Dillard: We started right after Labor Day and we always got out the last of May. Usually around May 29. Yeah, because I don’t think we had any spring vacation. But, yeah, we always got out the last of May.

J: Was there a lot of farming kids out here?

D: Oh yeah! All farming kids. We all farmed. That’s all there was, was farm kids.

J: What kind of farms did you guys have? Was is mostly cows?

D: Cows! Everybody had a little farm, everybody had a couple cows. Everything was on a small scale.

*Rustling…conversation lost…

J: How did you guys get to school? How far usually was the range?

D: By a homemade school bus. It had benches along the side. Was an old… just an old regular pickup. Old wooden back. And uh then… up the Peizner road here. Whoever lived up there Mr. Peizner had an old car and then he’d deliver them. And then up above Clear Wood, which is Clear Wood now, up on Johnson road, there was another old gentleman up there and he had a big old car and he used it for a bus. And that’s how everybody was transported.

J: So…do you know how large the range was from where kids were coming from?

*Rustling…conversation muddled…

D: The range… oh well the range didn’t reach out all that far. Probably… twenty miles. But  what happened is the Yelm School District- now we’re going way back- the Yelm School District the valuation at that time was $500,000. That’s all there was. This one here was $550,000 cause we had Weyerhaeuser, which added more valuation. Well Yelm couldn’t get by without reorganizing and adding this school. So that’s what they done and we were always promised a school, but when the ink dried they took the school away from us. So now we’re getting it back. (Laughs)

J: So what years did you go to school here?

D: I went here first through sixth. Then everybody after the sixth grade went on to Yelm.

J: So that was in 19…?

D: It closed down in 1947.

J: So 1941?

D: I started in ‘40.

M: So you went right until the end?

D: Yeah, I went just about to the end. I think it ran maybe one year after I left.

J: What was the attitude toward school back then? Did the parents think it was very important?

D: Very important. You want to remember everything was entirely different. We had one teacher. No superintendent, no principal, no janitor, no nothing. One teacher ran this school. And every Friday we would put a list up on the board and two boys would feed the wood furnace for the following week. Two boys would take care of their restroom. Two girls would take care of theirs. The teacher always cooked the noon lunch. And she’d have two girls, their names would be on the list, they’d help cook the lunch for that week, but they only cooked lunch for four days a week and every Friday one of the mothers would bring us something special for lunch. And that’s the way it worked. And then about fifteen minutes before school was out every day we’d have to clean up our room, so it was ready for the next morning. And then once a week we’d go out and clean up all the school grounds and clean everything up. And then of course one person had to put the flag up and take it down everyday.

J: I think that is so cool. I think that teaches you so much more responsibility.

D: But like I said I wasn’t the best student. When I went to Yelm I sat there for two years, because it was a complete review I’d already had. So I wasted two years. Well… I mean I didn’t waste it, but I’d already had it. Because when you’ve got six grades in one room and you’re in first grade, it’s just like computers today, you store everything, well you store the same in your mind and so when you get to the second grade you’ve already heard those kids recite their lesson- they recited everything back in those days. So it’s already stored in there, right on up through the six grades. When you get there it’s just a review for you. It’s a wonderful to learn. I’d like to see them teaching kids that way again.

J: You probably get a lot more one-on-one time too?

D: Oh sure! Well and another thing, you couldn’t get away with anything. You got bent over…(laughs)…that’s the way it was…there were no ifs, ands, or buts about it, and then when you got home you got some more.

M: So there was definitely some corporal punishment.

D: Well it was…but they’re going to have to go back to a little bit of discipline today, because it’s not working. It’s not working. We all…I don’t care who you are, we all try to get away with as much as we can…everybody does that. So, I say we need a little bit more discipline. But that’s maybe coming from an old-timer‘s mouth.

J: I think that’s interesting to see like, what was breaking the rules, though, and what was looked over, and what was totally not acceptable to do. I think you could push yourself a lot further now, and I was just wondering what was grounds for punishment?

