Episode 42 - Home of the Brave

Each 4th of July, the United States marks its birthday with parades, festivities, food, and fireworks. But how do you mark such a joyful occasion in the midst of war? In honor of America's 250th birthday, Sarah explores how Americans celebrated during WWII despite the grim circumstances their sons and daughters faced on the battlefronts. She shares a poignant speech by FDR and we learn about the brave wartime WAFS pilot, Cornelia Fort.  

To see images, recipes and research conducted for this episode go to victorykitchenpodcast.substack.com. To learn more about Sarah and this podcast go to thevictorykitchenpodcast.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Happy 250th birthday, America. In a time of war, how does a country celebrate its birthday? What did celebrations look like? Did they use fireworks? What kind of food did they serve as part of festivities? In this episode, we'll be answering those questions and more by taking a look at how the United States celebrated the Fourth of July in the midst of World War II. So let's get started. Welcome to the Victory Kitchen, the podcast all about American food rationing during World War II. I'm your host, Sarah Creviston Lee, author, historian, and vintage foodie. I'll be exploring the logistics of food rationing, featuring wartime cookbooks and recipes, and highlighting real home front experiences. We're going to be learning exactly what our grandmothers had to do to get their food to fight for victory. Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Victory Kitchen. This is a really special episode because I wanted to commemorate the 250th anniversary of us declaring independence. So uh, and I thought, what better way than to explore how Americans were celebrating Independence Day in World War II? On July 4th, 1941, President Roosevelt addressed the nation from Hyde Park, New York. The United States had yet to enter the war, and his speech was almost exactly six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Even though we weren't officially in the fight yet, there was a lot of feeling about the threat that Hitler and his allies posed to the free world. Roosevelt's speech not only marked the 165th birthday of our country, it was a call to protect our freedoms. So let's have a listen.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

The President of the United States. In this new case, we have a late business. In the same time, we've got to be able to do it. And in these days, we cannot save freedom. We have some muskets alone. We know that we cannot say freedom in our own mess in our own land. Freedom. We are engaged in the series in a mighty in a unified action. In the center of the Hamlet Sea. And the freedom of the sea. We need lion sea and unity alone. We need seed and a fish and sea and family. And a mission. And a man. And a happy and civil oasis of liberty. By a cruel service of the papership. So it is that when we repeat the great pledge to our country and to our flag, it must be our deep conviction that we pledge as well our work, our will, and if it be necessary, our very lives.

SPEAKER_02 6:10

This was a very moving speech, and I know that the sound quality was is a little bit hard because of the old radio, but uh I will have the text of the transcript on my substack. What really struck me in this speech was towards the end, especially where he says, We know too that we cannot save freedom in our own midst, in our own land, if all around us our neighbor nations have lost their freedom. Then he says, I tell the American people solemnly that the United States will never survive as a happy and fertile oasis of liberty surrounded by a cruel desert of dictatorship. And these sentiments are really important not only because of at this time period where we hadn't entered the war yet, I think Roosevelt and others definitely saw it on the wall. But you know, this was the philosophy behind how we were fighting and how that story was told to the American public as well. And I think it it has a lot of truth to it too, because if you know the countries surrounding us or our allies are under a dic the dictatorship of Hitler, then how and others, you know, how could we be sitting happily in our own freedoms and be ignoring that? Now, Fourth of July has always been a very patriotic celebration, and many of these celebrations are marked uh in similar ways throughout our country's history and with fireworks and festivities. But how did they celebrate during World War II? Because, you know, uh it's a war going on in a Texas newspaper from the Fourth of July 1942, so we hadn't been in the war for very long. This was the first Fourth of July in World War II. It says, President Roosevelt declared today that the spirit of democratic freedom symbolized in America's independence day had spread over the entire globe. The Fourth of July, he said, was being celebrated this year not in the fireworks of make-believe, but in the death-dealing reality of tanks and planes and guns and ships. In a formal statement, the chief executive said, the day also was being observed by running the war production assembly lines without interruption. Not to waste one hour, he said, but to stop one shot, not to hold back one blow. That is the way to mark our great national holiday in this year of 1942. So starting off, we're, you know, remembering that, hey, we're at war and we cannot stop production just to celebrate our country's birthday. Like we we have to just keep going. Now, Fourth of July celebrations are the coming together of family, friends, and community. Towns across the U.S. planned festivities of all kinds throughout the war. These events included activities like parades, concerts, speeches, dances, movies, sporting events like baseball, rodeos, and horse races. There was swimming, roller skating, carnivals, refreshment booths, fundraisers, and contests of all kinds. You might be wondering if fireworks were involved, because I I was, but I'll be focusing on that in a few minutes. First, let's read about how the town of Amherst, New York celebrated. And I wanted to uh highlight this town just because the the newspaper article about their celebration was very detailed and which is uh super helpful for me. I like knowing exactly how they did things. So it says July 4th celebrate oh, so this is in 1942, by the way. So this is still our our first independence day after joining the war. July 4th celebration is glorious success. Parade and picnic draw thousands to village, splendid financial return is anticipated. And then the article goes on to say a glorious celebration which will be long remembered