Listed below are some examples of the Biographical Sketch's that will be given to the student to bring through the time period covered in this class.
This is your life as of December 7, 1941
| 1. | Housewife - female | |
| Born 1918 (23 years old) 3 children - 2 boys and a girl Lives in Dayton, Ohio Husband is 24 years old and works in a tire factory He enlists late in 1943 because his brother has been killed in North Africa Both adults have a high school education |
||
| 2. | Child - Boy | |
| Born 1931 (10 years old) Only child of an upper class family He attends a private school His mother is 40 years old, she was a nurse before the child was born His father is 45 years old and is a lawyer. His father becomes a "$1 a day Man" for a federal agency during the war years and spends a good deal of time in Washington D.C. |
||
| 3. | Doctor - male | |
| Born in 1883 (58 years old) Lives in Portland, Oregon Served in the medical corps during WWI Is a widower with a 22 year old son who will be drafted |
||
| 4. | High School Senior (Class of '42) - male | |
| Born in 1924 (17 years old) From a poor family he is the oldest boy in a family with 9 children He will graduate from high school in Nashville, Tennessee - likes "hill-billy" music Wants to be a pilot but his eyesight is not good enough Would have been drafted but he got advanced notice and joined the navy |
||
| 5. | Physicist - male | |
| Born in 1911 (30 years old) Lives in Rochester, New York Earned degrees from Harvard, MIT and the University of Berlin Interned with Dr. Fermi at Chicago University Will work on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1945 |
||
| 6. | Skilled factory worker - male | |
| Born in 1916 (25 years old) Works for Boeing Aircraft company in Seattle, WA. Has worked there for 5 years and is not draftable because of job Not married |
||
| 7. | Politician - member of U.S. House from Idaho - male | |
| Born in 1893 (48 years old) Home residence is Des Moines, but he and family will spend war years in Washington D.C. He is married to the niece of the Governor of Idaho Has two daughters (ages 16, and 18) He has been in office since 1926 Republican - member of Agriculture Committee and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, where he is the ranking member |
||
| 8. | Commercial Airline Pilot - male | |
| Born in 1909 (32 years old) Employed by Pan American Airways Regular route Los Angeles to Hong Kong Is in Hong Kong in December of 1941- has met Claire Chennault and will join the Flying Tigers Never married |
||
| 9. | Black draftee - male | |
| Born 1923 (18 years old) Lives in Chicago, Ill. High school graduate Sent to Fort Benning, GA for basic training Assigned to the transportation company of the 101st AirBorne Has 2 older sisters in Chicago Mother works as a cleaning lady in city building Father was killed while serving in the army |
||
| 10. | Native American Male - Navajo Code Talker | |
| Born 1920 (21 years old) Lives on Navajo Indian reservation near Gallup NM. Unemployed - married with 2 children Enlists with cousin who wanted to be a marine and volunteers to be code-talker Will serve in the Pacific |
||
| 11. | Hispanic - female | |
| Born 1901 (40 years old) Lives in the barrio of Los Angels, CA Has five children - 2 sons (aged 15 and 13) and 3 daughters (aged 18, 11, 10). Husband owns a small grocery store. She works outside home during the day as a maid in Beverly Hills and in the store in the evenings |
||
| 12. | Italian immigrant - male | |
| Born 1891 (50 years old) Entered U.S. in 1932 Lives in Baltimore, MD. Shoemaker - owns a small shoe repair shop His wife had died in 1931 in Italy - No children Older brother lives in Philadelphia |
||
| 13. | Polish female - Jewish | |
| Born 1921 (20 years old) Lives in New York city - single Ballet dancer - recruited to dance in ballet company in New York Entered U.S. in 1938 - from Warsaw. |
||
| 14. | Injured veteran - male | |
| Born 1915 (26 years old) Lives in Miami, FL. Volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War - severely wounded No longer draftable - injury prevents further military service. Clerk in Justice of Peace Court - Dade County. |
