps were camps where Hitler kept both civilian and military people who opposed his actions. He also kept millions of Jews there because he didn't like them. The camps were barbaric and inhuman. Inmates became skin and bones and most finally died from starvation.Japanese-Americans in internment camps
Many things, including these camps, need to be thought of in the light of the fact that we were in a war which included the survival of the American soldier and civilian. Japan was determined to kill as many people as it would take to take over our country and make all of us their slaves. Because of that, our Government thought it necessary to guard against sabotage of our war effort. As a result, we were not sure some Japanese would not be placed in our country to do damage to our factories turning out war materials. Even those Japanese who had become citizens might be sympathetic to their previous homeland. Since hindsight is usually 20/20 we were probably overly cautious and emotionally hurt good Japanese people who had become U.S. citizens. However, you need to remember, war is a life and death struggle and you have to be extremely careful.
Women in the military
While women in the military play a very important role, I am against women in combat. Since I was in combat myself and saw many people die, in my opinion women should not be placed in that position. Also, women are very necessary to the war effort by working in factories.
Women working in factories
As indicated above, women play an important part in the war effort by working in factories.Posters asking people to buy war bonds
Posters asking people to buy war bonds were everywhere and were very necessary to keep everybody aware of the great amount of money it takes to fight a war.
Ration stamps for food
Since I lived in a rural community, food stamps for sugar was the most inconvenient.Ration stamps for gasoline and tires
Rationing of gasoline and tires were not as hard to live with as would be the case now since then we did not drive great distances to work. It mostly affected vacations and pleasure driving.If you stayed at home or were not in the military please answer the following questions:
1. Did you go without things because of the war? Describe them and what was it like.
2. Did anyone close to you fight in the war? Were any of them injured or killed? If so how?
3. Describe the kind of work you did during the war years.
4. Did life in the United States change during the war years? Give some details.
5. How was life different in the early 1940's from today?
6. Did you know any healthy young men who stayed at home and were not in the military? Was it because of religion, doing necessary work or avoidance of the military?
7. What else can you tell about your life during those years? What were some of the good and bad things that happened during that time?If you were in the military, please answer the following questions:
1. Which branch of the service were you in?
I was in the Air Force.
2. Were you drafted or did you enlist
I was drafted.3. Where did you take basic training? Please describe what basics was like.
I took basic training in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Air Force had taken over the hotels on the beach and that is where I stayed. Since they were being used for soldiers, they had been refurnished with military bunks and other military furniture. Basic training was the first step in changing civilian young men into soldiers. First they cut almost all of our hair off, then they taught us how to march with everyone being "in step." We took very strenuous exercises, learned to fire guns (also to take them apart and put them back together), and to respect and obey without question our superiors. To prepare to fight a war it is absolutely necessary to be changed from a civilian to a soldier.4. What did your family at home do while you were in the military?
My family did the same thing during the war as before the war, with the exception of a brother who worked at the Air Force Base in Dodge City, Kansas, and a sister who worked at various military installations during the war.5. Where were you stationed for duty? How did you get there? What was your job?
After my military training in St. Petersburg, Florida; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Laredo, Texas and Tucson, Arizona I was stationed in England. We took flight training in Tucson, Arizona. That consisted of learning to fly in formation. We learned to fly close to each other so the German airplanes could not fly between us and shoot us down. One afternoon two airplanes got too close to each other and when they touched each other's wings they both crashed. Twenty men involved were all killed and one of them was my best friend. I got to my training staions in the U.S. by troop train and my duty station in England by airplane. My job in England was operating a radio, and when necessary a machine gun during bombing raids on Germany. Combat consisted of us dropping bombs on German factories making war equipment and trains shipping the equipment. While we were flying to our targets we were being shot at by huge anti-aircraft guns on the ground and we were attacked by fighter aircraft. You could see black smoke as the shells being shot at you exploded and explosions would rock the airplane and many times metal fragments would strike the airplane. Many airplanes were struck in vital spots, such as engines and gasoline tanks and they would go down over enemy territory. My plane on one trip received 178 holes but we were able to fly it back to England. After I completed my combat (30 missions) over Germany, I sailed from England to the U.S. on the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary was a huge ship that had been a luxury ocean liner before the war. Two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, were on the ship with us and put on a show for us while we were crossing the Atlantic Ocean.6. What was your service experience like? How was the food, shelter, clothing, recreation, etc?
