Monday morning, December 8, 1941, the children, not more than five years old, filed into the Roosevelt School kindergarten room in Ridgefield Park, NJ. Miss Wilkins quickly had the young boys and girls sit in their little wooden green chairs. A short small lady, the teacher showed grave expression on her face as she opened a fresh copy of the New York Times. This was nothing unusual. She read from the paper every Monday morning to instruct her young charges of current events.
This morning Miss Wilkins spoke very seriously. She held up the Times and pointed to the picture on the front page. "Yesterday, there was an attack on the United States by the Japanese", she stated. "This happened at a large naval base called Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This means that the United States is at war with Japan." The picture was indeed frightening, showing flames and smoke rising up from partially submerged naval destroyers.
Janet sat in her chair listening carefully. She wondered what this all meant. She wasn't even sure where Pearl Harbor was. She glanced around at her classmates. Her neighbor, John, who lived near her on Grand Avenue, stared through his dark-rimmed glasses.
"This is a troubling time for our country," Miss Wilkins continued. "Pearl Harbor is in the Pacific Ocean, far away from New Jersey." With that she got up from her chair and walked over to the globe which was mounted near the wall. She spun the globe and pointed first to New Jersey and then to Hawaii. "But our country is involved in a world wide war which will effect everyone."
She was right, because in a few days, war was declared on Germany. The United States was now fighting a gigantic war all across the world, on two continents.... against the Axis of Evil....Germany, Italy, and Japan.
In the weeks and months and years that followed, Janet discovered what war meant to a young girl in New Jersey. True, there was no immediate danger of bombing and concentration camps, but there were scary times, all in the name of 'Prepare for War'. Since Ridgefield Park was located just west of New York City and thus on the east coast, there were air raid drills. This was required because of the danger of German submarine and air attacks. Some of these drills took place during school hours, when all the students (K- 8) filed into the school basement, crouched down on their knees with their arms over their heads. Janet always felt frightened during these drills. In fact, she found herself listening to possible Nazi airplanes flying overhead ready to release bombs.
Her dad had to work long, extra hours because he worked as an accountant at Ford Motor Company in Edgewater, NJ on the Hudson River, right across from Manhattan. Ford Motor was busy manufacturing Army jeeps instead of cars. Gas rationing was tight and her dad car pooled with other employees to get to work. On Easter Sunday of 1944, he had to work. She thought how awful that he could not go to church that day.
Air raids and blackouts were called in the early night time hours. Since so much emphasis was on 'preparedness', by not having houselights or streetlights lit, then enemy planes, if they did attack, could not see the towns. Janet's family would sit on the floor in the living room, in total darkness, as the air raid wardens patrolled the streets to enforce the blackout. Janet was frightened during these times so one night her dad kept a small flashlight on. However, that tiny light was seen by the warden, their doorbell rang and they were instructed to turn the light off. So the family huddled together and softly told happy stories of past vacations.
The Germans never attacked or bombed New Jersey but the citizens were prepared. The US saw unyielding patriotism during those war years, from collecting cans to rolling bandages. And Ridgefield Park joined the country in many volunteer endeavors for troop support. Thus it was a shock when a German was arrested in their neighboring town.
There was a butcher shop near the corner of Arthur and Main Streets which was just over the Ridgefield Park border into the next town of Teaneck. It was owned by a man of German descent who was well liked by his customers. He sold good meat at an affordable price. Naturally, the women of the neighborhood gathered in his shop and as they waited their turn the women would share family news of their husbands and sons on the European battle front. Unfortunately, the butcher listened carefully to every conversation, eliciting information as to troop withdrawals, troop placements, military transport schedules...while he was cheerfully waiting on his eager customers. Then during a break in customer crowds, the butcher would secretly and quietly enter his hideout and transmit information to Nazi contacts on his short wave radio. Upon his arrest, the shop was closed and women began to realize they had to watch what they said. It was a very trying time to feel like you could not trust your neighbor.
Yes, war is horrible. Several GIs from Ridgefield Park lost their lives in World War II and those that survived came home permanently marred by their experiences. And now, in 2013, looking back over decades, have wars and rumors of war never existed in some part of the world? Why must nations and people constantly be fighting in wars? Will wars never cease?
The tragedy of wars is the pain... loss of brothers, sisters, moms, dads, families, friends, loved ones...victims of tragedy. When victimized, people fight back for their very existence as a nation or as an individual. When one's freedoms are taken away, one has to fight in a war. But there is catastrophic devastation on either side, whatever the cause of the outbreak. Is there an answer to all this pain?
Of course, Janet knew there is an answer. There is an enemy who stalks this earth and his name is Satan. He incites anger, jealousy, deception, greed and corruption in the minds of people. There will always be wars until the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world, the Righteous King comes again to earth and sets up His eternal kingdom. Then those who believe in Him will know true lasting peace and joy. She read again the Book of Revelation. This book that had once petrified her so much she could not read it, she read with joy. She knew that Jesus is the only answer. Yes there would continue to be wars and rumors of war but soon Jesus would come.
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'" Revelation 21: 1- 4
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