||
| 15. | Newspaper reporter - female | |
| Born 1913 (28 years old) Lives in St. Louis, MO. - single Journalism major from Northwestern University. Works for St. Louis Post Dispatch - writing fashion news Sent to London - becomes War correspondent |
||
| 16. | USO Entertainer - (Male or female your choice) | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) Born and raised in Boise Idaho Either a musician or a singer Will travel with USO troop in European Theater |
||
| 17. | Red Cross Worker - female | |
| Born 1891 (50 years old) - Never married Lives in Charleston, SC Field manager in charge of domestic disasters in USA (such as hurricanes or tornadoes or floods) Responsible for mobilizing the response team. Worked for Frances Perkins in Department of Labor. |
||
| 18. | Small town volunteer - female | |
| Born 1869 (72 years old) Grandmother lives in Portsmouth, NH 2 Grandsons in service (1 in Navy and 1 in Marines) Rolls bandages and collects old clothes among other things |
||
| 19. | Postal Railway Employee - male | |
| Born 1912 (29 years old) Lives in Kansas City, MO Draft exempt due to job Married - 4 children 3 girls and 1 boy |
||
| 20. | Black Laborer - male | |
| Born 1911 (30 years old) Lives in Selma, Alabama and moves to Detroit, Michigan to work in Jeep factory Married - 5 children - 3 boys and 2 girls Wife and kids will join him in Detroit in Jan. 1943 |
||
| 21. | Farmer - male | |
| Born 1888 (53 years old) Lives in Wichita Falls, Texas. Married 6 children ages 13 to 24 Has a young brother He and the brother inherit the farm in 1936 after death of both parents Grows cotton - Strikes oil on land in 1944 Eventual dispute with brother over mineral rights |
||
| 22. | Bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. - male | |
| Born 1906 (35 years old) - single Works for OPA and periodically travels to inspect industrial sights and reports back to supervisor in D.C. Came to town in 1933 shortly after graduating from Harvard and worked for Harold Ickes in New Deal programs |
||
| 23. | State government worker - male | |
| Born 1903 (38 years old) Lives in Provo UT Highway patrolman Married and has one daughter |
||
| 24. | Army Air Corps Bomber Pilot - male | |
| Born 1917 (24 years old) Lives in Indianapolis, Indiana Graduate of University of Indiana in 1941 Married - wife is a secretary for Insurance Company No children Eventually fly B17s in Europe |
||
| 25. | Army enlisted person - male | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) - single Lives in Ripon, Wisconsin Joined Wisconsin National Guard in 1939 because someone told him it would be fun - then joins regular army in 1941 Assigned to an artillery unit becomes expert in heavy weapons - highest army rank is Sergeant |
||
| 26. | Navy officer - ensign - male | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) - single Lives in Wheeling, W. Virginia Graduate from Annapolis in 1940 Entered submarine service in 1941 Serves on submarines in both Atlantic and Pacific His father served in the Navy during WWI |
||
| 27. | Marine Corps - Colonel - male | |
| Born 1903 (38 years old) - Divorced 20 years in the Marine Corps Originally from San Diego, Calif. Stationed at Scofield barracks, Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 |
||
| 28. | Construction worker - male | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) - single From Harrodsburg, Kentucky Enlisted in Navy in 1939 Assigned to a naval construction company at Subic Bay, the Philippines |
||
| 29. | Nurse - female | |
| Born 1921 (20 years old) From New Orleans, LA. Graduates from Tulane Hospital Nursing School in 1941 Enlists in Navy and will be based out of Australia |
||
| 30. | Secretary - female | |
| Born 1916 (25 years old) Former secretary from Minneapolis, MN Volunteers to serve in the WAVES in 1942 Assigned to Naval Personnel Command, North Atlantic Fleet Will serve some of the war years in England |
||
| 31. | Air Line Pilot - male | |
