The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Watching the Ships Go Off to War-- Part 1

From the December 17, 2011, New Bern (NC) Sun-Journal "WWII: Watching the ships go to war" by Willard Seidenfield.

William Seidenfield was an eleven-year old boy and at Madison Square Gardens in NYC with his father watching a minor league hockey game.  In the middle of the game, the announcer came on and said, "All sailors report to your ships immediately.  The date was December 7, 1941.

Later, sirens were attached to the lampposts in their Bay Ridge, Brooklyn neighborhood and tested regularly.  Soon, he could distinguish between the pending attack and all clear signals.

Every street had an air warden to make sure no light came from homes during test blackouts.

There was a railroad five blocks from his house and occasionally  see flat cars passing by with canvas-covered tanks with their muzzles sticking out.

It Was War At Home As Well.  --GreGen

No comments:

Post a Comment