D: Well you tried to push yourself, but you couldn’t, you didn’t get it done, because you got a good whipping or the paddle. And when I went to Yelm it was the same thing there… was a teacher, a principal by the name of Harry Southworth. And he had this nice little wooden board with holes in it and you got the same treatment there. They had control of you. You might try something, but it wasn’t going to work.

J: What kind of curriculum did you guys learn and what was your day?

D: You had your Math and your English, and just the basics… you know, lots of penmanship. Even though I don’t write every day, I still have lot’s of it… and health classes.

J: You said you had to recite a lot, what did you have to recite?

D: What did we have to recite? Well, in Reading and different things like that we probably read more than we had to recite, but we did have to get up and read to the class, stand up in front of the class…or even in Math, she’d make you get up and work your math out on the blackboard and everybody would watch you and see if you were doing it right. So, that’s where you learned from the class ahead of you, so when you got there it was pretty much review. Everything was done pretty much without teacher. She sat at the front of the room and she’d call you up and you’d work on the blackboard, because you wouldn’t want to mess up.

J: So you didn’t want to make any mistakes?

D: No you didn’t or you were in trouble.

J: So, it wasn’t a big deal having different grades in the same class?

D: No, it wasn’t.

J: And having to share the teacher?… When I was reading the Hart’s Lake School thing they said that they put the schedule for each grade up every day and that you just looked at it and knew what you were doing and you didn’t have any problems with that?

D: That’s exactly what it was…That’s exactly the way it was…yep…it was amazing. It probably wouldn’t work today…

*At this point in time Roger Schnepf and Brandon Brownell arrived at the school to take pictures. The Interview stopped for a short while, but the tape kept playing. Dillard insulted the boys and we all laughed. We talked a little bit…

Michaela: What was the basement used for?

D: Oh we had a shop down there where we built, didn’t amount to much, but we built little things. As good as we could.

J: Did you guys use the gymnasium for physical education classes or just for fun?

D: We just had a basketball hoop, we played a lot of baseball.

M: Did you have any sports or clubs after school?

D: Everything we did…garbled

M: You did golf.

D: I never got in on the golf. That was before I started here… They had a little nine-hole course out there.

*Brandon interrupts to take a picture of Dillard.

J: One of the things that Mr. Bergh was reading to us was in Walla, Walla one of their flag salutes was really interesting. They had to say this weird thing and look at the flag and I was wondering if you guys did anything special for the flag salute? Pledge of Allegiance?

D: Oh yeah. Everybody had to every morning.

J: Is it the same Pledge of Allegiance?

D: Oh yeah. Might be changed a little bit, didn’t they change it…ahh… I can’t remember. I don’t think so, it seemed to me like it was exactly the same. We had to take the flag up and take it down. There was no leaving it up. That was a no! leaving the flag up.

*More interruption. Roger and Brandon leave to explore the rest of the school.

J: Did you guys ever feel lonely or cut off from other people?

D: Didn’t know the difference. Probably went to town once a week… something like that. Wolf’s department store, right there in the Drew Harvey Theater, that was the big place in Yelm back in those days. Everybody bought their groceries there, bought their clothes there, bought everything there. They sold everything. Cattle feed…*mumbling/garbled… And right there at Gorder’s Body Shop, that was Brown Brothers. And there was the John Deere dealership. And the Plymouth and Dodge car dealership. The original theater was over…the bowling alley, that was a theater… yeah, see that was the second one, the old one burned down. But, let’s see…the bank there on the corner, I can‘t remember the name, Timberland or something…then right next to it used to be D&H Mobile service station, so that’s an Apex grocery or something now. Say, right there was the original theater. Regular movie theater. It burnt down and then the built the one where the bowling alley is now. That was a movie theater and then the built one in Parkland and it burnt down…garbled…but they were identical theaters. They just built the theater floor up and put in the bowling alley. Try to think what else was in town. There were all kinds of things. Yelm was a pretty nice little town… But it was all basically right in that area. Across from the Drew Harvey Theater was a big meat market and right next to him was a ***** restaurant and bar. And then, if I can remember, I was just a little kid, it was in ‘39 they had built a new highway from, they had finished it from Tenino, that was the main highway. And then they had a big get-together. I think that was around the first carnival they had. And right where the old fire station is, that was an old lot there at that time, just a narrow lot, but that’s where the first carnival was.