| Born 1911 (30 years old) Originally form Fargo, North Dakota A transport cargo pilot who will be on detached service to the Royal Air Force in India He will fly support and supply missions for the British Burma campaign |
||
| 32. | Store Clerk - female | |
| Born 1913 (28 years old) - single In 1941 she worked as a clerk in a 'five and dime' store In 1942 she goes to work in the ship building factory in Oakland, Calif. She lives at home with her invalid mother. Mother confined to a wheelchair |
||
| 33. | Factory worker - female | |
| Born 1911 (30 years old) Originally from Decatur, TX. Attended the "normal" school in Denton Taught school in Bridgeport, TX. Married with 2 children Moves to Dallas to work in air plane factory in 1942 after her husband is sent to North Africa in 1942 with US Army |
||
| 34. | Nisei farmer (Japanese-American) - male | |
| Born 1925 (16 years old) Lives in Salinas, Calif. Family owns a lettuce farm Family interned at Manzanar - spring 1942 He will enlist in the army to get out of the camp and to prove he is a "true American" Jan. of 1943 - serves in the 442nd. Regimental Combat Team Trained in Hattiesburg, Miss. |
||
| 35. | WASP - female | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) Secretary from Houston, TX Learned to fly on weekends Trained at Avenger Field, Sweet Water, TX. by Jackie Cochran Will serve as a "Ferry Pilot" assigned to the Transport Command of the Army Air Corps in June 1942. |
||
| 36. | Black female | |
| Born 1917 (24 years old) Lives in Topeka, KS. Wife of AME Minister Will give birth to her first daughter in 1944 Her husband also works as a book-keeper for the General Mills Grain Company He is 30 years old She teaches school at the black elementary school |
||
| 37. | Army officer (lieutenant) - male | |
| Born 1917 (24 years old) From Buffalo, N.Y. Paratrooper in 82nd Airborne in North Africa by 1942 He was married just before he goes overseas Part of a unit which invades Sicily Will be POW |
||
| 38. | Army enlisted person - male | |
| Born 1922 (19 years old) From Brooklyn, N.Y. Enlisted in army in April 1941 Assigned to a heavy armored division - served under General Patton's command Participated in battle of Kaserine Pass, and will be in the Battle of the Bulge |
||
| 39. | Businessman - male | |
| Born 1891 (50 years old) Owns a department store in Pittsburgh, PA. Chairman of the local ration board Is married and has a 30 year old son who is a Lt. with the 5th regiment, 1st Marine Division who will be part of the Battle at Guadalcanal in 1942 Also has a 26 year old daughter who is married to a manager at a Steel Mill in Pittsburgh, and who gave birth to her first child in 1940 |
||
| 40. | Nisei (Japanese-American) - female | |
| Born 1918 (23 years old) From Los Angeles, CA Married with a 6 month old son Her husband is also 23 years old. He graduated from UCLA in 1940 with a degree in Business Administration. At the time of "Pearl Harbor" he is a junior executive for Pacific Gas Inc. In Feb. 1942 they will be interned at the Santa Anita Race Track. By June 1942 they are permanently relocated to a camp in Arkansas. By 1943 she will get out of the camp during the day to work in a powdered egg factory |
||
| 41. | Wife of a Tuskeegee Airman - female | |
| Born 1921 (20 years old) Raised in Selma, Alabama Attended in Tuskeegee Institute and meets husband when he is sent to train at nearby military base. Husband is from Chicago, IL. When husband is sent overseas she will go to Chicago to stay with her in-laws She and her husband will have 2 children - one will march with Martin Luther King |
||
| 42. | Geologist - male | |
| Born 1916 (25 years old) Long Beach, California Graduate school at Munich School of Mines in Munich, Germany 1937 - 1941 Witnesses Krystal Nacht in 1938 - Leaves Germany in 1941 Works for British American Oil company in Long Beach, California (not draftable) |
||
| 43. | Machine shop worker - male | |
| Born 1918 (23 years old) New Orleans, LA Single, family includes 2 sisters still lives in New Orleans Enlisted in Navy in 1940 Serving aboard air craft carrier USS Yorktown, Pearl Harbor, HI |
||