was the observation of the 4th of July in the town of Amherst, when a huge picnic and parade were held for the benefit of civilian defense activities of the towns of Amherst and Clarence. The day-long celebration attracted thousands of persons, uniting the entire town of the occasion. So among all the activities they had a lot, uh this is a I paraphrased. It was a long article. They raised $180 for the Amherst Township Post VFW for its smokes for soldiers funds. Their parade got started at 10 a.m. And the article says unit after unit passed down the line of march, each to the applause of spectators that lined both sides of Main Street. Military units vied with civilian demonstrations and floats for the interest of the public. Particularly appealing was the splendid display of horse flesh, including the sheriff's mounted patrol, and then there was a collection of Belgian and Clydesdale horses as well. After the parade, the festivities got started and continued into the evening, which included a quote, our typical old-fashioned picnic with neighbor working with neighbor to make the affair a success. Then at 1 p.m. there was a bicycle safety campaign demonstration by the local Kiwanis Club after registering their bicycles, and uh there were license tags issued, there were prizes for the best decorated bicycles in the morning parade awarded at that time. Then at two o'clock, a large group of homing pigeons were released from the picnic grounds showing the part the pigeons play in war. I thought that's really sweet. Then at 2 15, the article says the most thrilling demonstration of the day took place when a mock air raid was staged. Ground bombs simulated anti-aircraft fire, three Custis Wright P forties swooped over the field in raiding formation. After the sounding of the alarm over the sound truck, the different units of Amherst Civilian Defense were on the alert and showed the part they would play in the event of an actual air raid. A light odor of mustard was spread over the park under the supervision of Dr. Howard W. Post of the University of Buffalo County Defense Gas Instructure. Participating in the display were the air raid wardens, the auxiliary firemen, the auxiliary police, the Red Cross, the Nurses Aides, and the Ambulance Corps. My mouth dropped open at the mention of the mustard gas.

unknown 13:20

What?

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Wow. That I mean they went all out. Okay, then later at 2 30, there was a baseball game, an archery demonstration, and at 3 45 was a program of games for children. Later there was singing, dance demonstrations, and a horseshoe pitching contest. One of the most popular spots was the clam chowder tent, and there was a waiting pool that was open all afternoon for the kids. Then it says the evening drew to a close with a huge display of fireworks, both set and aerial pieces. At eleven o'clock, the picnic closed with a $50 war savings bond presented to Mrs. Thomas Morris. Whew. They were busy. They had wow. Kudos to whoever planned these festivities. They sound fantastic. In other communities, the festivities looked very similar, though on different scales, and of course, they had their own local flavor. Um in Louisiana, they crowned a baby king and queen, had a waste fats campaign, and a Miss Liberty. In many towns, the military participated in various ways, from parades to dances and bands. In Iowa, the WAC band from Fort Des Moines traveled to Cedar Rapids to play for their Fourth of July celebration. And here's a cool statistical tidbit from the this article in the Gazette from 1945. Forty-four members of the WAC will be included in the party that comes to Cedar Rapids since its organization at Des Moines in July 1942. The WAC band, known officially as the 400th ASF Band, has covered more than 30,000 miles, played in 20 different states, and sold 125 million dollars worth of war bonds. So considering its organization in Des Moines in July 1942, this is in June, late June 1945. So just in that short time, they that band has been really active and traveling a lot, 30,000 miles in 20 different states and selling 125 million dollars worth of war bonds. Wow. In uh Missouri, the newspaper described the military's big pres presence for the festivities. It says this evening, the eve of the fourth, the soldiers will be entertained with open house at the American Legion Hall, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, and at the Jefferson Tea Room, sponsored by the USO. Tomorrow morning the parade will form at 9 45 o'clock, with the Army and its Jeeps, peeps, and trucks taking the lead. Following in this order will be the Mexico, this is Missouri, by the way, Mexico High School Band, Company B of the 4th Missouri Infantry, the Civilian Defense Training Program graduates, Boy Scouts, Veterans of Foreign Wars, James Bledsoe Post of the American Legion, and the Johnson Holt American Legion Band and Post. Then later at noon, the soldiers will be guests of St. Brendan's at their annual picnic at the fairgrounds, and at two o'clock they will give an exhibition in front of the grandstand. At nine o'clock, the soldiers, along with any other servicemen in town, will be guests of the Victory Club at a dance at the high school gymnasium. And as with any of the other holidays, the public was always encouraged to invite soldiers over to their homes for festivities. So this was no different with town celebrations, the military, if they were nearby, were very much included. Now, you might be thinking, wow, they went all out for the Fourth of July during wartime. And they did, but not everywhere. There were war restrictions, shortages, and a seriousness that some people didn't want to forget. Because while America was celebrating, our soldiers were getting killed overseas. This was a very valid reason to dampen the holiday spirit. In Oakland, California, one newspaper in 1943 proclaimed, There will be no fireworks, parade, or boat races, but there will be a July 4th celebration in Oakland. Uh apparently it was due to war regulations, so instead Oakland held a patriotic program at Lakeside Park on July 5th, with Superior Judge Leon Gray as the speaker. Besides speeches, there was a patriotic band concert, and I think that's it. Uh there weren't more details on what the exact war regulations were. Like what exactly? I don't it didn't say. But maybe it was because they were on the Pacific Coast that they were just keeping things on the down low. In 1945, a Utah newspaper reported a quiet independence day, which was tempered by the realization that thousands of men are fighting for a worldwide independence. Meanwhile, work continued. And