World War II Brings People to Florida - SchoolNotes

ACROSS

3. Financial atmosphere of a community

4. Where Japan signed the final terms of surrender for WWII

6. The code name of the secret project to develop the atomic bomb

9. Death 11. Women's Air Force

Service Pilots 12. General who led the first

air raid on Tokyo

This week's words and phrases for the crossword puzzle can be found on pages 1-3 in this newspaper. Good luck searching for them!

DOWN

1. Place where NASA launches space ships

2. Organized by the Civil Air Patrol to protect the coast of Florida during WWII

5. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service

7. Countries that fought on the American side

8. The place where Japanese airplanes bombed the United States on Dec. 7, 1941

10. Prisoners of War

Week 23 of 32 ? Page 4

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Gulf and Hamilton Counties

Gulf County is found just south of Calhoun County and north of the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the county took its name from the Gulf of Mexico. Right in the center of Gulf County, you will find the cities of Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and Wewahitchka. These are some of Florida's most historic old towns, and many visitors come here to see what "Old Florida" was like long ago.

Port Old St. Joe, once called St. Joseph, is home to the Constitution Convention Museum, honoring the city as the spot where Florida's first state constitution was written and signed. Wewahitchka, also known as "Wewa," is famous for its delicious Tupelo honey, made from the blossoms of the Tupelo gum tree. The beaches of Cape San Blas have been called the best in the United States, and St. Vincent Island, just off of the city of Indian Pass, has a national wildlife refuge where visitors can view animals in their natural habitat.

Georgia forms the northern border of Hamilton County, and the Withlacoochee River on the west and the Suwannee River on the east and south cut off the county from the rest of Florida. Hamilton County is also home to the famous Alapaha River, sometimes called the "River of Sand" because it disappears underground during certain times of the year, leaving only a dry, sandy riverbed in its place. Hamilton County is also home to the Jennings Bridge, the oldest standing Pratt Pony Truss Bridge in Florida. The county is a great place to fish and enjoy the beauties of the Florida outdoors.

Think and Review Questions

1. What happened to cause the United States to enter into WWII? 2. Who was the last country to surrender to the Allied Powers in

WWII? 3. What was the Manhattan Project? 4. How did the U.S. women help in the WWII war effort? 5. Who is Eddie Rickenbacker? 6. Who is Jacqueline Cochran? 7. Who are the WAVES? 8. Who is the Mosquito Fleet? 9. Explain the Geneva Convention. 10. What is the county of Gulf known for? 11. Who is Jack Eckerd and how is he a model for citizenship? 12. Explain how the Prisoners of War (POWs) were treated in

Florida.

World War II

Imagine that you own a factory in Florida during World War II. With most of the men away fighting the war, you need to hire women to do jobs they have never done before. Write a help-wanted advertisement explaining to women why they should come and work for you. Before you begin to write, think about why the women should come work for you. Now write to explain why the women should come work for you.

Week 23 of 32 ? Page 1

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A weekly newspaper for young students of Florida history

Vol. 12 Issue 3

Third Quarter

Week 23

World War II Brings

THIS WEEK

World War II

? The Manhattan Project ? Bombing of Pearl Harbor ? Signing on the U.S.S.

Missouri

People to Florida

In 1940, Florida was ranked 27th in population nationally. But on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and everything changed. On Dec. 8, America joined the Second World War.

During World War II, Florida became an important training center, a place to ship out soldiers and supplies. Jungle fighters trained in Florida's sub-tropical regions before shipping out to the South Pacific. Bomber pilots trained at what is now Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach. Those same pilots, led by General James Doolittle, led the first air raid on Tokyo. In addition to 250,000 Floridians, many thousands of servicemen and women from all over the country made Florida their temporary home during the war. They liked it so well that many of them moved here with their families to live when the war was over.

What was the result? Well, read the rest of this issue to find out. Let's read on to find out more about how Florida participated in WWII.

