After my sewing class in Colonial Williamsburg Saturday, we drove home to wrap up final details for our Becoming History Presentation Sunday night!
Presenting our USO Show for the Troops: WWII 1929-1949, from our classical history and literature studies.
We learned tons about the Great Depression, WWII, the onset of the Cold War, and the establishment of the nation of Israel.
Part I: WWII on the Homefront
Recreating the homefront during war, the premade dinner sat in the kitchen for final touches.
Dressed as Rosie the Riveter, I pretended I had just come home from the factory, while my kids prepared an easy dinner.
I welcomed our photographer who was home from work at the War Department.
Here we are…Rosie the Riveter, home from the factory, with her children, dressed for a school presentation later that evening.
Due to a need for more women to work in the factories to support the war effort, Rosie became a fictitious symbol representing a woman who could do it all: be patriotic, productive, and pretty!
While setting the table for dinner, our photographer turned on the radio, so we could listen to the special program from Europe featuring Glenn Miller and his Army Air Forces Orchestra.
(Actually we popped in a CD.)
Carrot themed dinner from the Victory Garden
The food became the centerpoint for our conversation.
Also, while I chatted about the food as it came to the table, I (as Rosie) explained all the new recipes I found in the Victory Garden Recipe section of our local newspaper.
We had carrot meatloaf, carrot potatoes, carrot biscuits, carrot salad, carrot fudge, and carrot cookies.
I mentioned that the Polish pottery the fudge was served in, was sent to me by a dear friend in Germany.
After talking about the poor souls caught in the middle of this horrible war, and rumors of death camps, we prayed for them during grace.
The photographer stated the obvious like we had hoped: There must have been a lot of carrots during the war.
This began the conversation on the patriotic duty for Victory Gardens. The newspapers commonly printed recipes to help us creatively use a new way of eating.
Carrots weren’t much of a commodity before the war.
The British advertised that their pilots were so successful against the Germans in the Battle of Britain, because they had excellent vision due to eating carrots.
In reality, the British purposely used this line of advertising to fool the Germans to keep them from guessing that the increased marksmanship was due to improved technology.
This picture, which my son copied free hand from a WWII ad, was part of the table centerpiece for discussion.
The rest of the centerpieces were these quilt blocks of a Sunbonnet Sue pattern.
My daughter shared the details of this quilt she was making from old clothes.
Reusing fabric was part of one’s patriotic duty.
Then the kids played the latest songs from the 40s on the piano and fife.
Part II-USO Show for the Troops
Then my son invited our guests to their school program…a USO radio show for the troops.
I exclaimed that I wanted to run upstairs to change for this special event!
After a quick costume change, we stood backstage, behind the curtain.
The troops (photographer) were (was) seated on the couch opposite us.
Becoming Glenn Miller (musician before the war and for the Army Air Corps during the war) my son opened the USO Show!
He announced Gladys Aylward (my daughter), Lt. Kenneth A Walsh (my son’s other persona), and Ginger Rogers (me!)
Gladys Alward, Missionary to China
Then my daughter did her first-person interpretation of Gladys Aylward, missionary to China during the Great Depression.
She took over a hundred Chinese orphans to safety, over rugged mountains and across the Yellow River, escaping the invading Japanese.
Marine Corsair Ace, Lt. Kenneth Walsh
Then my son quickly amended his costume to become a marine: Corsair Ace Lt. Kenneth A. Walsh.
He used this corsair, which we got at the Quantico Museum, for a prop. The corsair is his favorite plane. He had a blast working on this project!
The other Corsair was purchased over a year ago.
While studying Corsairs, he improved the mistakes on his store bought models.
Since they’re not finished, he said they were in the repair shop.
Glenn Miller leads the singing to his tunes
After another costume change, from Lt. Walsh to Glenn Miller, my son led us in some Glenn Miller music: Chattanooga Choo Choo and Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.
During the prelude we pretended to play trombones! (see the blog header at the top)
Glenn Miller (my son) ad libbed: How about Ginger dancing with one of the troops while we have a little Moonlight Serenade.
The Ginger Rogers Story
After the dance, I shared the Ginger Rogers story.
Although her first name was really Virginia, her little cousin couldn’t pronounce that, so called her Ginger, instead.
When growing up in Texas, the natural red-head wanted to be a teacher!
Finally we sang the poignant Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover, played by the Glenn Miller Band.
This beautiful song dreaming of peace, that one day the horrible war would be over, reflected the spirit of the times.
On that note, we thanked all the guys and gals over there, for their sacrifice to our country!