The food, shelter and clothing were very good.7. Were you in active combat? Were you part of any major battles? What was the fighting like? Were you ever afraid?
I was in active combat. I was in the air war, dropping bombs, while flying from England and fighting over France and Germany. While over France and Germany we were fired on by huge anti-aircraft guns on the ground and German fighters in the air. I was afraid ALL of the time. Many of our planes were shot down.8. Were any of your friends injured or killed in the war?
Many of my friends were killed in the war.9. What did you learn about yourself during the war?
I learned I could endure things I never thought I could10. What was the best thing about the military?
The strong and lasting friendships you make when you face combat together.11. What was the worst thing about the military?
The worst thing about the military, after fearing for your life, was being away from home.12. What was the funniest thing that happened to you while you were in the service?
I can't think of any funny things.13. What did you think about most when you were in the military?
Home and my girl friend whom I later married.14. What did you learn by being in the military or in active combat?
Discipline.15. What did you do first when you came home?
Bought new clothes and went on a long vacation.16. What was your lifelike after the war What did you do for a living? Was it hard for you to get your life back to "normal"?
Life was very good after the war. I was a Budget Analyst for the US Government and it wasn't hard to get back to normal.17. Have you ever had flashbacks? What do you think about movies about WWII? Are they accurate?
I have had no flashbacks. The movies are fairly accurate.18. Have you kept in touch with any of your service buddies? Do you attend military reunions?
Yes, We have a reunion yearly and it is wonderful to see the men you participated with in those dangerous missions.These Final Questions Are For Everyone:
1. What lessons did you learn from the war years?
Always keep a strong Army, Navy, and Air Force.2. Why did the United States fight in WWII?
Because Germany and Japan wanted to take away our freedoms and rule over us.3. What does a young person today need to know and remember about World War II?
That you never want to be faced with another world war and the only way to avoid it is to be so strong militarily other countries will be afraid to attack the U.S. Also, you have to be changed from thinking like a civilian to thinking like a soldier who, though scared, is willing to die for your country. POLITICAL CORRECTNESS HAS NO PLACE IN THE MILITARY.
THANK YOU FOR PERMITTING ME TO ANSWER THESE VERY PERTINENT QUESTIONS.Paul Dawson
486th Bomb Group
8th Air Force
-----------------Comments by Berniece Dawson, Paul's sister:
I was born in 1919 and was 22 years old at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I lived in Ford, Kansas, a small town in Western Kansas. My brother Paul Dawson, a veteran of WWII, has written regarding our early years in Kansas. I need not repeat that. So I will tell you what I did during the war years.
We got word of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on a Sunday evening. I remember well I was vacuuming a new carpet I had recently purchased for my parents. I thought it was a beautiful carpet and was proud that it was possible for me to get it for them. I was listening to the radio and Gabriel Heater, a news commentator, interrupted regular programing to announce that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese. At that time our world changed.
I had taken a Civil Service Entrance Examination and in February of 1942 I received word that I had been accepted for a position in Washington, DC. After discussing it with my parents I decided that since the salary was quite lucrative--an annual salary of $1,620.00 which amounted to $105.00 a month. I could not turn it down even though it was half way across the nation. So I accepted the position and soon boarded a train for Washington, DC. It was necessary to make a change of trains (and stations) in Chicago. When we got there I got a taxi and was taken to the other train station. When I arrived at the other station I learned that the transfer was included in the price of my ticket and the Railroad Company would have taken me.
