“December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy…”

This poignant and unforgettable quote was the beginning of President Franklin Roosevelt’s call for war against Japan and ultimately the Axis Powers. Despite the attempts of the U.S. to remain neutral, Japan had forced the country into World War II.

The surprise Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was meant to cripple America’s Pacific Fleet and prevent the U.S. from defending the South Pacific from Japanese invasion. Moreover, the Axis Powers did not believe the U.S. capable of entering a two-front war; therefore, the attack would also prevent its interference in Europe. The Axis Powers underestimated the will and strength of Americans and the united front they would present following the attack.

On December 8, 1941, Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress, calling for a Declaration of War against Japan for the unprovoked attack against the U.S. Congress approved with a single dissenting vote. Three days later, Congress also approved a Declaration of War on Germany and Italy.

The attack on Pearl Harbor impacted every U.S. citizen. Many young men were drafted and sent off to war, increasing the numbers and power of the U.S. military. A new workforce emerged as women who were once stay-at-home mothers now moved into heavy industrial work. Children were left to help maintain the home by rationing, shopping and caring for siblings. The dynamics of American society changed in an instant without question or complaint, just a sense of patriotic duty.

The communication officer

At the time of the attack, Sgt. George K. Lewis was 16 and working at a movie theater in Denver. His family had moved from Greeley after losing their ranch to the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression in 1934. Like other Americans, George and his family were surprised to hear of the event.

“It was something you [could] hardly grasp—3,000 people losing their lives,” he said. “It changed life. It’s a blow—you’re not expecting something like it.”

In 1941, George was not ready to join the military, and his parents refused to sign a waiver to allow him to join. In early 1943, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps’ cadet program, and in 1944, following the end of basic and civil service training, George was drafted into the U.S. Army.

“I said, ‘Well, a lot of money was spent on me to train me in communications. I guess that’s where I ought to go.’ So that’s what I did,” he said.

He served as a communications officer for the 112th Squadron, 56th Airways Communications System group, and landed in Naples, Italy. He moved throughout Italy for six weeks before moving into Liberia and other areas of North Africa.

He served in a support role and never saw combat, although he knew plenty of men who had seen combat and sadly never came home. He returned to the U.S. in 1946, married, had four daughters and settled in Craig.

Childhood duties

In December 1941, Joyce Mabary-Higgins-Oliver was 10 years old and visiting her grandparents in rural Van Buren, Missouri. As the family gathered around the radio, news came in about the attack at Pearl Harbor. She and her younger brother, Robert, didn’t fully understand the impact the event would have on their lives, but they knew that life with their single mother in Jefferson City, Missouri, would change.

Her mother, Opal Lee, stepped up—as many women did—and took a job at Magic Chef manufacturing artillery shells. Although Magic Chef was a stove manufacturer, they halted production to support the war effort.

The work was tough. Many times, Opal Lee worked the third shift, leaving her children home to cook, clean and get themselves to school. Responsibility for the household often fell to young Joyce, who would take the streetcar to stand in long lines to get the family’s ration stamps or necessities like stockings for her mother.

She doesn’t remember this as a hardship, just as an expectation. She and her brother pulled a wagon through their neighborhood looking for tin cans to help the war effort, while her mother saved money to buy bonds.

A united front

George, Joyce and their families were examples of the new normal following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Basic food staples such as sugar, butter, coffee and meat were in short supply, and families were encouraged to sacrifice for the greater good—supporting the American troops overseas.

Pearl Harbor was a catalyst of change for the U.S. In the face of an attack, American society changed without question, demonstrating its strong will and sense of duty.