| 44. | World War I widow - female | |
| Born 1884 (57 years old) Husband was a cavalry officer during WWI Two children - one will serve in the military during WWII Operates the "Doughnut Dolly" stand at Union Station in Omaha, NE for the duration of the war |
||
| 45. | County Judge - male | |
| Born 1881 (60 years old) Widower - no children Head of the draft board in Pueblo, Colorado Very patriotic |
||
| 46. | Nurse - female | |
| Born 1913 (28 years old) Sioux City, South Dakota Enlisted in Army medical corps in 1939 Stationed with US Army on Corregidor, the Philippines |
||
| 47. | High School student - male | |
| Born 1923 (18 years old) Graduates from High School and enlists in the army Assigned to an infantry unit with the VI Corps of the US 36th Infantry Division Participates in the Anzio landing Severely wounded in the leg - transported to an Army Hospital Diagnosed with "Battle Fatigue" |
||
| 48. | Farmer - male | |
| Born 1920 (21 years old) Quaker family - farm is just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Drafted into the army - Conscientious Objector - has to prove his case Assigned as a medic to the 1st Infantry division (The Big Red One) will land with the troops on D-Day on Omaha beach. |
||
| 49. | Police Dispatcher - female | |
| Born 1923 (18 years old) Lives in Cleveland, Ohio - 1 older sister & 1 older brother - parents divorced Enlists in Army - Assigned as radio operator - stationed in England from 1942 - 1944 |
||
| 50. | Hispanic laborer - male | |
| Born 1917 (24 years old) Married with 4 children - lives just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada Attends Vocational School - Department of Labor in Las Vegas - becomes a plumber He and family will move to Corpus Christi, TX where he will work in a war industries factory with his new skills |
||
| 51. | House wife - female | |
| Born 1906 (35 years old) Lives in Flint, Michigan Married with one 17 year old son Husband enlists in Marines and is sent to the Pacific Goes to work in the Ford Willow Run Plant |
||
| 52. | Hispanic Child - male | |
| Born 1931 (10 years old) Family of migrant farm workers has 3 sisters and 3 brothers Family employed on farms in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas |
||
| 53. | High School Student - female | |
| Born 1926 (15 years old) Lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma - Horrible family life Drops out of school and goes to Oklahoma City to work in a defense factory |
||
| 54. | Factory Owner - male | |
| Born 1919 (31 years old) Jewish - born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Family business - will make uniforms for the United States military |
||
| 55. | Journalist - female | |
| Born 1916 (31 years old) From Raleigh, North Carolina Has three younger brothers Married - husband is a civilian defense worker - no children yet Works for the Office of War Information (OWI) newspaper the Victory |
||
| 56. | Language Professor - male | |
| Born 1911 (30 years old) Milwaukee, Wisconsin - second generation immigrant family Speaks fluent German Enlists in army - assigned to Office of Strategic Service (OSS) Stationed in England - part of the D-Day "deception" team |
||
| 57. | Native American - female | |
| Born 1924 (17 years old) Lives on Pima Reservation, Arizona Goes to San Diego to work in ship yards with her 23 year old cousin. Neither of them has ever been off the reservation before |
||
| 58. | High School student - male | |
| Born 1927 (14 years old) Minneapolis, Minnesota Freshman in high school - constantly truant and gets into trouble with the law 3 brothers and 1 sister - working-class family |
||
| 59. | Gardener - female | |
| Born 1898 (43 years old) Widow - lives in Tallahassee, Florida Member of the American Federation of Garden Clubs Is a consultant for the creation of Victory Gardens |
||
| 60. | Merchant Marine sailor - male | |
| Born 1919 (22 years old) Orphan - raised in a Catholic Orphanage in Salem, Massachusetts Joined the Merchant Marine in 1937 - His ship operates in the North Atlantic |
||
Author: Becky Driscoll
E-Mail: bdriscoll@dcccd.edu