the article says workers at Geneva Steel, Ironton, the railroads, and other plants vital to the war needs reported to work as usual, although many of them were granted their first Independence Day holiday since 1940. Geneva workers were at their jobs for full shifts, but several mines and smelters operated with skeleton crews. There was little noise, with a tight ban on fireworks and firecrackers, and most persons merely loafed out the day. Some lucky enough to have gas coupons flocked to the lake, the canyons, and favorite fishing spots. Other towns had patriotic observances and rodeos. P. L. Dow, director of Utah Highways, urged motorists to duplicate last year's July 4th record of no traffic fatalities. Forest officials reminded those who were able to purchase fireworks that explosives have caused many disastrous forest fires as well as personal injuries. This article actually struck home a little bit because I have lived in this area and my husband's great-grandfather was a worker at Geneva Steel. I don't know if he was there during the war, but um I know you know he worked there before they shut down. So um that kind of drew attention to drew my attention. And then um even today, people flock to the lake, this Utah Lake, uh not Salt Lake. Well, I mean maybe Salt Lake, but in this area it was Utah Lake and into the canyons. It's much cooler in the canyons, so I don't blame people. Um favorite fishing spots, and actually there's some waterfalls up the canyon too. So you know, like it said, if people are lucky enough to have gas coupons, good for them. They're able to go off and celebrate a bit in you know, in nature. And because it's a desert state, even then, I mean, and even now, there are fireworks banned sometimes, although uh sometimes you see them anyway. So uh people just be celebrating, I guess. Now there was this interesting phrase that I found in several newspapers. It was this this uh phrase called safe insane. Uh and it's talked about in this Pennsylvania newspaper from 1942. I know I'm jumping around in dates, but it was really hard to pin down like the story of Fourth of July without having to bounce back and forth. Um, but it is interesting to see like the the Utah newspaper uh they hadn't had a break, a holiday independence day break in since 1940. But it's uh towards the end of the war and you know, maybe they felt like they could afford a little bit of um relaxation. But in this uh July 1942 paper from Pennsylvania, the headline is Safe and Sane Forth Assured. Most war factories will hum on holiday. A nation fighting to protect the freedom it won in other wars celebrates tomorrow its first wartime 4th of July in nearly a quarter century under conditions that may make it really safe and sane. Most war factories will hum on, many fireworks have been abandoned, and on the populous East Seaboard, gasoline rationing will keep the greater part of the area's 10 million motorists off the highways. Army warnings that fireworks, displays, and large gatherings might present opportunities for token air raids and for saboteurs, and actual bans on such celebrations on the east and the west coasts, as well as the Gulf states, indicated that those areas would observe the holiday quietly. Interesting. So there's the gasoline rationing to save rubber on the tires, and then the threat, you know, this is 42, so U-boats were very much a problem. And it's understandable that, you know, towns on the the seaboards and the Gulf Coast would be concerned about drawing attention to themselves with fireworks. In an article on the same page of this uh Pennsylvania paper, there's an article titled July 4th to be quietly celebrated. And it says, Tomorrow, another recurrence of Independence Day is not likely to be exactly another glorious fourth. Not at least in the sense that applied when the appellation was adopted. Pennsylvanias are prohibited by law from expressing their exuberant memories of the birth of the nation in old-time volleys from shooting irons and firecrackers. Although, ironically, thousands of their sons will be engaged in shooting in various parts of the world by compulsion. Because of this combination of odd circumstances and correlative influences, the day will be minus very many of the features which characterize the anniversary of national independence in most previous years. So here again is this solemn uh acknowledgement that we're a nation at war, we shouldn't be celebrating so exuberantly. And just the parallel that people felt from exploding firecrackers to the real thing on the battlefronts. That was definitely in the minds of people. In a 1942 Texas newspaper, it says, at home, the War Relocation Authority said 28,000 American and foreign-born Japanese would hold flag raising ceremonies, programs, and pageants at relocation centers at Manzanar and Toul, California, and Poston, Arizona. Communities everywhere staged safe and sane programs. There's that phrase again. Western and middle western resort trails were jammed with automobiles filled with families, but in the gasoline rash in eastern states, holiday motorists were reduced by more than half, and the gasoline supply was limited with many pumps empty. Planes, trains, and buses were literally clogged. This short little article was fascinating. I'm so glad that they mentioned how the Japanese were marking Independence Day, and that's got a whole lot of feelings and emotions that we could go into. In addition to festivities that did take place, local churches prepared special sermons for the Fourth of July. Some of the sermons I found were titled American Ideals: How to Be Free. Democracy Requires Christianity. Freedoms, Holy Light, God bless America, and we must be free or die. And I believe it was in 1943. Uh, 4th of July was on a Sunday. And I came across this one article that was saying that the parade was being canceled because there were protests from the local churches that the parade was taking place when their services were taking place. So a little conflict. And so they canceled the parade. So this was one factor that I hadn't really thought about that the festivities, you know, would be might be altered due to the Sunday services. Now, there was one very unique and interesting story I read that I came across, and it was about how Vicksburg, Mississippi celebrated its first Independence Day in 82 years. And this is from the Portsmouth Star in Virginia from 4th of July 1945. Uh talking about how Vicksburg set aside its bitterness on July 4th, 1945, as the city's 30,000 residents celebrated their first 4th of July in 82 years. The city's spiritual return to the Union took place to the accompaniment