M: So, where the senior citizen’s center is….the big building across from the bowling alley?

D: Oh, that big old building, that’s probably…the senior center now…that’s probably one of the oldest buildings in Yelm.

M: What did they used to use it for?

D: I think it was, I can’t remember, it was an Oddfellows Hall or whatever it was, there was a hardware store…

*After this we kind of trail off the subject of the Lacamas School and just talk about the Stewart family and different things around Yelm. It might be worth listening to, but not really.

P. B. Van Trump, who can date reasonably far back as a pioneer of our city-say nearly forty years-who for a couple or more decades now was the “Nasby” of Yelm, now residing in Seattle, visited his old time home last Saturday, and found a few friends remaining, who knew him in the days of yore, when the “Merry Bachelors” club controlled all social events, and society itself had not become so ennobled as to require separation of the goats from the sheep.  Mr. Van Trump attained fame in his more youthful days be ascending Mount Rainier with the first party that succeeded in the venturesome attempt, the party under Gen. Hazard Stevens, who remained in the warm cave on the summit over night.

O Yes, Mr., Editor, I nearly forgot one of the speakers at the goldbug rally, and that was P. B. Van Trump of Yelm.  He told how the Democratic party had run off and left him away out here in the wood, and you could almost see the tears running down his cheeks.  The poor old man got lost in the wilderness chasing the goldbug.

Thursday November 18, 1971

The Yelm School Board played before a packed house last Thursday when they held their

regular meeting.. .Several change orders were discussed by the board… The dress code

change, formulated by the students, was on the agenda with the full house yelling for

change. The three board members John Cullens, Harold Brezicha, and Bill Fosdick

attempted to delay the decision until the full board could be present. Art Gotchman,

Timberline High School principal, related what happened to their school when the same

type code was adopted. A poll of the administrators found no one actively opposing the

code that reads “Students’ appearance should be neat and clean. Dress and appearance

which cause disruption of the educational process or present health and safety problems

shall not be permitted; otherwise dress and appearance are the responsibility of parents.

All action will be handled by the administration , parents and students, but any student

may appeal through the regular established channels. Charles LeMoine, a member of the

board elected but not certified, was present and indicated he would vote for the measure.

With this announcement the board caved in to the students demand. Following the vote

the room emptied to the normal complement often visitors.

Kristi Mizner: How did your father feel about the war?

Wayne Christensen: He didn’t really talk much about the war but when he did he said it

was a serious time. He was right out of high school around the age of 18 to 20 so he

didn’t know what to expect and the war really opened his eyes.

K: What did he do in the military?

W: He was a paratroop infantry and at the end of the war he transported troops.

K: What unit and rank did he hold?

W: By the end of the war he was a Sergeant. He was in the 513th regiment and in the

17th airborne. He jumped about 4 or 5 times in Baston, Belgium and France.

K: Where was he stationed overseas and for how long?

W: He was stationed in England from 1943 to 1945.

K: What did he do from fun on his free time or when he was on leave?

W: R and R (rest and relaxation). Whenever they got the chance to have a break from

the war they would take it. One story my father told me was when he was on R & R in

England. Him and a couple of guys were resting inside a tent with a potbelly stove and

there was a guy outside the tent cleaning his gun. They were all young between the ages

of 16 and 20. This one soldier took a hand grenade and emptied out the gunpowder and

put the top back on. As a joke he was going to throw the grenade into the tent where the

guys were hanging out. The kid walks by the tent, pulled the pin and threw it inside the

tent. (Even though there was no gunpowder in the grenade there is a blasting cap, which

causes a little explosion.) The kid didn’t know an explosion would happen he just

thought if you took the powder out it would be harmless. Everyone ran out of the tent,

scattered, and then ducked. The grenade went off near the stove and cause the stove to

explode. The guy cleaning his gun outside the tent was his by pieces of the stove but no

one got hurt. The kid started to run realizing what he just caused to happen and everyone

in the tent chases after him. Before any of the guys could get their hand on the kid he hid

behind a Major. They guys wanted to do something to the kid but the Major said not to

worry about the incident because no one got hurt. After the guys got back to a new tent

they told the kid that the next they jump, he better be heading towards Germany or else

he’s not going to make it. After that jump none of the guys knew if the Germans killed

the kid or if one of them killed him.

