I was a young child of 4 or 5 when the Second World War began. My daddy quit teaching and went to work at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He moved the family, which consisted of him, my mother, my younger brother and me to Fort Leonard Wood.
There was a German prison camp at Fort Leonard Wood. My daddy worked inside the prison camp for a while. The prisoners did jobs around the post. I still have a jewelry box that they made for my mother. I also have a metal dustpan that was made by one of the prisoners.
During those war years, even though I was very young, I learned about different races and cultures. I often wonder what happened to many of those people.
Loma Jean (Wood) Lawler
Strafford, Missouri
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.