of bands playing patriotic airs and with the stars and stripes flying from every building. Residents and visitors, many of them in uniform, gathered along Magnolia and Crepe Myrtle bordered streets, where their forefathers threw back the besieging troops of General U.S. Grant, while the townsfolk sought shelter in caves from bombarding federal ships on the Mississippi. Prejudices stirred by that historic siege caused Vicksburg residents to ignore Independence Day celebrations heretofore. And now there's another and bigger conflict on, and Vicksburg's sons and daughters are marching side by side with their brothers and sisters in the north. So Vicksburg citizenry decided to lay aside the old bitterness and celebrate the fourth with the rest of the country. Tonight, B-29 bombers from Gulfport and a flight of B-17s from the Jackson Army Air Base will shower the old Civil War battlefield with lighted flares. In salute to the almost 13,000 unknown Union soldiers who lie buried in the National Cemetery. I thought it was important to include this story specifically. Well, one, it does take place during World War II, and the first time that Vicksburg celebrated Independence Day since the Civil War was in 1945. I think this is good to know, not just because of Vicksburg's history, Civil War history, but because what our country's flag, what our country celebrations mean are different for people throughout the country. I think the majority of people are happy to celebrate the Fourth of July, but it's important to acknowledge that not everybody felt the same way. And there are different viewpoints on that from North versus South in the Civil War to Japanese interned in camps during World War II, um, African Americans, indigenous Americans, there's just so many different experiences of this country. And so I felt it was important to acknowledge that not everyone was thrilled to celebrate Independence Day. So now we're going to take a little deep dive into fireworks because depending on what time during the war we're examining, there were these fireworks were more problematic than at other times. One that we've it's already been mentioned was visibility. Especially along the coastline, there was always the fear of an unexpected air raid, and fireworks would definitely draw attention to that. Second was the shortage of chemicals and gunpowder needed to make the fireworks. And I even though it wasn't mentioned in the articles that I found, I'm sure cost might have been a thing too, because a lot of the people's efforts were focused on war bonds and and other things like that. So despite the wet blanket these things placed on festivities, a lot of communities had fireworks anyway. Like you couldn't keep Americans from celebrating, even if you wanted to. Because of this, a lot of newspaper articles seem to be contradicting one another. Uh, here are some examples. Daily News in California from June of 1942. It says that there is a fireworks ban to be sought for saving powder. It's a great day for us, but don't shoot fireworks July 4th. The idea being, said the Los Angeles City Defense Council yesterday, you use a gunpowder, which is pretty important in the all-out war effort. Municipal ordinances to put teeth in the suggestion will be sought as soon as possible. So this was something that hadn't happened yet, but they were hoping to create this ban on fireworks. An Illinois paper presented a pretty grim warning emphasizing the parallels of exploding fireworks to bombs in war. Plus, fireworks are super dangerous and expose people to, quote, unnecessary danger to life, limb, and vision. Then in a New Mexican newspaper from June 1943, it said, No fireworks for this fourth. They're all being dropped on the axis. It says, if you think that last 4th of July was tame as far as the traditional sound and fury are concerned, wait until you try to celebrate the holiday this year. The only fireworks to be seen now are those our fighting men are dropping on the Axis. Unless manufacturers have some hidden stocks on hand, report WPB officials. Most of the fireworks people, if they're not out of business, are producing the real McCoy. Such pyrotechnic perennials as Roman candles are now very flares, and the powder that once went into firecrackers now goes into cannon that are helping to make the world safe for bigger and more glorious fourths. So these are articles I found that said that there wasn't firework availability, but in a bunch of articles and ads I found that didn't seem to be the case everywhere. Articles and ads about fireworks as part of community festivities vastly outnumbered those towns not using fireworks all throughout the war. So it would be worth investigating the government's regulation of fireworks manufacturers in the midst of war. I mean, in my view, this was a question of morale. What is the Fourth of July without fireworks? People needed to be able to celebrate their country, which was a reminder of what they were fighting for, and these reinforced feelings were only a benefit to the government. So I don't know. So it's um I'm I'm wondering if it was just dependent on where the town was and what was available at that point in time. Obviously, there's people that felt like, no, we should not be celebrating with fireworks. We need this for other stuff. But man, the the amount of ads that I found saying, hey, we're having our Fourth of July celebration, fireworks, fireworks, fireworks, you know, uh, they they got them from somewhere. I don't know where. All right, we're going to move on to one of the most important parts of a celebration, and that is food. I found this really touching parallel drawn in this food article, actually, about Independence Day and the importance of food. It says on July 2nd, 1776, a resolution was read before the Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee, the resolution being in effect the declaration that the United Colonies should be free and independent. The resolution was adopted, carrying the phrase, R and of right ought to be free and independent. John Adams, later president of the New Nation, wrote at the time that he thought the date, July 2nd, would go down in history as the Great American Festival. Thus, we might easily have perpetuated the 2nd of July as Independence Day. It was on the 4th of July 1776, however, that the Continental Congress adopted the resolution we all know as the Declaration of Independence. In this unique document was a phrase that today places our country almost alone in the company of nations. That phrase reads, A decent respect for the opinion of mankind. Today that phrase means more than ever before in our