Interview by Melissa L
When World War II started my grandmother, Anna Tuttle, was a typical 7 year old girl. During the war years, she was a school girl living in the Yakima Valley. My great-grandfather was in the septic tank business. To earn goods for his family he bartered with other businesses. If he did business for a place that grew fruit, then he would get fruit in exchange. If he did business for the butcher, he would get free meat. He also raised pigs so meat was even less of a problem. My grandmother didn’t have many problems with everything being rationed. Because my great grandfather had a successful business, they were able to stock up goods in a root cellar. A root cellar is a hole dug in the ground with boards around it in the inside with shelves and bins to store goods. It was insulated with sawdust to keep everything cool. The root cellar was important to have for the family of ten living in one small house during the war years because there were so many people to feed and they had to make sure to keep all the food somewhat fresh.
When I asked my grandmother about her reaction to Pearl Harbor, the first thing that she said was horror. The women were crying and the men were mad. She referred to it as a sad and angry time. The best way to explain the men’s reaction during that time was that they were going to go and if they had to, “Walk over to whip them Japs.” She remembers very few Japanese people living in the Yakima Valley, and was more apt to see them towards the bigger cities such as Seattle. The few that were around, no one had a problem with them and just let them to live their lives.
The war starting meant that my grandmother might have to lose someone in her family to go and fight. My great grandfather went down to try and sign up but couldn’t join. He went to 3 villages to sign up so he could get in, but couldn’t. He was too old for WWII and has 4 children but they were only taking single men at the time. My grandmother did have to say goodbye to her uncle because he signed up to go to the war. The news was broken the family when her uncle told my great grandfather that he couldn’t go to work tomorrow because he had signed up for the war. Because everyone has just come out of the depression, they were used to little or none. Also because of my great grandfather’s business, he had no problem with gas, even though it was rationed also. Also, there would be war bonds sold at school and when someone brought money (usually about 10 cents) they would get a stamp to put in a stamp book, that when full, they could exchange it for a saving/war bonds.
When the dropping of the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred my grandmother remembers a combination of horror and elation. It was expected and they knew that if the bomb was dropped the war would be over. There was also a lot of relief because anyone that was gone at the war could now come home.
A memory that my grandmother had of the war was the process of getting more toothpaste. First, they would have to completely empty to the tube. They would even stick things into the tube to get the last bit. Because metal was scarce, they would take the empty tube (and toothpaste coupon) to get it filled up again. Another memory was her mother discovering that canning food without sugar made it taste fresh and it was a good way to conserve sugar; which was scarce. Also, my grandmother remembers her uncle giving her and her siblings a large candy cane that was an inch and a ½ across and 2 feet long. It was given to them because sugar was scarce and there was no chocolate, so a giant candy cane would settle a 7 year olds sweet tooth for a long time. My grandmother’s most lasting memory of the war years was a man going to the houses of soldier’s who died to give white piece of paper with a red star that was put in windows to indicate loss of one family member to the war. She remembers some houses with 3 or more in the window.
Even though so many horrible things happened during the war years there was always some light humor to an awful time. My great grandmother decided to leave her husband and family amidst the war. My great grandfather was mad because of this; but, not because he was left by himself, but because he thought she took the coupon book with her. In conclusion, she didn’t take the coupon book, but left it at home. Even today, my grandmother has that memorable coupon book.