During World War II nearly 39 percent of the men and women in the armed forces volunteered to serve on their own account Over the next several months mothers wives sweethearts sons and daughters would make the early morning trek to the platform at the nearest train station to say tearful good byes to loved ones who were joining the ranks By the end of the war 10 million American servicemen would head off to the war front More than 400 000 of those would never return leaving wives and sweethearts back home to figure out how to build new lives on their own AMERICAN WOMEN ANSWER THE CALL The women left behind however did not sit by idly and wait for the war to end By necessity the war pushed American women who had previously not worked out their front doors and into service for the war effort forever changing their role in society As factories around the country retooled to produce wartime necessities during World War II more than 400 000 women left the home to begin manufacturing weapons ammunition ships planes and other supplies needed on the front lines For the many women who had already worked outside the homeſ mainly unmarried middle and working class women the war opened up opportunities for heavy industrial jobs These positions offered better pay than the jobs that were traditionally available to women at the time such as positions at textile plants or food processing plants African American women who had previously been limited to housekeeping and child care positions were now able to find work in wartime factories or the armed
Oh A woman in Fort Worth Texas operates a machine that makes parts for military
A VISUAL REMINDER In towns and cities around the country honor roll kiosks were erected near the courthouse or in town squares These displays included a complete list of the men and women from the community who were serving overseas When a service member died a gold star was placed next to his or her name a visual reminder of those lost in battle Blue stars were also placed in the front window of each service member's family home Richard Carlton Haney author of when Is Daddy Coming Home was four years old in 1945 and he distinctly remembers his mother taking down the blue star from the window and replacing it with a gold one after they received word his father had died in the war American women learned new skills and stepped up to the challenge of filling in for the men who had gone overseas No only did these women take on factory jobs they also filled positions previously not available to them in journalism business law medicine science and the military Women also did twice the work on family farms sewed or knit for the troops tended gardens joined the Red Cross sold war bonds or took care of neighbors children American women did it all and still managed to get dinner on the table each
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