Dominik Kowalski, one of my paternal great-grandfathers:
In April 1942, the United States conducted what is now known as the "Old Man's" draft registration. This registration was for men who were born between 1877 and 1897 - those who were 45-60 years old. The intent of this registration was to record the amount of domestic manpower available for home front war support. Two of my great-grandfathers and two of my husband's great-grandfathers registered in this draft (click on pictures below for larger images). Each card lists the registrant's name, home address, date and place of birth, name and address of employer, and a person of close contact (usually a wife, sibling or parent). The second page of the card also lists physical characteristics of the applicant. Because this occurred in 1942, these cards are a great way of keeping track of where your ancestors lived and worked in between the 1940 and 1950 U.S. Censuses. Try looking up one of your relatives at FamilySearch.org. Dominik Kowalski, one of my paternal great-grandfathers: Louis (Luigi) Licciardi, one of my maternal great-grandfathers: Lawrence Brunswick, one of my husband's maternal great-grandfathers: Anthony A. Schroeder, one of my husband's paternal great-grandfathers:
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Today is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, essentially bringing the United States into World War II. My grandfather, William Bellan, fought on the Pacific Front in the War. He is pictured here along with other Cleveland, Ohio infantrymen from the 37th Division. It was published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on April 10, 1944, with the caption: "Nineteen Clevelanders on Bougainville. Seasoned veterans of jungle fighting after nearly two years overseas, these 37th division infantrymen have fought for control of the Northern Solomons from New Georgia to Bougainville." I know that the Solomon Islands are somewhere in the vast Pacific, but I had to look up details about this military campaign because I don't remember learning about it. Bougainville Island is located in the South Pacific, not far from Papua New Guinea. Turns out that the Bougainville Campaign lasted almost two years, not ending until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945. The Japanese took it over in 1942, built several airfields and naval anchorages, and strategically it became very important in their quest to take the other Solomon Islands, as well as in disrupting crucial communication lines between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
For people of my generation, who are used to traveling pretty much anywhere we want with relative ease, it is difficult to imagine the thoughts of the servicemen and women who literally went halfway around the world to fight for our country. In a time before commercial air travel and interstate highways, average people of this generation rarely even traveled out of state, let alone to a different country or continent. The idea must have been, pardon the pun, foreign to them. But, they all had very specific jobs to accomplish, and I'm sure that the Armed Forces leadership didn't let them dwell too much on just how far away from home they really were. And I wonder how my grandfather's parents, who were immigrants from Croatia, felt about the possibility of one of their children becoming seriously injured or dying in a part of the world they had never heard of and one that was completely inaccessible to them. Probably not what they had in mind when they decided to come to America to live and raise a family. (My grandfather's mom passed away in April 1946; I'm not exactly sure when my grandfather returned from his service, but I do hope it was in time to see his mom before she died.) Today's lesson: You may find yourself WANTING to learn about moments in U.S. history if you know that one of your ancestors played an active part in shaping it. ©2012, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder |
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