World War II in Virginia

Ships were sunk by U-boats off the coast in World War II, but Virginia was more of a training ground with embarkation ports than a battleground in 1941-1945.

On the home front, families placed stars in the window indicating how many members were in the armed services. As one resident remembered:¹

Of course, everybody had stars in the window, you know. We had five stars in the window for five in the war. My mother did not want to answer the doorbell because she thought it would be Western Union. She said, "Oh, it might be Western Union. I can't go to the door, please go for me."

It was bad. Very bad. And thank God all five came home. And you know, when five come home, it's amazing, I think, out of that many. So, we got through it okay.

Prisoner of War Camps in Virginia - World War II

Links

• Virginia War Memorial
  • Virginians at War: Pearl Harbor
  • World War II

References