A Boys Story - Preface - The Adventures Of Charles Kent
Most of the world was at war when I was born and America joined the fight with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii two days before my fourth birthday on December 7, 1941. “A day that will go down in infamy” according to President Roosevelt… and I was there to hear it live on the Zenith radio!
America was already rationing food and materials for the war effort. Cars displayed a gas sticker on the wind shield and it was everyone’s duty to conserve… so we all walked everywhere, every day.
Neighbors all knew each other and helped each other. We listened to the same radio programs, walked to the same neighborhood stores and shops. When we drove to church on Sunday, it was about the only time we used the car.
Every home received a daily newspaper and milk was delivered to your door by a man in a horse drawn milk wagon. Parents taught kids to read before they went to school. I read newspapers and comic strips in the Milwaukee Journal and Superman comic books before I read about Dick and Jane at Maryland Avenue School.
Information was displayed on huge billboards and signs were everywhere… “loose lips sink ships”… “buy war bonds”. Newspapers and radios provided us with daily information. Newsreels at the East and Oriental Theaters were seen at least once a week by everyone.
The Nazi’s leader, Adolf Hitler, was a scary looking guy and his soldiers were running everywhere when they were not in huge parades. Italy’s leader was Benito Mussolini who shaved his head and saluted a lot to Hitler. England had a King, and they had Prime Minister Churchill who smoked big cigars and signaled a victory sign to cameras. The Japs had an Emperor who liked to ride a white horse, but never said anything. Tojo was the leader of their soldiers and sailors… he looked very sneaky and sinister.
It was a fearful time, everything was so uncertain. Soldiers were dying. Olive drab army cars would be seen going to visit the family of another fallen soldier.
Home was an upper flat on Cramer Street on the East side of Milwaukee. Dad was a route salesman for the Polly Prim laundry on North Avenue. He later made plastics for the War. Mom worked for the A&P on Murray Avenue and my sister went to Riverside High School on Locust Street.
My relatives were in the armed services or worked in industries that supported the War effort. Some of this work was secret.
It was like there was a great cloud over everything and everybody… but everyone had energy and a sense of duty, a sense of we are all in this together. We had a common purpose and common enemies. Everyone had a job to do. We were vigilant and fearful that there was something terrible on the horizon.
The War was often the topic of conversations… We were all in the War and daily reminders were all around us.