Not Forgotten

Sixteen million American men and women fought in World War II and 248,000 of these were from Florida. Today, about 600,000 WWII veterans make their homes in our state. Recently, Florida opened its own memorial to honor the men and women who served our country during WWII.

Completed in 2004, the memorial is located in Tallahassee and is part of the Museum of Florida History. A stone memorial, modeled after the one that honors WWII veterans at the National Monument in Washington, D.C., was built just outside the museum and was dedicated by then-Governor Jeb Bush in 2005. The memorial includes 67 stone markers representing Florida's 67 counties. The purpose of the memorial is to preserve the spirit, commitment and sacrifice

of these veterans for generations to come. Along with a permanent WWII

exhibit at the Museum of Florida History, there is also a traveling exhibit which can be set up at locations across the state. The exhibit teaches what the war meant to those who had to fight, what it was like for those left at home, and the impact of the war on Florida's history. Teachers can also request a special unit from the museum that will help them teach their students more about the war.

Are you interested in learning more about WWII? Plan a trip to the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee or to one of the traveling exhibits throughout the state. For more information, ask a parent or teacher to help you visit ms/trex/

This picture is from the dedication in June 2005. These men are WWII veterans from Florida.

Week 23 of 32 ? Page 2

World War II

World War II

In 1939, another great war began in Europe. This time, the Axis Powers, led by Germany, Italy and Japan, went to war against the Allies, led by Great Britain, France, China and the Soviet Union. Again, the United States was determined to stay out of the war, but something happened on December 7, 1941, that left America no choice but to join the war. On this date, Japanese airplanes dropped bombs on the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,700 Americans were killed, and many American ships were sunk. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan and the other Axis countries.

Florida did its part in helping to win World War II, as this war was called. A total of 248,000 men and women from Florida served in World War II, but those who stayed at home helped with the war effort as well. Farmers had to produce extra food to feed those at home and those away fighting the war. Factories that had made cars started to make airplanes and tanks instead.

During World War II, the government asked C. D. Atkins, Louis MacDowell and Ed Moore to figure out a way to get fresh orange juice to the soldiers in Europe who needed more vitamin C. The war ended before they could finish, but shortly after, the first glass of pure orange juice from concentrate was slurped down. Yum! Yum!

This made an enormous difference in Florida's economy (financial atmosphere of a community).

No More Staying at Home

Florida women who had once stayed at home entered the work force. With the men off fighting the war, thousands of women had to take over the men's jobs doing work that they had never done before. Women worked in factories, making airplanes and tanks, and did other jobs that had been reserved for men only.

The U.S.S. Shaw explodes during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The WWII Orange Juice Trio

Where would Florida be without orange juice? Most of the world enjoys a glass any time they want, but it couldn't have happened without three men from Florida.

Eddie Rickenbacker

Eddie Rickenbacker was a daring

Floridian. He once said, "I've probably cheated the old Grim

Reaper (death) more than any other man." As a racecar driver,

Rickenbacker was almost killed numerous times. Then he became

the greatest American pilot in World War I. No other American

pilot shot down as many enemy aircraft as Eddie Rickenbacker.

Later, in World War II, Rickenbacker was on a secret mission with

eight other men flying a B-17 bomber across the Pacific Ocean.

Their plane disappeared for so long that rescuers gave up the

search. After three weeks, Rickenbacker

and several others were found floating in

shark-infested waters on a rubber raft. He

said that a sea gull, which landed close

enough to catch, provided a meal that kept

them alive.

Eddie Rickenbacker was a pioneer in

commercial airlines. He owned and

promoted one of the largest airlines of the

20th century. On one of his own airline

flights, he survived a crash near Atlanta,

which killed eight other people.

After 10 years of retirement, Eddie

Rickenbacker died of a heart attack in 1973.

