D Day

Today, June 6th, is the 70th anniversary of the D Day invasion and I will let the historians address the military side of this operation which turned the tide in WWII. Back on the home front we were dealing with rationing, blackout curtains, air raid drills,and collecting scrap metal for the war effort. Everything was scarce - families traded ration stamps - coffee for sugar - and it helped to have a big family as each child had their own book. Gasoline supplies depended on the type of sticker on your windshield. The butcher was king - and after listing your ground beef and pork chops you beseeched him for a quarter pound of butter. The draft was in effect and as the war droned on they took anybody. My cousin's husband, age 39, one child and flat feet was off to war. Mrs. R. down the block had four sons away and the flag in her window bore four BLUE stars. They all came home. The rumor was the Draft Board sent a van around and cleaned out the poolroom. (Chalk that up) My neighbor three doors down was our Air Raid Warden - he had to climb those old gas street lamps to dim them during blackout drills. As Walter Cronkite used to say "And that's the way it was!"
tjs