Epilogue

We have come along way from not wanting to read 12 pages of facts about WWII in a fifth grade history book to realizing that wars were fought by real, everyday people. We even knew some of the people who fought in this particular war. What we found out made us recognize heroes, at least to us, in our own families. We became closer to our families with each shared memory. We would like to share with you our parents' thoughts as they grew with us during this project.

Caitlin's family's thoughts as told by her mother Patricia Gans.

I was thrilled when Caitlin told me the subject the children had chosen for the TQJ project. My dad, a Marine Corps Veteran of Guadalcanal, padded away 3 years ago. I have always regretted that there was never a chance for him to share his experiences in the war with Caitlin. I was always raised with a great appreciation for our WWII veterans and their role in the history of their country. I wondered if I would be able to pass that on to my children.

We were lucky that even though Caitlin would not hear my dad's experiences from him in person, he had left behind an article that he had written for the local newspaper on the 50th anniversary of Guadalcanal. We also came across other memories of the war that he had stored on his computer. I never knew about those until this project. There were also many pictures and newspaper articles that he had saved.

Caitlin and I read his memoirs together. Through her research for this project not only has she learned much about W W II, but she has also learned many things about her grandfather. I've watched her excitement and pride for her grandfather's role in WW II. This experience has brought her closer to her grandfather and for that I am grateful. It has given her the opportunity to get to know him as an 18 year old going off to war. It has added much to the memories she already had of him.

I know that my dad would he honored and proud to be part of this project.

I am very proud of all the hard work and time that my son Matthew has put into this project. From the very beginning he seemed enthusiastic about delving into our family history but it quickly seemed to take on a life of its own.

When he began asking around the family for stories and memories about WW II, he found that his grandfather saw the war form one perspective, since he was just a boy during that time, and that his great-grandmother had a whole different perspective because her husband had his own part to play in helping with the war efforts back in the states.

Matthew's family's thoughts as told by his mother Elizabeth Peairson.

She also had a scrapbook full of newspaper articles that had been collected by her uncle during those prewar years. I had never seen or heard of this scrapbook prior to this time. It was very exciting and interesting to all of us. It seems that her uncle had meticulously cut out and chronicled every newspaper article that he could find that pertained to what was going on with the Jews in Nazi Germany. There was such a vast amount of history in those pages that it became fascinating to all of us. It really opened our eyes to what real life must have been like in those prewar years.

I also found it very interesting to hear what Matthew's grandfather (my dad) had to share with Matthew about his own memories of the war and how the war affected him. He told Matt stories that I'd never even heard!

So many times we become preoccupied with our own present day lives that we fail to learn about our own family history. This has been a neat way for all of us to learn from and listen to our older relatives and have a glimpse of the past through their eyes.

As Ben worked on this project, I recalled how my mother, who was a teenager during World War II, and her family were caught up in the war. My grandfather traveled from a small town in North Dakota to Seattle, Washington to help work on ships that were being built for the war effort.

Ben's family's thoughts as told by his mother Debbie Campbell.

He was a welder and his skills were in demand. This left my grandmother alone for months at a time with her children. Fortunately for my mother, she was old enough to remember my grandfather, but her youngest brothers didn't and it was difficult for all of them when he came home.

My grandparents lived on a small farm and while my grandfather was away, work still had to continue as usual on the farm. My mother learned how to drive a large truck in her early teens so she could drive behind the baler and collect the hay bales.

Even though there was rationing for food and gasoline, they always had plenty to eat because of being on a farm. They did use the products from the farm to barter for goods and services which was a big help.

Our goal was to go beyond studying World War II as a chapter in a book and give it personal meaning to anyone who visits our site. We hope that you were drawn into our stories so that you will want to explore your family's history and find personal heroes of your own.