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22 Comments

  1. Yep! Very few have the wisdom and experience of our WW2 greatest generation. The wisdom i received from my WW2 dad is unparalleled. THEY ARE UNFORGETTABLE!!

    Also, PHD’s don’t teach this stuff in Liberal Univ. American’s are paying too much to become dumber. Veteran families are better equipped = ready for difficult times ahead. But we aren’t coasting on our laurels. We celebrate the warriors of the past. They knew the realities of our world. Currently, this spoiled millenial generation is in for a rude awakening.

    I love how JWR and a few other preppers are mentioning prayer AND practical skills. Post war veterans are deeply spiritual because of the horrors and suffering they witnessed. And overcame. God bless you all. ~ Johnny

    1. Here is a wonderful story, a quick read, about the WWII veterans doing something magnificent shortly after the war: https://www.legion.org/magazine/249282/freedom-train

      I esp enjoyed how the Marines handled the FBI agents and the authors telling us a bit about how the Marines had seen the ugliness of war.

      And yeah, I enjoyed reading about honorable men doing an honorable duty. Marines.

      Carry on, in grace

  2. Fascinating reading! Thanks for sharing. I love to hear personal accounts through the years like this. Amazing peering through a window in time and history like that.

  5. “Our experiences in the Great Depression and World War II showed the resilience and gritty determination of our citizenry. We all felt challenged, but at the same time, it was strengthening. To go through a world war, a global depression, and then another world war was quite traumatic. But it demonstrated the true character of the American People.”

    May we be honing our character now as well. Thank you so much for sharing this, JWR. Praying for your mama and you as you give care.

    My mom died in Sept. 2018, Dad in Sept. 2019. To those of you who still have older relatives left – ask questions now. Sometimes it can start with a simple question: Did you have any pets? (Love the Blondie story.). That might get the ball rolling and the memories will tumble out. Take notes. Go through old photographs with them. Preserve the memories. I have a feeling we are going to need the inspiration and grit of the greatest generation.

  6. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate reading of times when Americans were problem solvers because they felt empowered to make the best of life’s circumstances rather then relegated to be eternal sufferers.

  8. Hey JWR, please give your mom a big hug and tell her we all appreciate so much her letting you share her stories with all of us. If it’s not too personal, can you tell us what it was like “interviewing” your mom and writing her stories, and is there anything special you can say to help inspire others to turn off the TV and interview their own family patriarchs and matriarchs before they’re gone?

    I loved her story about riding around town on her bike cutting alfalfa with her shears to feed the rabbits, and the neighbors getting some weeds cut for free. And the horse running away with her, scary as heck at the time but a great story for later on.

    The movie theater stories were the best, I was laughing my head off. In high school, I ran the projectors at our small town “show house” and I hadn’t thought about it for years until I read her stories today. We didn’t even make minimum wage, but we didn’t care because there were very few jobs for kids and we got to see two new movies every week. The projectors were so ancient they didn’t even have light bulbs in them, the light was generated by two arc carbons which slowly burned down and got shorter as the movie progressed. If you forgot to check between reels and one was too short, the movie would go dark right in the middle of a reel and everybody in the theater would start screaming and yelling. It took a minute to put a new one in so the boos and jeers were pretty loud by the time the movie was running again. I think I made all the mistakes she mentioned, hence my laughing so hard. Our “previews” to let the moviegoers know what was coming in the next weeks was a piece of 3 x 5 glass which we wet, smeared Ajax cleanser on, and then let dry. When dry, we would scratch into the cleanser, “Next Week: John Wayne in The Cowboys” then put it into an oversized slide projector and flash it up the screen.

    “To go through a world war, a global depression, and then another world war was quite traumatic. But it demonstrated the true character of the American People.”

    That’s the word I’ve been looking for, character, that’s what’s missing most in America these days.

    Personally, I’d love to see more of these kinds of stories on SurvivalBlog. There’s so much we can learn from the past and the people who lived in a different age, and certainly give us plenty of ideas to remember, draw upon, and improvise from after the SHTF.

    1. Such an insightful post, St. Funogas! …and a most excellent idea too. We would also love to see more of these kinds of stories on the SurvivalBlog! Prayers continue for JWR’s Mom and for the whole family.