history, for we are sacrificing and giving our all to retain that democratic way of life and our right to independence. John Adams was wrong in his prediction of the date, but he was right in assuming that the event would mark the great American festival. We will take time out to remember this date, and even though we shall stay close to home, you'll find that food will play a large part in the celebration of the day as it always has. For if you look up the true meaning of festival, you will find that feast is the essential stem of the word. Here are some special Fourth of July suggestions to make this day a festival in more than name only. The Fourth of July at home should be kept simple. Have a buffet, meal on the porch or lawn, serve a roast meal such as a large ham, a leg of lamb, or a delicious meatloaf. Also a potato, bean, or mixed vegetable salad, rolls, assorted cheese, a large bowl of mixed fruit, and a special cake. Then the article shares recipes for Liberty Bell Cake, Holiday Ice Cream, and Magic Liberty Stars. I thought that was really interesting. I did not know that about July 2nd. Um, that the resolution was read before the Continental Congress. Yeah, very fascinating, and I really like that parallel that they draw. So, like the article says, with a holiday comes special holiday foods. I'm sure in your mind you can think of the special holiday foods that your family enjoys. But what were the popular choices during World War II? I can say they haven't really changed very much. Hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, just barbecue in general. Picnics were hugely popular. And then there were restaurants that also had special Fourth of July menus. One ad from the Metropolitan Grocery in New Mexico suggested picnic needs inside the image of a Liberty bell with a firecracker exploding behind it. It suggested watermelons, cantaloupe, homemade potato salad, fryers, meaning chickens, and rabbits, bird's eye frozen foods, sunshine ice cream, all lunch goods. So pretty much anything you'd have for lunch, they have it. Then in a North Carolina uh ad from 1944, it ver leans very heavily into the picnic theme. It says July 4th, weekend foods for your picnic. You're sticking close to home this fourth, and you can have a wonderful time. Pick your favorite park or grove near a pond or stream and have a family picnic. We've all the makings featuring a wide variety of non-ration foods to help you stretch your points and pennies. Their picnic suggestions include spam, lunch tongue. Yes, lunch tongue. Treat, which was a spam competitor, sandwich spreads, cold cuts, pickles, celery, peanut butter, fresh fruits, olives, tomatoes, crackers, and fruit juices. This store closed on the 4th, and in a number of grocery store ads, they urged customers to avoid the rush and shop early because they were going to be closed for the holiday. As it's mentioned a few of these articles, a big push throughout the war for was for Americans to plan a quote unquote stay-at-home 4th of July. This, I imagine, was to conserve on rubber, wear and tear on cars, and to keep keep transportation more clear for military traffic. Also, a lot of people were still working. You know, they worked through the holiday because production in war plants and everything else just continued on. In a Washington newspaper from 1945, it says, Time was when we all went on picnics on the 4th of July, got the first bad sunburns of the season, and came home happy and tired to watch the fireworks in the evening. Such time is no more, but we needn't give up celebrating our nation's birthday entirely, whether it's just for the family or for guests as well. Why not give a party on Independence Day? Now, news because the picnic thing was a really popular thing, newspapers offered countless picnic menu ideas, recipes, and suggestions like this article from Minnesota in 1943. It's titled Backyard Picnics Can Substitute for Long Trips. It says transportation restrictions and long working hours have put a crimp in picnicking at distant shores and woods for the Fourth of July holiday, but outdoor eating is definitely not out for the duration. With a backyard picnic in mind for the family, the homemaker can plan a menu that carries easily from kitchen to garden, or a regular dinner can be whisked out into the yard as an impromptu stunt. Line up the food on the kitchen table and all hands will gladly help with the transporting. Get out the usual picnic serving equipment if you like. Paper napkins are not rationed and do save a lot of laundering. Food cooked and carried out in a covered casserole keeps warm longer. Even top of stove cooked foods can be piled into a casserole, covered and given a 10 minutes oven heating before going to the picnic table. So just take everything outside. They don't mention bugs though. I don't know. I have a thing with bugs and picnics, so uh oh well. They're patriotic cakes or pies with stars and stripe themes or little American flags are very popular for the fourth. I've come across multiple images of those. Ice cream and other frozen delights were also popular because hey, it's July, it's hot. Now I'm gonna be sharing some of these recipes and images on Substacks so you can see for yourself. So many ideas. Just really great images. So you gotta head over there to check it out. We're gonna be switching gears again to one of the most surprising and touching things I discovered in my research, and that was the celebration of the United States Independence Day around the world. This was a very challenging time during the war, and our allies wanted to recognize that significance and importance of our holiday, celebrating independence, because it was a message that resonated with everyone. A Texas newspaper from 1942 highlighted a few examples. It says, A grim, proud United States observed its 166th Independence Day today, and voices from friendly lands chimed in as the nation's youth fought to ensure more independence days. In England, China, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Ecuador, Cuba, and other distant places, Old Glory was saluted and cheered as celebrations were held. But in all the United Nations, as in America, the wheels of war plants were on. Australians with a 24-head start on the United States, because of the time difference, pitched in with the Yanks down under in sporting events, dances, contests, and oratory. The president of Ecuador decreed a July 4th celebration as a friendly gesture towards the United States' heroic struggle for the defense of democracy. Havana, Cuba, scheduled a parade with more than 50 American and Cuban groups participating. The Mexican Congress held