Gathered Around the Radio: Music and Wartime News

The radio was, of course, the best and fastest line of communication. We always had it on so as not to miss anything that might be happening. The good ol’ Moline Daily Dispatch was our other avenue of information. Mom and Grandpa listened especially for news that might effect Uncle Lloyd who we knew was in New Guinea fighting the Japanese. The radio was such a big part of our life then. I remember clearly that on the day President Roosevelt died, we all cried and sat around the radio waiting for any bit of news about him we could get. We had a picture of him on the living room wall. The entire nation was in mourning for this man. He was highly respected and loved in our country. We all loved the radio for the music. This was our only means of listening to the latest songs and the “Big Bands.” We listened to the radio and sang to the radio and we sure did dance to the radio. These are some big bands and songs of the Forties that I remember: Les Brown and His Band of Renown Tommy Dorsey Jimmy Dorsey Eddie Howard, To Each His Own and A Rose Must Remain Kay Kayser and his Kollege of Musical Knowledge Frank Sinatra was s-o-o-o wonderful. Every girl in school loved him. Glenn Miller Spike Jones Ted Lewis danced and sang, Give Me That Old Soft Shoe and Me and My Shadow (strolling down the avenue…) According to Bill’s account, out of Germany, Lord How How and Axis Sally, and out of Japan Tokyo Rose would broadcast all the best music and songs that were the favorites of the American servicemen at the time. (These overseas broadcasts were picked up on short-wave radios in the U.S. and reported in the newspapers.) They’d play music quite a long time and then they’d have an interruption and they’d have a fake news broadcast (in perfect English) stating that the U.S. was losing the war. Then, they would use scare tactics to demoralize our troops. They had outstanding intelligence, so they had a lot of very specific information they could use to make their broadcast seem credible. For example, they would say, (I’ll use Bill’s name as the example) “Don’t fly today, Lieutenant Willis Retzlaff, we’re waiting for you and we know who you are. Lieutenant Retzlaff of the 450th Bombardment group is flying today and his target is Mainz.” They could tell you who was shot down, when and where, and his full name, rank, and serial number and his plane’s serial number and the same information about his replacement. Chilling information they should not have had access to. Everyone knew the information came from spies hiding within the U.S. government. Very scary. I remember on August 6, 1945, the USA dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. What a lot of reaction that caused at home. Many people thought it was wrong to do such devastation to the Japanese people, but the majority of the population was all for it. The people in the trenches fighting the Japanese were very much all for it. Dad, as I remember, agreed with it. Harry Truman was the president at the time of the bomb. He was a haberdasher from Missouri and was a note-worthy president who ended the war. He was known for these lines: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” and “The buck stops here.”

LIFE GOES BY…

I think life goes by too quickly. There are so many things I wish I had done and have not, like downhill skiing for starters. All of a sudden, here I sit writing my memories and wondering, where did it go? Yes, we’ve raised five wonderful children and I’m proudest of that above all. I thank God for each and every one, every day. What happened to that musical career I wanted so much? If I could do it over I’d sing and dance a whole lot more. I’m very sad for the world today with the drugs and immorality. How hard it must be for parents to raise their children amidst all of this. Perhaps if I were to write this even tomorrow, I would sound completely different. Who knows what thoughts will travel through our mind each day? When I’m reborn I want to be four inches taller. Then I wouldn’t have to shorten every pair of pants I buy. If I could live life over, I’d probably change very little. Okay, of course, I’d correct some mistakes I’ve made along life’s way, but I believe we are destined to live life the way we do. Life’s a learning experience and we grow from each days happenings: relationships, love’s trials, grief, happiness, anger, pain, forgiveness, and being forgiven—perhaps the greatest lesson of all.

DID YOU KNOW?…I believe in angels.

In my heart and every fiber of my being, I believe in angels. Angels are spirits created by God and some are sent to earth to be our guardian angels. Each of us has a guardian angel. I’ve read several books on the subject. The more I read, the more I believe. It’s come to me slowly, not as a divine revelation or anything as dramatic as that. Just a steady slow sensation and awareness that I have angels watching over me. I believe we all do. You can pray to your angels for help with any kind of problem and because they are all around you at all times they are ready and eager to help. But you have to believe it. You must have that deep-down comfort that’s like a quiet little place in your heart and you just know it!