    2. Yes, stories of CHARACTER.

      I must disagree with StF about it lacking these days. I have many nieces and nephews in their 20s. Two, who are brothers, put themselves in solitary quarantine twice when they feared they may have been exposed, This was to protect their beloved Grandmother.

      A niece, who teaches 4th graders, worked many extra hours to make sure each pupil had a laptop or tablet. She spent many hours more with the ones who struggle with technology.

      Another nephew, 28, just graduated medical school and is working in an ER while his MD wife of six weeks will be serving newborns at a children’s hospital.

      I would gladly invite any of these youngsters to join my prepping community.

      Please join me in seeking people like JWR’s mother in our modern world and telling their stories. We are surrounded by solid citizens with big hearts. As elders, we can provide openings for them to express their love.

      Carry on in grace

  9. Thank you for the peek into history.

    My mom wrote out her’s entitled “Things I Remember and You Won’t”.

    These snapshots of the past are so important to the future of this country, especially in light of what is happening to our history today.

  10. I can identify with the runaway horse, as that happened to me once.

    My grandmother kept those “rationing habits” well after WWII: using margarine (“it is better for you than butter”) and keeping cigarette package inner tin foil in a large ball (“recycling and the war effort”).

  13. My heart goes out to your mom for losing her dad and uncle Bobby, and at such a young age, no less. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and was sad when the story ended. If current times weren’t so crazy, I would make plans to go to Dinuba and visit Don’s shoe store, hahaha.

    I, too, remember the childhood joy of picking weeds for my rabbits, as well as hanging on for dear life on my neighbors runaway horse, who could not be reigned in on the return to the barn.

    I think many of us would relish more stories from her interesting life.
    May the Lord bless her and keep her, and give her peace. Krissy

  14. Thank you for sharing some of your family history. I didn’t want the article to end and was craving more of the story.
    Thank you for also sharing the photos, I always feel like I have a connection with the people in photos when I am reading a book or a story. Your mother is absolutely beautiful!

    I’m going to start questioning my mom and dad about my grandparents stories. I’m very interested in their histories as my moms dad died when she was three (he was a Merchant Marine) and mom was born in 1941.
    My dads father died two years (1966) before I was born (1968) and he was twenty years older than my dads mom (apparently that was rather scandalous) but more than ever I now want to get this family information as mom and dad both have Alzheimers and I feel I don’t have much more time with them.

    I too hope others here are willing to share some of their own family histories, I for one am really interested

    Thank you again and please give your mother my love and gratitude for sharing with us

    Respectfully
    RKRGRL68

  15. I’ve only got bits and pieces of the stories my father told me. I’m attempting to put those stories together into something coherent. He died in 2014, aged 88. I do have the majority of the family photographs going back to the 1890’s. I at least know what my great grandfather looked like. He died around 1930, born about 1860.

    I tried to get my Dad to write down his stories when he had nothing to do. I tried to get him to record his memories on audio tape from as early as he could remember. He was born in December, 1925. So he lived through the depression and served in WW2.

    I have some of my Mom’s stories, but she wasn’t as talkative about her family. Sadly there were “issues” with some in her family, so her stories were sparse on details.

    So all I have are my memories of the stories my parents told me. I’m making an attempt to get them recorded, mostly for my cousin’s kids and their kids. Unfortunately my wife and I were never blessed with children. We do what we can with what we have to work with. We do have our nephews to pass things on to.

    1. Important work you’re doing, Charles K, for your nephews now and for generations to come. Enjoy the journey. We have found our own family history search to be quite an adventure filled with lots of surprises. In our experience, we were able to uncover much more than we imagined possible — some through records searches, some though newspaper accounts, some through connections with people still with us who had living memories of family members who died long before our own earthly arrivals. In the case of one great great grandfather, we began with a first and last name, and absolutely no information about any siblings, or his parents. Today we know so much more, and have a fascinating life story to share with others. We’re wishing you this kind of success, and so much more. Keep up those outstanding efforts!

        1. Thank you so much, Once a Marine! Your message was heartwarming, and I am also grateful for all the wonderful encouragement and sharing of friends and fellow preppers in the SB community — you among them!

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