a special meeting in its first such celebration. The London Daily Express blazoned the American flag and color atop its front page, and the Chinese press too paid tribute. The governments in exile of Norway and Poland sent greetings. In Chungqing, China, the American volunteer group, famed Flying Tigers of the Far East Warfare, became members of the regular United States Army Air Force in China. And to top it off, American flyers made their first bombing attack upon German occupied territory in Europe. So I I I love this article because it highlights just different places around the world where they were acknowledging American Independence Day. In a Virginia newspaper from 1945, it also has quite a lot of fascinating details about celebrations around the world. And this is a little lengthy, but I wanted to read it. I do paraphrase where I can, but it it's just so much, so many things I didn't even know about how Independence Day was celebrated around the world. It says stars and stripes were hoisted over the Adolf Hitler barracks in a formal Fourth of July observance in Berlin today, as American troops and the European theater celebrated Independence Day with the assistance of their allies. So this is in 1945. It would make sense that at this point in the war, they are they've moved into Berlin. A 48-gun salute to Old Glory marked the flag raising ceremonies in Berlin, carried out by troops of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division, which entered the German capital only yesterday to take over their zone of occupation. An honor guard of 100 Red Army men participated. So the Soviet Union helped out. This article highlights similar celebrations held in other countries, one of which was a tribute paid in Brussels to President Roosevelt, where a street was renamed in his honor. Quoting the article, it says, In London, special observances were sponsored by the American Society and the Washington Club. Dutch officials marked the day by laying memorial wreaths on monuments at three American war cemeteries in Holland. And the Moscow and Prague radios arranged special Independence Day programs. For American servicemen and women, however, the day was for the most part one of relaxation. All Army personnel at United Kingdom bases were granted a holiday, and special entertainments were arranged for their benefit. High on the day's program, wherever American troops gathered, from London to Berlin were athletic events that included baseball, boxing, track and swimming. Near Marseille, American units amused themselves and astonished the French by staging an old fashioned Wild R Wild West rodeo. Ha! I would love to see their faces. In Bremen, members of the 29th. Infantry division held a track and field meet in Weser Stadium, which was rededicated Eisenhower Stadium. Motorcycle racing, boxing, and dancing were on tap at Rhimes, where a huge redeployment center is now located. Fireworks were planned for tonight in Arles in South Fran in Southern France, where U.S. troops are being assembled for direct shipment to the Pacific. So now the war in Europe is over. They are focusing on sending soldiers to the Pacific. A host of USO performers, including such headliners as Jack Benny, Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, and Mickey Rooney, helped the American Forces Radio Network celebrate its second anniversary by broadcasting special programs to the troops. In Rome, the Army Rest Center planned a beauty contest with Miss Liberty to be selected from a field of 25 Americans and 25 Italian girls. Primo Carnera was scheduled for an exhibition boxing bout in Naples. Street dancing along the riverbanks marked the Florence celebration, which was opened by a parade of picked troops through the center of the city. On the other side of the world, America's Independence Day was celebrated aboard a British battleship in the Sydney, Australia harbor for the first time in history. At Athens, government and other public buildings were decorated with flags as Greece celebrated the United States States' Independence Day. Yet Chongqing, Lieutenant General Albert C. Wiedemeyer, commander of United States Army Forces in the China Theater, said in a message to his troops that the tremendous power of the Allied nations is rapidly and irresistibly concentrating closer, ever closer, on the enemy citadel. General Wienmeyer asked all Americans to join in a firm and sincere resolve with people throughout the world that the principles of the United Nations Charter shall constitute a declaration of independence for all men and the real bulwark of liberty in every land. Wow. Just so much going on around the world. And you know, this article is towards the end of the war. Victory has been assured in Europe, and the fight continues. And so there it seems like, especially at this point in time, there was definitely a lot to celebrate. Finally, I wanted to read our part of this article from the Farm Journal and Farmer's Wife magazine of July 1943. This particular issue has a really great cover. It has an American flag with pitchforks, shovels, rakes, hose all being raised in the air, and kind of like soldiers marching, and then there's airplanes in the background. So really very patriotic cover. This article says when the Declaration of Independence was signed 167 years ago, this was not a free nation. Valley Forge came a year and a half after that 4th of July, and it was a long way from there to Yorktown. Americans of that date had a hard fight ahead to establish their freedom. Our observance this year can be only a solemn recognition that we have a hard fight ahead to keep our freedom. Yes, let's celebrate this 4th of July. Let's honor those of the past who have fought, and those of the present who now fight for the rights of freedom. Let's celebrate by looking solemnly into our consciences. Let's celebrate by finding more that we can do and more that we can give to help. It's time for everyone of us to get all the way into the fight. The sentiment really touched me because I feel like it kind of transcends World War II. It's something that, you know, freedom is not something that's easily kept. It's something that we have to continually work for. And they especially felt this during World War II. Democracy and freedom were both something that they were fighting to protect. What better way to honor that fight than by celebrating our nation's birthday? And in parentheses, it says Jane Holt. So I wonder if one of these names was uh like a pen name. This is uh a hefty book. How many pages is this thing? It's 250 pages. So quite a lot of recipes. Actually, a lot of it is information, education