P01U, Anna Novick ‘08, George Lee, Grandfather, 1928, United States
I interviewed my maternal grandfather, George Lee, who kindly agreed to answer the following questions.
Q: How old were you when the war began?
A: The war started on December 7, 1941. I had my birthday on December 13, and I was 13 years old.
Q: Do you remember what you were doing on December 7, when Pearl Harbor was bombed?
A: Our family had just come home from Sunday School, and I was watching our neighbor, Mr. Kidd, wash his car. He had the radio playing, and it said that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and attacked. I didn’t know where Pearl Harbor was, but they said it was in Hawaii. We had no television, only a radio, and I don’t remember much of what was said or what it meant. I didn’t know much about war, and our schools in that day and age did not discuss it, but we soon learned more than we wanted to know.
Q: Were you in the military? Did you want to join?
A: No, I was not old enough to enlist, although I always wanted to go into the military. My dad would not talk about war with Japan. My uncle, Carl Hildreth, was my favorite uncle, and he had served in World War I. He was in the Battle of Ardennes Forest, and when we were alone, he used to tell me about the war.
Q: What do you remember about rationing? How did it affect your family?
A: Yes, we did have rationing. Growing up in the coal fields of West Virginia, we were used to rationing, but this was another type of it. The stores accepted ration stamps for articles that we had to buy, but there was a time limit on them. Getting gasoline was a big obstacle for many people who owned cars and trucks. Most people got the “A” stamp, which was for three gallons a week. A “B” stamp was issued to doctors to make house calls and business owners, and this stamp was good for five gallons per week. A “T” stamp was issued to truckers who used their trucks to support the war program. It was also good for five gallons per week.
Just about everyone had a “Victory Garden” and shared their vegetables with each other. We had a garden, and Dad raised two pigs each year, for meat in the fall. Almost everything was saved for the war. Rubber products were practically non-existent, lard was reused, and gasoline was used only to go to church and emergencies. At school, we brought our lunch in a brown “poke” (paper bag) consisting of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and a drink. We bought war stamps at our school and pasted them in a book until we had $18.75, and then we bought a Savings War Bond.
There was a man called “Cheap John” who drove up and down the road in his truck, buying scrap iron and other materials for the war. We sold many things to him for the war. We were given stamps for two pairs of shoes per year, but we either went barefoot or wore cheap tennis shoes in the summer and saved our stamps for winter shoes. If you went to the movies, there was always a newsreel about the war.
During the war, a blue star was placed in the window of the family who had a member serving in the military. The saddest part was when the blue star was replaced with a gold one. Then we knew that he had been killed, and the whole community mourned. Everyone was fearful of receiving a telegram with that awful news.
Q: Did you and your family have a radio? If you did, did you ever listen to President Roosevelt’s radio speeches?
A: Yes, we had a radio, and Mom and Dad would turn it on for the news and to listen to President Roosevelt’s speeches.
Q: What do you remember about VJ (Victory over Japan) Day?
A: It was just another day, with people being thankful that their sons would hopefully be coming home. We waited and listened to hear what had happened to that country and their people.
Q: During the U.S. Occupation, were you in Japan? If so, where were you stationed?
A: Yes, I was in Japan during the occupation. I was stationed in Yokohama. I experienced my first earthquake on my first night there. I found the people to be friendly, and they did not seem to hold any resentment toward the military personnel. It was easy to work with them to help repair their culture.
Q: What do you remember about Japan while you were stationed there?
A: During the Occupation, we were restricted as to where we could go. We could ride some of the trains for free, but most of us gave them the price of a ride. We had to change our military scrip for yen. The exchange rate for military personnel was 360 yen for one dollar.