K: How did he travel through Europe?

W: He would travel mostly by plane. He would make jumps and would stay out for 4 to

6 months at a time. When he jumped in France he was awarded a metal from France

because he helped liberate them from the Germans. After he would make a jump he

would then be in combat. Sometimes he would go on recons, which is similar to the

Special Forces today. Whenever my father went on recons he wouldn’t go unless one of

his friends who spoke fluent German went with him. He did this so if the Germans ever

captured them he would be able to understand what the Germans were saying.

K: What was one of the scariest things that happened to him during the war?

W: When he was at the Battle of the Bulge and the paratroopers were on a hill and

Germans surrounded them and there was no way of escaping. It was about 20 below zero

and they were hiding in foxholes. He was in a foxhole with 4 other guys and he told me

that was his first time he had prayed in his life because he was so afraid.

K: Did he talk about Buchenwald (Nazi camp for Jews)?

W: When he talked about the camp he said he couldn’t believe what he saw. He was

surprised about the number of dead bodies, there were not only 5 or 6 there were over

50,000 dead bodies burned and incinerated.

K: Was he a POW or wounded during the war?

W: He was not a POW but he did receive two purple hearts. I don’t know how he was

injured to receive the purple hearts.

K: Did he use the GI bill?

W: No.

K: Did he agree with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

W: Yes, because he wanted the war to end the fastest way possible.

K: Was there anything funny that happened to him during combat/war?

W: One night he was on a recon with about 6 other guys and they were on their

stomachs crawling. And every couple of minutes they would tap each other on the foot

to tell the other that they were still with the group. One of the guys tapped the foot in

front of him but there was no response. He tapped again and still there was no response.

They were crawling through bushes and over rocks so they thought they lost a guy. They

quietly whispered to each other to double check if they lost anyone. Everyone was there

and the thing the guy was tapping on was a dead horse. At the time he said it wasn’t

funny but when they got back they all had a good laugh about the incident.

K: How long was he in Europe after the war?

W: He was there for about 2 to 3 months and helped Europe recover from the war, which

included helping the civilians, POW’s, and people who were in camps.

Kristi Mizner: How did you feel about WWII?

Jack Rice: We did what we had to do to protect our country and to keep it from being

taken over by foreigners, because Japan and Germany wanted control of the U.S.

K: What year did you leave Yelm?

J: January 9, 1942

K: What did you do in the military?

J: I was a machine gunner.

K: What unit were you in?

J: I was in the Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. I trained in

California on Coast Artillery guns and when I went overseas I never used one again, I

was put on a machine gun, which I was never trained to use.

K: Where were you stationed overseas and for how long?

J: I was station is the South Pacific and traveled between New Guinea, Australia, and the

Philippines.

K: Did you receive anything from home while you were overseas?

J: Yes, I received many things from my mom. I would get letters and occasionally

packages. My mom sent me a wristwatch and it still works today. On my free time I

made a band for the watch my mom sent, I made it out of silver coins from Australia and

imbedded a pearl-like stone on the surface.

K: What did you do for fun while you were on leave or back from the front?

J: When I was on leave from New Guinea I went to Brisbane, Australia and they would

not let us go to any other city. Except, I was able to talk one of my generals into letting

me go to Sydney and I stayed there for a while. The next time I was in Australia was

because I had malaria and high fevers. I was put into a hospital in Brisbane to get my

tonsils out and get rehabilitated. After I was recovered they sent back into a war zone.

At that time I weighed 130 Ibs.

K: How often did you travel by sea?

J: Our transportation was to travel by sea and we mainly traveled at night. During the

day we would hide in lagoons under the trees so the Japanese would not be able to see us

if they flew over. We would also shut off out engines so no wake was made; this was

also done to prevent the Japanese from detecting us. We rarely shot at planes in the

daytime because we didn’t want to miss and have them come back with a full force. We

did shoot down eight enemy aircraft one night. They were not supposed to come on a

certain area and we were told to shoot and them, we didn’t care who it was.

