Entry 5

Peggy Terry

            I just found this entry so interesting because of the relationship that she had with the war.  During the Depression, her family had no work and now that the war came along they were able to find work.  While describing her history, she says, “Each of us worked a different shift because we had little ones at home.  We made the fabulous sum of thirty-two dollars a week.  To us it was just an absolute miracle.  Before that, we made nothing.  You won’t believe how incredibly ignorant I was.  I knew vaguely that a war had started, but I had no idea what it meant,” (190).  She relied so much on the war because it was the reason why she was able to find work.  She did not even know what was happening to the troops that went out to fight.  She could not focus because she had to find and spend all of her time working.  The war was a miracle for them, but they do not have the time to support the troops that go out to fight.  They do not take part in the collective sacrifice because they do not have anything to give.  I believe that it raises the question, should the country participate in collective sacrifice right after the Depression occurred?  Can all Americans give up resources for the troops?  It is interesting because the Terry family benefited so much from the war, but they did not help the people who are fighting for them.  I just believe that the Terry family should attempt to participate in the support of the war because of the help that they received from the war.

E. B. (Sledgehammer) Sledge

            The reason for fighting for the soldiers was so interesting to me.  It was actually more surprising than interesting.  One would think that the soldiers would fight for the country that they live in, but that is not the case for the soldiers during World War II.  The secondary belief for soldiers choosing to fight in the war is for the benefits that it brings for the soldiers when they come back.  While Sledge is talking about the war, he says, “The only thing that kept you going was your faith in your buddies.  It wasn’t just a case of friendship… What was worse than death was the indignation of your buddies.  You couldn’t let’em down.  It was stronger than flag and country,” (197).  The soldiers simply wanted to fight for the soldiers because they are the only people that they know out there.  It is hard for them to care for their hobbies and family back home because they do not know if they will be home to appreciate them.  Out in Europe, the soldiers found something to appreciate, and it is their fellow comrades.  The soldiers family have less influence than the soldiers because they are not in Europe.  The other soldier’s presence is what keeps the soldiers going.  Without the confidence and relationship with fellow soldiers, the life and will of the soldiers would not have been at the high level it needed to be at.

Response 4

Introduction response

            The introduction was quite interesting because I was really able to explore why so many people wanted to fight in the war.  Was it because there was nothing at home? Was it for the adventure?  I believe that the real reason why so many people were excited for the war is because it gave them something that they had to do.  It’s interesting because Studs Terkel said, “It appears that the disremembrance of World War Two is as disturbingly profound as the forgettery of the Great Depression: World War Two, and event that changed the psyche as well as the face of the United States and of the world,” (Terkel 161).  He is saying that World War Two is forgotten offensive because it had a huge impact on the world.  The part that I find most interesting about that quote is that it compares it to the forgettery of the Great Depression.  Once World War Two came up, almost all of the people forgot that the Depression had occurred.  I believe that the reason is because the war gave people that had no jobs something to do.  People were either going off to fight for its country, or they were sent to the factories in order to make supplies for the troops.  It is almost as if World War Two unified the country when it was in tension.  The war created a sense of pride in the country after a time of depression.  Everyone had to do their part, unlike in the Great Depression when nobody really had a part to do.  The amount of roles that the war brought to the citizens is the reason behind the sudden change in thinking of Americans.

Robert Rasmus

            My first thought on this story was that it was going to be a typical story about another soldier who went to the war to fight for the country.  After getting into the story, I realized that the stereotype of the soldier can be completely different.  While explaining his story, Rasmus says, “When I went in the army, I’d never been outside the states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan.  So when I woke up the first morning on the troop train in Fulton, Kentucky, I thought I was in Timbuktu.  Of course, I was absolutely bowled over by Europe, the castles, the cathedrals, the Alps.  It was wonderment.  I was preoccupied with staying alive and doing my job, but it seemed, out of the corner of my eye, I was constantly fascinated with the beauty of the German forests and medieval bell towers.  At nineteen, you’re seeing life with fresh eyes.”  He grew up living a boring life, and the war was a new adventure for him.  I believe that so many people went to fight in the war because they were able to experience a whole new place.  It was a place where change can occur after the Great Depression.  People can go from being a nobody, and transforming into a lieutenant in a battalion.  The soldiers only wanted to live life in a new aspect that was different from the typical citizen that came from Timbuktu.  Rasmus showed me that the soldier did not only fight in the war in order to give back to the country.  The soldier fought because they want to witness the adventure and thrill that war can bring.

