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Care packages were sent to the servicemen in combat by High School students and citizens. A drive for this purpose would be set up frequently, for knit socks, clothing, or baked cookies. etc.

Need to mention here how famlies were notified of a Soldier missing in action, or who had been killed. It was through the "dreaded" telegram. Everyone who had relatives during WWII feared. And, most everyone did have a relative during that time. Then, believe and cannot recall, an officer would present the relative with his personal items later. Not familiar with the procedures unfortunately.

Scrap Drives

The local branch of the Citizens Service Corps asked residents to donate old pots and pans to make war planes. Unfortunately, aluminum lacked the strength needed for airplane construction. The government melted down much of the aluminum to make new kitchen utensils.

Local residents collected and scrapped all kinds of materials including metals, paper, cooking fat, and rubber. Appletonians alone collected 1,540,818 pounds of paper and 576 tons of tin during the war.

Outagamie County scrap aluminum for defense drive, circa 1942

Courtesy of the Henry Lefebvre Collection of the

Neville Public Museum of Brown County

Even gold coins were called in for the "war effort". Here is a portion of President Franklin Roosevelt's speech.

"By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 5(b), of the act of October 6,1917, (Trading with the Enemies Act of WW I) as amended by Section 2 of the act of March 9, 1933………., I Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do declare that a period of national emergency still continues to exist and pursuant to said section do hereby prohibit the hoarding of gold coins, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States by individuals, partnerships, associations, and corporations…"

"All persons are required to deliver on or before May 1, 1933, to a Federal Reserve Bank or branch or agency thereof or to any member bank of the Federal Reserve system all gold coins, gold bullion, and gold certificates now owned by them or coming into their ownership on or before April 28, 1933…………..Until otherwise ordered, any person becoming the owner of any gold coin, bullion, or gold certificates after April 28, 1933 shall within three days after receipt thereof, deliver same in the manner described………"

(see Links)

During the war years civilians were encouraged to promote iron junk drives, victory gardens, volunteer plane spotters and scrap drives. Neighbors united in mourning loved ones killed in the war. A blue star placed in the window indicated a family member had gone to war; a gold star meant a family member had been killed.

In spite of increased production, many items became scarce as the war effort tapped America's resources. For example, canned goods were rationed throughout the war because steel was essential in the production of planes, ships, tanks and other military equipment. The same priorities forced consumers to forgo the purchase of refrigerators, washing machines, alarm clocks, bed springs, hair pins, metal office furniture, lawnmowers and residential oil burners. Consumers had to apply to their local rationing boards for the special certificates necessary to purchase typewriters or bicycles. Scrap drives for tin, iron, rubber and newspapers linked local neighborhoods to the boys on the front lines. Even used cooking fat was "recycled" into glycerine for explosives. Gas and food were rationed and walking or riding a bike became commonplace.