During my stay in Washington I stayed with a lady who went to the same church I did and who rented to four girls who had come from South Carolina, Vermont, Missouri and Kansas. We each paid $40.00 a month for room and the evening meal. That left me all of $65.00 for other expenses. I bought a trolley pass for $2.00 a week. With this pass one could ride the trolley anywhere in the DC area for one week.
My job assignment was with the War Department in the Office of The Adjutant General. My particular assignment was in the Correspondence Section. We handled correspondence from the entire U.S. As one can imagine the correspondence was voluminous and varied in content. A large portion of the work was inquiries that had been forwarded to our office from members of congress. This was referred to as Congressionals, and was prepared for the signature of General J. A. Ulio, Adjutant General. A difficult part of the job was also that we were the office to send telegrams to parents advising them that their son had been wounded in action, killed in action, or taken prisoner.
The tour in Washington was interesting and gave opportunity to see, among other things, the Potomac, Mount Vernon, the Washington Monument, and many historic buildings.
It seemed there were no natives of Washington DC in the area. There seemed to be a continuing epidemic that spread throughout the District. They called it "Homesick". It seemed almost everyone had it. If you didn't have it today -- undoubtedly by next week you would be a victim. Sure enough, I did not escape and not too far into my career I transferred to Kansas City, Mo. and worked at the Kansas City Quartermaster Depot. I worked in the Subsistence Division where we processed requisitions for food from military installations in seven states, i.e., from Wyoming to Texas. This was interesting and rather amazing to observe the quantities and variety of food that was required to sustain an army base of service personnel.
But, guess what. In due time I decided to make application for a job at the Army Air Base in Dodge City, KS which would mean I could be at home and commute the 20 miles to work. I did make the transfer and again worked in the Subsistence Division at the Base. Now, I was on the other end of the spectrum and was requisitioning from the Kansas City Quartermaster Depot.
Though I was not in the military it seemed I kept on the move. (My family didn't call me a "gypsy" for nothing.) In July 1950, I went to work at the Oklahoma Military District in Oklahoma City. This was at the beginning of the Korean Conflict. I worked in the S-3 and cut Special Orders, ordering Reserve Officers and units to Active Duty. I also processed applications for officer and enlisted reservists to attend Army Service Schools to further their military education.
It was interesting to work with the officers and enlisted men who were actually on active duty at the Military District. In the service when doing correspondence one of the words used often was: "Recommend". I worked with one M/Sgt Graham who could not remember how to spell "Recommend". He often asked me but was embarrassed to continue to ask and would endeavor to look it up. One day I saw him looking at the dictionary. I said, "Graham, it is one c and two m's".
In 1959 the Oklahoma Military District consolidated with Arkansas and Texas and the installation moved to Arkansas. I opted to not transfer and went to work for the Federal Aviation Agency. I retired from there after 32 years of government service.I commend you Eighth Graders for the wonderful project you are completing. I trust and pray none of you will ever have to go through the horrors of war. It is a life-changing experience. After 57 years one's heart is still broken when we recall all that happened to us, our loved ones, and our Great Nation during those days.
I hope I have not gone too far afield from The Project relating to WWII. It is a reminder that military service does continue and it takes dedicated individuals who will give of themselves in service to the nation we love. Thanks for the privilege you have given me.I am taking the liberty to include the following taken from the "Daily Oklahoman" printed on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
DECEMBER 7, 1941
Time and television seem to rob memory, but images haunt. It was a clear Sunday in Hawaii, shattered by the most devastating surprise attack ever inflicted upon the U.S. military.
After a morning of horror, the greatest generation since foundation of this Republic went to work with grim defiance. Relinquishing even life itself, they offered their own pearl of great price. Victory came, in the end.
Now, on quiet Sundays, their children should contemplate anew once-unimaginable sacrifices of treasure and time -- that we might remain free.Berniece (Dawson) Lemmons
Great-GrandAunt of Matt Close
(Posted 21 Oct 2006)