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Second World War: V-J Day Celebration

V-J Day was a completely different
type of celebration. People milled through the streets, shouting and elated. A
dance band played, and people who hadn’t danced for years got out and danced.

A prominent citizen had saved some
fireworks from the pre-war days. He fired sparklers, roman candles and all
kinds of noise makers from the roof of the library. For those whose men were
safe, it definitely was a time to rejoice – but for the survivors, it was a
tragedy.

One man had made the boast that he
would lead the high school band down the street in his boxer shorts if his son
came home unharmed.

Everyone wondered if he would fulfill his boast, and people
laughed at such a brag. All of a sudden, the sound of the band was heard in the
distance. There he was, wielding the baton. He wore his boxer shorts, which
were partly covered by a white shirt.

It was a time for revelry; little
thought went to the boys who gave their lives for their country.

Now was the time for American
soldiers to breathe easier and rebuild their lives.

Many GIs came home with problems,
but for the most part, they survived pretty well. No family was without
problems if the man of the house had been absent for a long time.

Madonna Storla
Postville,
Iowa


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.