about nutrition. The the first part has you uh mapping your strategy, getting it down on paper, the ideal grocery order, meals from the model, war on waste. So kind of like the logistics. Then it talks about going to market with the things to buy. Then it talks about food for fitness. All of this is just instructional. Then it has shortages and substitutes, and finally oh, a canning section, and then finally, part five, the recipes. It's got breads, cakes into cookies, desserts, home canning, leftovers, meats. Oh, it's got another home canning, uh, meat substitutes, sauces and dressings, soups, vegetables, miscellaneous recipes, and then suggestions for substitutions for sugar. All very handy. I've actually been experimenting with quite a lot of recipes, wartime recipes that don't use sugar because uh cane sugar and I are not getting along right now. So it's nice to be able to still do baking, but using other sweetening alternatives. So there's not, I wouldn't say there's a ton of recipes, especially considering the amount of pages in this book, but they do have a good variety. There's quite a few I wanted to try, including chocolate bread pudding that looked really good. But I didn't make that this time. I was thinking 4th of July, that was in mind. And so I found this recipe for blueberry dumplings. Blueberries are typically the blue and the red, white, and blue. If you know, a lot of modern recipes use like strawberries, whipped cream, and blueberries as the patriotic colors. So this recipe falls in line with that ongoing tradition. So this recipe has you either using a baking powder biscuit or shortcake dough. You roll the dough about a quarter inch thick, which I think is excessively thick. Maybe I didn't measure it right. I don't know. I thought I did. Mine turned out thicker than I was expecting. And then you cut it into four inch squares. You clean the berries and place them in the center of the squares. Sprinkle them with honey and dust with cinnamon. You dot it with butter, draw the four corners of the dough together over the fruit, pinching the edges to seal. So you're kind of making a little parcel looking thing. Prick with a fork and bake for about half an hour in a moderate oven. Serve with top milk or whipped evaporated milk flavored with vanilla. I cheated. I used whipped cream because that's what I had in my fridge. So it was extra luxurious dessert. I really liked this recipe a lot, except for the fact that all of my little parcels exploded open. They just burst open. Only two remained closed. So I guess my pinching game is lacking. Um but the taste, the berries with the honey and the cinnamon with the butter, I think that's a really smart combination. Uh and just having it in its own little, you know, individual piece without it being a fancy pie or anything. I just really liked it. It was fairly easy. What I did with my squares, though, I like pressed down in the middle, like in a circle, so that my berries would stay in one place. Blueberries are notoriously uh round and they they get away from you really easily. So uh that it was good to have them stay in one place with like kind of an indent in the dough. I put whipped cream on it. It was delicious. Just there's nothing really to say about it except it was good. I think you could easily, obviously, you could easily just replace the berries or do a mixture of berries. You could use frozen berries if you'd like, although that would alter the baking time a little bit. But fresh is great. There's a lot of berries in season right now. So this is a very easy, simple recipe to have as a dessert. I've actually been eating them for breakfast because it's a biscuit dough and blueberries. So to me, that says breakfast. But easily a dessert. You could serve them with ice cream, and you can do whatever you want. So, anyway, really uh delicious and uh festive uh dessert. And I love that also that uses honey, not sugar. So that's awesome. Save on those sugar coupons. I will have pictures of this recipe uh and you know images of my own failed versions up on Substack. I hope you give it a try. Today's home front highlight is the story of Cornelia Fort. It's entitled At the Twilight's Last Gleaming. It was published in The Women's Home Companion from July 1943. A summary says, sorry, this is a very wieldy magazine. It's big. Uh, it says, Here is one of the most remarkable articles ever published. A personal story by the first woman pilot to die on war duty in American history. Shortly after she sent it to us, Miss Fort, 24 of Nashville, Tennessee, was killed when the bomber she was piloting crashed in Texas. But her words here will live as a moving account of why one woman joined the WAFS and as a testament to all American women who are helping keep America free. So this is a story in her own words that she sent into the magazine and then was killed shortly afterwards. So this is a pretty, pretty special and unique story. She says, I knew I was going to join the women's auxiliary ferrying squadron before the organization was a reality, before it had a name, before it was anything but a radical idea in the minds of a few men who believed that women could fly airplanes. But I never knew it so surely as I did in Honolulu on December 7th, 1941. At dawn that morning, I drove from Waikiki to the John Rogers Civilian Airport right next to Pearl Harbor, where I was the civilian pilot instructor. Shortly after 6.30, I began landing and takeoff practice with my regular student. Coming in just before the last landing, I looked casually around and saw a military plane coming directly toward me. I jerked the controls away from my student and jammed the throttle wide open to pull above the oncoming plane. He passed so close under us that our celluloid windows rattled violently, and I looked down to see what kind of plane it was. The painted red balls on the tops of the wings shone brightly in the sun. I looked again with complete and utter disbelief. Honolulu was familiar with the emblem of the rising sun on passenger ships, but not on airplanes. I looked quickly at Pearl Harbor and my spine tingled when I saw billowing black smoke. Still, I thought hollowly, it might be some kind of coincidence or maneuvers. It might be. It must be, for surely, dear God. Then I looked way up and saw the formations of silver bombers riding in. Something detached itself from an airplane and came glistening down. My eyes followed it down, down, and even with knowledge pounding in my mind, my heart turned convulsively when the bomb exploded in the middle of the harbor. I knew the air was not the place for my little baby airplane, and I set about landing as