Part Fifty--HEROES: A RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY, part 4

ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY

The Home Front

At a radio fireside chat December 29, 1940, almost a year before the U.S. entered WWII, FDR called for America to be "the great arsenal of democracy."

As President of the United States, I call for that national effort. I call for it in the name of this nation which we love and honor and which we are privileged and proud to serve. I call upon our people with absolute confidence that our common cause will greatly succeed.

 

OPENING DAY 

ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY

The Home Front 

ROSIE THE RIVETER

Amanda Royer was our opening day visitor--Rosie the Riveter! She really looked and acted the part, though she told me she was pretty nervous. Several families met at our house to learn from her.

After sharing some of the contributions of women during WWII, especially at home, she gave each student a steel penny. I found these on Ebay. Due to wartime shortages of copper the 1943 pennies were made of steel coated in zinc. We Bradleys kept 2 each to put in our journals of discovery. Pretty cool!

Our group with Rosie

After pictures we had a wartime potluck meal.

This was awesome! My kids had never tasted Spam before!

That day we also learned how to swing dance to WWII swing music. Even though my kids knew a little swing, it was great to learn from one of the moms that taught us.

Autumn and Chase

Hal and Giselle

VICTORY GARDEN

We also visited a garden in Phelan. I don't remember how I found this place, but the couple who owns this property taught us valuable lessons on desert food production.

The woman let us taste various items from her garden.

GARDEN INQURIES

Of course we had to have our own Victory Gardens! The girls have planted gardens previous to this, but this year we ordered heirloom seeds and planted gardens for school projects.

Giselle planted potatoes, among other things.

ANNE FRANK

I learned about this spring play and called the theater to ask about school discounts. I bought forty-three $38 tickets at $12 each for our school group. It was a lovely play, funny and sad. Autumn forgot about this and had already booked herself for work on this Saturday, so Giselle took a neighbor friend in her place. 

MARCH FIELD AIR MUSEUM & THE RIVERSIDE NATIONAL CEMETERY

We enjoyed learning from more WWII veterans at this smaller museum. 

Giselle and Autumn in front of a B-29 bomber, the same kind of plane as the one that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.

Afterwards we headed across the freeway to see the Medal of Honor memorial 

The national cemetery felt like hallowed ground to us.

A cemetery docent taught us about military burials at this national cemetery.

MARINES

This was the last of the four armed forces recruiting centers that we visited.

The girls were not convinced to join any of the armed forces though.

RONALD REAGAN MUSEUM

We specifically went to this museum to see two preeminent items. We saw a copy of the Magna Carta, which was the basis for part of our Constitution.

We also saw this section of the Berlin wall which symbolized the Cold War which began in 1947. Even though the allies won the war against the axis powers, we continued to see threats to our republic and our American way of life.