Entry 5: Peggy Terry and E.B. Sledge

Peggy Terry and E.B. Sledge show two completely different memories of World War II. Peggy Terry, an American originally from Paducah, Kentucky shares her memories from the war. At the time of the war, all she worried about was working to stay alive. She said that the war benefited her in that she had more job opportunities. Terry never thought of the meaning for the work that she was doing. “It didn’t occur to us that we were making these shells to kill people. It never entered my head” (190). It amazes me how at the time, on the other side of the world, thousands of Americans were being killed. However, all Terry and many others staying in the U.S. worried about was making a living. E.B. Sledge, a front line soldier at the time of the war, shared his memories of the war. His memories were a little more brutal than Terry’s. He stated, “A matter of simple survival. The only way you could get over it was to kill them off before they killed you. The war I knew was totally savage” (197). While some people were fighting to make a living in the U.S. at the time, soldiers were fighting for their lives. Sledge had to wake up every day knowing that he could die that day. In America at the time, Peggy Terry woke up every day not even knowing that she was making shells that soldiers would use to kill people. It’s very interesting to see two completely opposite memories from the war.

Entry 4: Introduction and Bob Rasmus

Reading “The Good War” introduction really opened my eyes to what the war really was about. If I had to pick one word to describe the war, I would chose struggle. Whether you were a soldier or just living in the U.S. at the time, everyone struggled. The war was described really well in the introduction. It stated, “Food. Fear. Comradeship. And confusion. In battle, the order of the day was often disorder. Again and again survivors, gray, bald, potbellied, or cadaverous, remember chaos” (165). Soldiers had all these emotions at the time of war and so did many people living in the U.S. at the time. Everyone suffered one way or another and experienced the chaos. Robert Rasmus was very interesting to read about because he showed his good and bad feelings at the time of the war. Rasmus said, “I remember my mother saying, “Bob, you’ll be in it.” I was hoping she’d be right. At that age, you look forward to the glamour and have no idea of the horrors” (177). As a kid, Rasmus was excited to fight in the war. He was looking forward to the adrenalin rush. Even when he was in the army, Rasmus still was in a good mood. He said, “I was constantly fascinated with the beauty of the German forests and medieval bell towers” (178). Even when knowing that he could die any day, Rasmus saw the beauty in the world. He was good spirited, at least until he finally realized he was in the middle of the war. “Now the party’s over. You’re within a few miles of the front. You’re off the train into trucks. You hear gunfire in the distance” (180). Once you hear guns being shot, everything changes. All of the sudden, what you thought was a happy place suddenly turns into your worst enemy. Rasmus shows a perfect example of a soldier at the time of the war. He was both happy and nervous.

Entry 3: Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression (1970)

After reading about Jane Yoder's life, I realized how fortunate I am. Yoder’s family was in poverty at the time of the Depression. She mentioned how she was always cold and had very little to keep her warm. When she grew up and saw her children have many sweater and coats to keep them warm, she was astonished. She said, “We tell our boy: you have a black sweater, a white sweater, and a blue sweater. You can’t wear ten sweaters at once, you can only wear one” (Turkel 128). Yoder couldn’t understand why people have more than one sweater because all she had was one. She later talked about how the WPA saved her family. Her father got employed right away by the WPA and the pay for the father supported the family. Jane’s son, Tom Yoder talked about his feelings about the Depression. He said, “I’ve never gone to bed hungry- I wish I had. I haven’t, and probably never will” (Turkel 130). Tom realizes how hard times were and wishes he had the chance to suffer to really see how bad the time was. I feel very fortunate to have a house to live in and to never go to bed hungry at night.

            I had the same feeling when reading about Peggy Terry and her mother, Mary Owsley.  Their lives were similar to Jane Yoder’s life, as well. Both of them struggled during the depression. Mary Owsley said, “My husband was very bitter… He couldn’t see why as wealthy a country as this is, that there was any sense in so many people starving to death…” (Turkel 139). I believe that many people at that time had very similar thoughts as Owsley’s husband. As wealthy as the U.S. was, many still suffered. Mary Owsley also mentioned another family that suffered. She said, “I knew one family there in Oklahoma City, a man and a woman and seven children lived in a hole in the ground” (Turkel 138).  I can’t imagine living in a hole in the ground. But because families could not afford houses, this is where some had to end up living.