quickly as ever I could. A few seconds later a shadow passed over me, and simultaneously bullets spattered all around me. Suddenly that little wedge of sky above Hickam Field and Pearl Harbor was the busiest, fullest piece of sky I ever saw. We counted anxiously as our little civilian planes came flying home to roost. Two never came back. They were washed ashore weeks later on the windward side of the island, bullet riddled. Not a pretty way for the brave little yellow cubs and their pilots to go down to death. The rest of December 7th has been described by too many and too much detail for me to reiterate. I remained on the island until three months later, when I returned by convoy to the United States. None of the pilots wanted to leave, but there was no civilian flying in the islands after the attack, and each of us had some individual score to settle with the Japanese who had brought murder and destruction to our islands. When I returned, the only way I could fly at all was to instruct civilian pilot training programs. Weeks passed. Then out of the blue came a telegram for the war department announcing the organization of the WAFS, Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, and the order to report within 24 hours if interested. I left at once. Mrs. Nancy Love was appointed Senior Squadron Leader of the WAFS by the Secretary of War. No better choice could have been made. First and most important, she is a good pilot, has tremendous enthusiasm and belief in women pilots, and did a wonderful job in helping us to be accepted on an equal status with men. Because there were and are so many disbelievers in women pilots, especially in their place in the army. Officials wanted the best possible qualifications to go with the first experimental group. All of us realized what a spot we were on. We had to deliver the goods or else. Or else there wouldn't ever be another chance for women pilots in any part of the service. We have no hopes of replacing men pilots, but we can each release a man to combat, to faster ships, to overseas work. Delivering a trainer to Texas may be as important as delivering a bomber to Africa if you take the Longview. We are beginning to prove that women can be trusted to deliver airplanes safely, and in the doing serve the country which is our country too. I have yet to have a feeling which approaches in satisfaction that of having signed, sealed, and delivered an airplane for the United States Army. The attitude that most nonfliers have about pilots is distressing, and often acutely embarrassing. They chatter about the glamour of fighting. Well any pilot can tell you how glamorous it is. We get up in the cold dark in order to get to the airport by daylight. We wear heavy, cumbersome flying clothes and a thirty pound parachute. You are either cold or hot. If you are female, your lipstick wears off and your hair gets straighter and straighter. We look forward all afternoon to the bath you will have and the steak. Well, we get the bath, but seldom the steak. Sometimes we are too tired to eat and fall wearily into bed. None of us can put into words why we fly. It is something different for each of us. I can't say exactly why I fly, but I know why, as I've never known anything in my life. I knew it when I saw my plane silhouetted against the clouds framed by a circular rainbow. I knew it when I flew up into the extinct volcano Haleakala, on the island of Maui, and saw the grey green pineapple field slope down to the cloud dappled blueness of the Pacific. But I know it otherwise than in beauty. I know it in dignity and self-sufficiency and in the pride of skill. I know it in the satisfaction of usefulness. For all the girls in the wafts, I think the most concrete moment of happiness came at our first review. Suddenly and for the first time we felt a part of something larger. Because of our uniforms which we had earned, we were marching with the men, marching with all the freedom loving people in the world. And then while we are were standing at attention, a bomber took off, followed by four fighters. We knew the bomber was headed across the ocean and that the fighters were going to escort it part way. As they circled over us, I could hardly see them for the tears in my eyes. It was striking symbolism, and I think all of us felt it. As long as our planes fly overhead, the skies of America are free, and that's what all of us everywhere are fighting for. And that we, in a very small way, are being allowed to help keep that sky free is the most beautiful thing I have ever known. I, for one, am profoundly grateful that my one talent, my one knowledge, flying, happens to be of use to my country when it is needed. That's all the luck I ever hoped to have. Wow, I had to take a minute to take that in. Um what an incredible story. Really inspiring. And I just love the way she talks about women pilots and how important their work was for the war, but also for themselves as women, like the first women pilots being used for the war. And I had no idea that there were civilian pilots flying when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Like, you don't really hear about that side of the story, and the fact that she was one of them is just incredible. Her experience is so valuable. Well, that's all I have for the podcast today. Thank you so much for joining me in this special celebration of our 250th birthday. I um I do have some episodes planned. I'm hoping to get them done this summer before school starts again. Fingers crossed. I I'm not so much on Instagram very much, like sometimes, but mostly on Substack. If you weren't aware, I have started a World War II film club. We just finished our first film for June. It was Pressure since it was in the theaters. I thought, what better way to start the film club than going to see it on the big screen? This month for July, we are watching a different movie. I'm alternating between modern movies and uh older movies from like the 40s, 50s. So head on over to Substack to check out the new film. I haven't written up the post yet, so I'm not I don't want to say what it is yet, but uh I'm very excited. I just finished watching it, it was fantastic. Uh so yeah, and I'm hoping to continue that through just moving forward because while I think book clubs are such a great idea, I sadly don't have time to read a lot of books except school books. And so, but I love film. What better way to uh you know learn about World War II than through film? And it's two hours of your time, and and then we get to talk about it over on Substack. So join me over there. It's victorykitchen podcast.substack.com, and I'll talk to you next time. Bye.