If, in a few years, someone were to ask me, “What was the United States like in 2018?” My answer would be far different than one from, say, a Baby Boomer.

It is much the same as when I’m asked, “What was this country like during World War II?”

I can only answer from my perspective, but I would give it my best shot to present a consensus of what most of my countrymen would agree was the country’s mood in this desperate struggle for survival. It’s amusing for someone my age to hear some whippersnapper opine that it would be impossible for the U.S. to successfully fight two wars at the same time.

Well, after being caught flat footed and much of our naval power destroyed before we even knew we were at war, we fought, beat and destroyed three major adversaries in Japan, Germany and Italy.

Standing strong together

My first realization of our being in a state of war came at a very early age. I was a young teenager when my parents returned from a trip to town and pulled in the driveway to be greeted by an even younger boy, the son of the grammar school principal who lived a couple of houses down from ours.

He was jumping up and down with excitement.

“The Japs have bombed Pearl Harbor!” he said.

So what? I thought. The Japs were always bombing something.

My answer was quickly forthcoming when I found out Pearl Harbor belonged to us.

That made a difference indeed. They’d gone too far, and our armed forces would quickly set things right and deal out a proper comeuppance to the little yellow bellies. (We had not yet learned the concept of political correctness.)

We had also not learned to view the world situation realistically. The truth of it was that we were woefully unprepared for a war for which the Japanese had prepared many years, a situation we could very well allow to repeat itself today.

I remember thinking that the war could not possibly last long enough for me to take a meaningful part. We watched in horror as the Japanese war machine rolled over our weak Pacific defenses. Island after island fell before the onslaught culminating in the debacle at Bataan and Corregidor.

The humiliation of America was nearly complete. One who did not live through that period couldn’t possibly imagine the mindset of most of the American public back then. To say we were angry is a gross understatement. We were furious, with a strong bloodlust to strike back at the arrogant armies of what we considered to be a backward society.

Waking the giant

Thousands of young men stormed the recruiting offices, lying about their ages, hiding infirmities and using every subterfuge they thought they might need to get into combat. Almost no one tried to dodge the draft back then.

Working women flooded defense plants determined to do their part in bringing the Asiatic monster to its knees. Rosie the Riveter was as eager to do her part as any GI Joe.

Those of us still champing at the bit of what we considered unreasonable age restrictions volunteered as scrap metal collectors, air defense workers, critical industry workers, wherever we thought we could strike a blow for our country. We endured without complaint (at least not much) the rationing of gasoline, rubber, sugar, meat and other commodities.

From our vantage point of today, the results were easily predictable. The sleeping giant came fully awake. We were hopelessly, perhaps foolishly, patriotic.

For those of us who were actually able to make it into uniform, nothing was too good. Hitchhikers in uniform seldom stood by the road for more than a few minutes before being picked up and whisked on their way to wherever they wished to go. In trains, buses and streetcars, members of the armed forces were seated before the general public. Restaurants suddenly found that extra table when requested by a service member.

In short, there were many hard times to endure during the war years, but we enjoyed something Americans haven’t at any other time in living memory. We lived in a country absolutely unified in a joint effort to achieve a worthy and difficult conclusion.

No task was said to be too difficult. No job too dangerous. No goal that could not be attained. No whining about fairness. After all, it was for the war effort.