Luzerne County Memories

Part 8

Part 8:

* World War II

* World War II: The Draft

* Memorial Day / Decoration Day: A Homegrown Parade

WORLD WAR II

Thank you "PokeAdelle" and Tammy for posting the WWII news items and the list of casualties from Luzerne County in WWII. The listing brought back memories.

Although there were several names of distant friends and acquaintances, a few names were "special."

I remember, as a boy, going to see the 1936 Newport High School State Championship basketball team play. Keith Jeffries, who was killed at Pearl Harbor, was a member of that team.

At least two of my graduating class were listed. Drew Harter, who was killed in Europe, was the son of a prominent funeral director in town. Luther Kemrite, who was killed on Iwo Jima, was a close friend and we played a lot of sandlot sports together. There may have been other members, but our class was very large and it was difficult to know everyone.

The name that "jumped out" at me was Billy Semmer(s). Bill was a year ahead of me in school, but everyone knew him because of his high school basketball ability. He was well known in the valley. Unbeknown to each other, we were part of the same task unit which took part in the invasion of Leyte (Oct. 1944) and Luzon (Jan. 1945).

There were eight oilers and about ten or twelve escorts in the unit. It was the job of the oilers to fuel ships of the fleet and so they were separated from the unit and dispatched to rendezvous with other elements of the fleet to fuel them. An escort provided sonar for submarine protection and went along. Fueling at sea made it impossible to talk to crew members of other ships, but there were times when, at anchor, a ship would come alongside for fuel. At times like these,

members would line up along the railing and shout out, "Anyone from PA or NJ or VA, etc.?"

If an affirmative answer came, the next question was, "Anyone from Wilkes-Barre or Hazleton, etc.?" We never had any success in finding anyone until one day I came on deck and looked at the other ship and there was Billy!! He came aboard and for an hour we had a great visit. As his ship pulled away, the crews of both ships waved and shouted "Good Luck." We both wrote home and told our respective parents of the meeting.

Bills ship was assigned to another tanker and he left. I didn't see his ship again. Several weeks later, I received a letter from home which informed me that Billy had been killed in action. I was amazed because it took a letter from home, ten thousand miles away, to break the news.

It's strange how things stir memories. If I happen to glance at a digital clock and, if on a rare occasion, it reads 6:37, I think of Bill. His ship was the USS Bowers DE 637.

It wasn't until this past spring that I found out how he got killed. On a navy chronology of ships that were sunk or damaged in WWII, I found his ship had been hit by a suicide plane off the coast of Okinawa on April 15, 1945.

WORLD WAR II: THE DRAFT

I am still reminded of those names on the Luzerne County casualty list that Tammy posted a few weeks ago. Many of them were young men who had just graduated from high school.

Today's high school seniors are filling out college applications or waiting for replies. That wasn't the case a little over fifty years ago. Most coal miners could not send their children to college and so the graduates looked for work. But first, their draft status had to be resolved.

The draft began in 1940 or 41 but did not include 18 year olds. I remember when the first contingent of draftees left our town for Fort Indiantown Gap. They went by train from our local station, and since it was an historic occasion, the high school student body was excused for a few periods to see them off. The students crowded the little parking lot and street making it difficult for the families to have a quiet farewell. Realizing their mistake, the school administration didn't excuse the students after that.

On Dec. 7, 1941, my dad and I sat in our front room listening to a football game. When the announcer broke in with the news of the Pearl Harbor attack, my dad, uncharacteristically, leaped to his feet and said, "We'll lick them in six weeks." It took a little longer.

In 1942, the draft age was lowered to 18. Now, although I was only 16, I began to see my friends leaving for the service. Many older high school students quit school to join the marines, navy or coast guard to avoid being drafted into the army.

A group of senior boys of the class of 1942 had formed a small band. It was a very good band and entertained at many dances. For the final school assembly before graduation, they were asked to perform for the student body. Their parents were invited and sat in the front row seats. Toward the end of their concert, Mr. Davis, the principal, announced that three of the boys would be leaving for the army right after graduation. When they played their last number, MY BUDDY, I remember how the parents cried. It was very moving.

Our class, 1943, did not have a yearbook. The photographer simply made a large "collage" of postage stamp size graduation pictures in rows without names! We now have pictures of graduates but can't identify them.

As the war went on, the casualties were posted in the newspaper. By 1945, the people had read about places that they never knew existed. Places like New Guinea, Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Palau, Okinawa, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Balikpapan, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and the list goes on and on.

Banners began appearing in the front windows of homes. The banner had a white background and a border of red and blue. There was a star in the center for each member of the family in the service. A blue star indicated a person in the service. A silver star for a person overseas. A gold star for a person who gave his/her life while in service.