Eddie Rickenbacker

Jack Eckerd: A Great Citizen

What do you do if you start a drugstore chain that grows to 1,724 stores in five states and eventually is sold to J.C. Penney Company for $2.6 billion? Well, if your name is Jack Eckerd, you spend most of your time giving money away.

Jack started out as a World War II pilot, but after the war, he started his drugstore in Tampa in 1952. A few years later, he met his wife at the Tampa Gasparilla celebration. Together, they built a vast fortune that now occupies most of their time as they try to give it away to worthy causes like the YMCA, United Way and various hospitals and colleges.

Mr. Eckerd died in 2004, at the age of 91. Of all his accomplishments, he saw his work in community service as the most important.

Most of his efforts were focused on benefitting children because, as he said, ". . . They're the community's future."

More of Florida's Who's Who of WWII

Jacqueline Cochran was a cosmetics manufacturer and the founder and director of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) in World War II.

While serving as the United States Florida senator during WWII, Claude Denson Pepper promoted a legislative action called the Lend-Lease Act to Britain. He also had other legislative accomplishments including provisions for health Jacqueline Cochran organizations and numerous laws to aid the elderly of America. The Mosquito Fleet was organized by the Civil Air Patrol to protect the coasts of Florida during WWII. Thousands of "spotters" (volunteers) were trained to track air activity along the coastline.

Claude Pepper

Let's Make Some WAVES During World War II, women who served in the war were called WAVES--Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

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Week 23 of 32 ? Page 3

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project was the code name used for a secret project to develop the atomic bomb. During World War II, scientists in America worked together secretly to create and perfect the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was then dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing Japan to surrender to the United States. This was a terrible loss of life. Most historians say that Japan would have kept fighting for a long time if we had not dropped the bomb, and even more people would have died. It was a tough decision for the president to make. It was a decision that changed the world

Just How Close Did The

Germans Get?

Actually, the Germans got much closer to the United States than many people believed. In fact, there were German U-boats right off Florida's coast. German U-boats were able to sink 24 ships. Many of these ships could be seen by Floridians living by the beach. In 1942, German submarines attacked four merchant ships near Cape Canaveral (the place where NASA shoots off the rockets).

German spies came ashore at Ponte Verdra, which is just south of Jacksonville near the naval base. Their mission was to blow up railroads to stop the shipment of war supplies.

Fortunately, the spies were captured before they could do it.

Nuclear explosion over Nagasaki. German U-Boat U534

WE WON THE WAR!

After four years of fighting, the Allies won the war. There were 4,255 Floridians killed in battle, with another 8,398 dying while in the military during this period. More than 11,700 Floridians were wounded in battle. Japan was the last of the Axis Powers to give up the fight. They signed the final terms of surrender on board the battleship U.S.S. Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945. Floridians breathed a sigh of relief and looked forward to better times.

Florida's Population Boom

1940-1950

WW II

1941-1945

Atomic Bomb Dropped

1945

WW II Ends

1945

Korean Conflict

1950-1953

What Were Victory Gardens?

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This question is meant as an enrichment activity. Extra research is required. Your teacher has the answer in the Teacher Edition of this paper.

10,000 POWs Sent to Florida

During WWII, many German and Italian soldiers were captured by the Americans and their allies (countries that fought on the American side).

These men were war prisoners called Prisoners of War (POWs). The problem was what to do with them.

Well, to make a long story short, the United States shipped almost 400,000 of the POWs to America--and more than 10,000 POWs came to Florida! There were about 25 camps throughout Florida. Central Florida had two camps--one near Kissimmee (now near Disney World) and one at the Orlando Army Air Base near downtown Orlando.

The POWs really had it made. They didn't have to grow, hunt or catch their own food or find shelter. Why is this? Because the Geneva Convention

promises to treat foreign soldiers who have been captured in a humanitarian manner. We even had some of the POWs working in the citrus industry, harvesting and packing oranges. What's even stranger is that some even helped our military while the war was going on! Do you think they wanted to leave after the war?

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

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