Entry 3

Jane Yoder and her son Tom

I first reacted to these entries by thinking that a coat is truly not an object that can have a great importance in someone’s life.  After she kept describing the coat, I realized that these people lived during the depression struggling to keep warm and that a coat is what can make those people happy.  As she is describing her story, Jane says, “I remember this incident of that Indian blanket coat.  Oh, because Katie came home with it and had it in her clothes closet for quite a while.  And I didn’t have a coat.  I can remember putting on that coat in Sue Pond’s house.  I thought, oh, this is marvelous, gee.  I took that coat home, and I waited till Sunday and wore it to church.”  The one positive memory that she has about the Depression is the happiness that she had when she wore that coat.  She did not care if the coat made her look awful during church.  She only cared about the feeling of being warm when they were so cold.  One coat can have enough sentimental value that it will allow for a person to have the will to live in a time where so many people struggled to stay alive. 

Peggy Terry and Mary Owsley

            My first and major reaction to this story occurred when Peggy said, “My husband was very bitter.  That’s just puttin’ it mild.  He was an intelligent man.  He couldn’t see why as wealthy a country as this is, that there was any sense in so many people starving to death, when so much of it, wheat and everything else, was being poured into the ocean.  There are many excuses, but he looked for a reason.  And he found one.”  When I later read on to discover that he blames the government for the Depression I was surprised.  It was not fully the government’s fault, so he should not blame the government for that.  The banks were giving away too many loans that so many people could not pay back.  The banks should have not given away the amount of money that would later put them in the whole because they cannot give money back to others.  Also, the American citizens are also to blame because they are spending and spending due to credit, and do not have enough money to pay back the companies.  The roaring twenties and the optimistic times led so many individuals to believe that there would never be a downfall in the economy.  Peggy’s husband should not have blamed the government because the majority of the blame should be put on the citizens for lacking safety while making investments and spending money.

Entry 2

Arthur A. Robertson

My first reaction to this entry was shock over the wits and decisions that he made throughout the prosperous market.  He was able to stay calm and realize that the market will only go up so much before it must go down, and Robertson made the wise decision and took out his money.  It made me think how all of these Americans are being harmed because of the insane risks that they took.  Many ask what made so many Americans but all of their money into stocks?  Was it because the roaring twenties was such an optimistic time period?  Better yet, why did Robertson help feed so many people during the Great Depression?  Robertson was an exception to the norm of the Great Depression.  He took out his money, which was genius, because he and his brother had a bad feeling about the stock market.  According to Studs Terkel, “[Robertson] agreed to line up seventy-five of em’ into the Macfadden restaurant and I’d feed em for seven cents apiece.  I did this every day.”  I found this amazing because he was willing to help so many people although he was creating a “substantial loss” in his profits.  He made the humane decision in order to help people learn about  the mistakes that they made in the past and is willing to help them out of their hole in the ground.  Robertson helped Jesse Livermore out of the hole two times.  He was willing to give up $400,000 and $5,000 in order for Livermore to end his debt.  Although he was safe was his money Robertson was making risks in order to help hundreds of Americans during the Great Depression which makes him a great American.  He looked passed his loss in money directly at the smiles of Americans when they were being fed with his money.

Ed Paulsen

His story shows how important and loved the New Deal was by the unemployed Americans.  It makes me believe that Wilson and the previous government were just letting Americans die without helping them.  I believe that these people lived such hard lives because the Great Depression forced so many people to live life only for themselves because they could not make enough money or find enough food to live in a group.  While talking to Terkel, Paulsen says, “It wasn’t a big thing, but it created a coyote mentality.  You were a predator. You had to be.  The coyote is crafty.  He can be fantastically courageous and a coward at the same time.  He’ll run, but when he’s cornered, he’ll fight,” (Terkel 98).  The depression caused all of these people to attack and act aggressive just to live.  It is crazy how desperate they are for just a simple job and place to live.  With the Transient Camp there to help, Paulsen describes the New Deal as his salvation.  It gave him a hope for a future and the resources in order to find shelter and food in the present.  The New Deal was so important to so many Americans which strikes me.