In those days, mail from overseas was censored. We were urged to write V-mail instead of using regular writing paper. The purpose was to cut down on the bulk. "V-mail" was a sheet of paper about 8 x 11 inches with a red and blue border. There were flaps with directions on how to fold it properly. A box at the top was provided for the address. Each V-mail was then photographed and a photo-stat was sent home. It was about 4 x 4 after the picture was taken. It was not a good copy and, many times, was almost illegible.

My turn came in 1943 after graduation. I had a very good friend, Tom, who spent four years of high school sharing the same homeroom and most classes. Since my father was blind and his father was dead, we spent our junior and senior years in high school by working after school in

the mill. One day after graduation, Tom, who was older than me, informed me he was being drafted. I went down after work and enlisted so we could go together. Along with my neighbor, Joe, we decided we were all going into the navy.

We went to the induction center in Wilkes-Barre for our physicals. There were so many people being examined that we soon got separated. After going from station to station to be prodded, pried and peeked, I arrived at the final table. I was asked if I wanted the army, navy or marines. When I said, "Navy," I was directed to a room with about 20 other young men. I looked around but didn't recognize anyone. Later, Joe told me he decided to go into the marines, and, still later, Tom called me on the telephone and between sobs, he told me he failed the physical. Tom died a few years ago but during the ensuing years, we laughed many times about how I got to go to the navy ... alone. Tom was a good friend and I miss him.

I just thought I'd reminisce about WW2 and how it affected the young men at the time. Hope you don't mind even if it isn't technically genealogy.

MEMORIAL DAY / DECORATION DAY: A HOMEGROWN PARADE

My wife and I walked past one of our town's cemeteries this morning and heard gunfire from a salute. From across the street, we saw 17 (I counted them) members of the American Legion honoring the dead. There was not one other person in the cemetery. Looking at the graves, I saw far more graves without flowers than with flowers. I thought how different it is today than it was when I was growing up in the 1930's.

Back in the 30's, my maternal grandmother would remind her children that they were expected to go to the cemetery on Decoration Day. Although she was a very kind and loving person, all of her children knew that it was an order. It was a day that she wanted her family to honor their ancestors.

Unlike today, when there was no parade, there was a big parade back then. It was a "homegrown" parade with all the participants from the town. That is, except for the mounted police at the head. I don't know if they were State Police or Highway Patrolmen. (Anyway, the two groups joined in 1937.)One could always count on a drum and bugle corps and a few bands to be present. Actually, there was the boy scout, American Legion and the Junior Mechanic (Jr.O.U.A.M) drum and bugle corps. The high school and the firemen had the bands. Interspersed between the bands, were various ethnic lodges and fraternal groups. Crowds lined the streets to watch the groups pass by. The parade dispersed at the foot of a hill between two cemeteries. Here, a flat bed truck, decorated with patriotic bunting, was set up for the speakers. After a few very short speeches, the American Legion Honor Guard would march up and through the cemeteries. I still remember the highly polished WWI helmets they wore and their WWI uniforms. As they marched, the drummers kept the cadence. They visited each deceased member's grave and fired a salute.

The American Legion going into the cemetery was the cue for the people to follow. The cemetery rapidly filled with scores of people. My grandmother's lot was alongside of the road just inside the gates of the cemetery. It was a great site. She stood there surrounded by her family, greeting the passersby and talking with those she knew. She was thrilled when a friend from the "old country" came along and she could converse in Welsh.

As we stood there, we could hear the gunfire and taps being played in other parts of the cemetery. When the American Legion left, we would join the long line of people walking around the circular road. There were a lot of greetings and conversations as old friends greeted each other. It was a real social event as well as an event where the dead were honored. Quite a contrast to today's unvisited graveyards.

After WWII, there were far too many graves for the Legion to honor individually. Instead, they had white crosses with the individual's names painted on. These crosses were placed in the ground of the vacant lot to resemble a military cemetery. However, even that practice is gone.

Remember, in the 30's, there were no backyard pools, backyard barbecues or as many cars. These were mostly miners and their families with little money for recreation. Therefore, they took the holiday and made it a time to remember. (BTW, Decoration Day was the day that folks began to wear white clothes. It was the custom of the time. Many would not think of wearing white before that day and they wouldn't be caught wearing white after Labor Day.) :-)

According to a news item on TV today, there were 16 million men and women in the armed services during WWII. There are only 6 million still living. The commentator stated that these veterans are dying at the rate of one thousand per day. You young genealogists should take the advice of Tom Brokaw (THE GREATEST GENERATION) and visit one of these people with your tape recorder. Time goes by very quickly.

On to page 9 of Luzerne County Memories.