K: Were you wounded during the war?

J: When we first got up to New Guinea we were in a bay fighting the Japanese. I was

firing at a Japanese Mitsubishi Dive Bomber with a 50-caliber machine gun and a hot

shell went down my shirt and burned me on my stomach. When I went the doctor he told

me he could get me a purple heart but I turned it down. Now, I wish I didn’t turn it

down.

K: Where you a POW?

J: No.

K: Did you notice any changes in Yelm when you returned from the war?

J: No there were no major changes.

K: Did you use the GI bill after the war and for how long?

J: Yes, the GI bill helped me pay for Vocational Technical School in Tacoma and I took

a carpenter course. After my schooling I went to Alaska and worked in mines and then

when I came back to Yelm I was working on Fort Lewis in a carpenter shop.

K: Did you agree with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

J: Yes because it save a lot of American lives because we didn’t need to fight in Japan.

K: What was the scariest thing about war/combat?

J: I can’t see at night because I’m night blind and we would do most of our fighting at

night and I couldn’t see that well.

K: What was something funny that happened to you during the war?

J: My friend and I were in an officer’s tent and we were near a place where there might

be Japanese men. My friend said “Hey Rice” and I replied “What.” He then said “I think

I have someone by the hand.” But then he said, “Oh, no it’s my own” I was so relieved

that it was his own hand but I was looking for a knife to stab the hand.

J: Our transportation was to travel by sea and we mainly traveled at night. During the

day we would hide in lagoons under the trees so the Japanese would not be able to see us

if they flew over. We would also shut off out engines so no wake was made; this was

also done to prevent the Japanese from detecting us. We rarely shot at planes in the

daytime because we didn’t want to miss and have them come back with a full force. We

did shoot down eight enemy aircraft one night. They were not supposed to come on a

certain area and we were told to shoot and them, we didn’t care who it was.

K: Were you wounded during the war?

J: When we first got up to New Guinea we were in a bay fighting the Japanese. I was

firing at a Japanese Mitsubishi Dive Bomber with a 50-caliber machine gun and a hot

shell went down my shirt and burned me on my stomach. When I went the doctor he told

me he could get me a purple heart but I turned it down. Now, I wish I didn’t turn it

down.

K: Where you a POW?

J: No.

K: Did you notice any changes in Yelm when you returned from the war?

J: No there were no major changes.

K: Did you use the GI bill after the war and for how long?

J: Yes, the GI bill helped me pay for Vocational Technical School in Tacoma and I took

a carpenter course. After my schooling I went to Alaska and worked in mines and then

when I came back to Yelm I was working on Fort Lewis in a carpenter shop.

K: Did you agree with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

J: Yes because it save a lot of American lives because we didn’t need to fight in Japan.

K: What was the scariest thing about war/combat?

J: I can’t see at night because I’m night blind and we would do most of our fighting at

night and I couldn’t see that well.

K: What was something funny that happened to you during the war?

J: My friend and I were in an officer’s tent and we were near a place where there might

be Japanese men. My friend said “Hey Rice” and I replied “What.” He then said “I think

I have someone by the hand.” But then he said, “Oh, no it’s my own” I was so relieved

that it was his own hand but I was looking for a knife to stab the hand.

Kristi Mizner: How did you feel about WWII?

Wayne Vancil: I was hyped up about the war, but I didn’t want to go to war. I knew my

number was up so I went to Seattle to sign up for the military. Before I was called to go

anywhere I went to Alaska for a while then I came back to Seattle in October of 1941.

After I came back I was sent to Pain Field Everett.

K: What did you do in the military?

W: It wasn’t decided at the time but when it was I worked mostly in a medical unit.

K: What rank did you hold in the military?

W: I was a PFC (Private First Class) and worked as a pharmacist and as a medic.

K: Were you stationed overseas or stateside? Where and for how long?

W: I was stationed in Merced, California at Castle Air Force Base for 3 years, 9 months,

and 29 days.

K: What type of things did you receive from home?

W: I received a lot of letters and packages from my mom and dad. They told my how

my other two brothers were doing who were also serving in the war at the time. My mom

told me that my younger brother Buddy was lost at Tarawa and never found. I also found

out that my other brother Glen who was a Glider Pilot, he made one trip over in Europe

and crash-landed and lived through it. They sent him to the Medics and pumped him full

of Penicillin but that did not seem to work so they sent him back to the States. When the

doctor checked on Glen they found a S’^-inch piece of wood near his nose. After that it

was total face reconstruction for him.

K: What did you do for fun while you were on leave?

W: I hitchhiked up to the Assembly National Park, hung out with friends on the base,

and watched USO (United Service Organization) shows.

K: What type of changes did you notice in Yelm when you returned?

W: There really was no change in Yelm except everyone I used to know grew up. When

I was walking through town people would come up to me and say “Hello Mr. Vancil” but

I didn’t have a clue who they were until they told me their name.

K: Did you use the GI bill after the war?

W: Yes, for one year and it help get me enough money to farm.

K: How did you feel about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

W: Militarily, yes, we should have bombed them long before we did bomb them. But I

had sympathy for the civilians. The bombing helped save many American lives because

we did not have to go to Japan and fight on foot.

K: What is something you will always remember from the war?

W: Well, I would volunteer for almost anything. So, I volunteered to go to pressure

school for six weeks. At pressure school you would go inside a pressure chamber to feel

the affects of different altitudes if you were flying. When you would go into the chamber

they would pump the air out to simulate the distance and atmosphere from 10,000 feet to

17,000 feet. My first time I was simulated to 15,000 feet with a mask on and then I had

to take the mask off to breath the air and feel what it’s like at 15,000 feet in the air. After

I was done I got the bends in my knees. I will always remember that.

As Story

When working on the Yelm History Project, my partner and I took on the task of

finding more information about Ye 1m World War II Veterans. We wanted to

interview them to learn more about their experiences at the time of World War II. The

planning for the interview consisted of tracking down veterans in old Nisqually

Valley Newspapers, searching the depressing Social Security Death Index online, and

contacting the very few individuals or their relatives who were still alive. It is sad that

these people of history are now dying and their stories are not being recorded, we are

going to try and preserve their lives and experiences through these interviews.

The interviews themselves consisted of a series of questions that varied depending

on the Veterans’ background. Our overall intention of the actual interview was to

leam more about Yelm and their experiences in World War II. We were hoping to

capture their experience and Yelm itself developing from the beginning of World War

II to the end. The two veterans that we have located, made contact, and plan to

interview in their most convenient time are Jack Rice, whose great Granddaughter is

Brittany Minker who happens to be a close friend of my partner and also a student at

Y.H.S. Our other Veteran is Wayne Vancil, who’s daughter is Ms. Jeanie Flowers of

the staff also at the high school. And we also managed to contact the son of Robert

Christensen, Wayne Christensen, who talked with us about his father who was a

Veteran of World War II. After contacting, my partner Kristi led the interviews, as it

was her part in this project. Their interviews were tape recorded and then written onto

paper in order to be formatted to this essay. There are many more questions than what

are discussed in this essay; the ones talked about here are the major questions.

The first question that was asked to all three of the people we interviewed was a

very generic “How did you feel about World War II?” All three of them answered in

different ways. As with Mr. Vancil, he said, “I was hyped up about the war, but I

didn’t want to go.” This was his attitude when he new his number was coming up in

the draft board, so he went to volunteer. Jack Rice replied with, “We did what we had

to do to protect our country and to keep it form being taken over by foreigners…”

Which shows the patriotic sense that many young men of the time felt towards war

and their country. Wayne, the son of Veteran Robert Christensen, said that his father

never told how he felt about the war other than that it was a serious time.

Another question asked to the interviewees was if they remembered getting things

from home. Mr. Wayne Vancil spoke of receiving letters telling of his brother Buddy,

who was lost at Tarawa. He also remembered hearing of his other brother Glen who

crashed his glider in France and was injured. Jack Rice told us of some of his

packages, “My mom sent me a wristwatch and it still works today.” Packages and

letters were a big morale booster when they were away from home. It took away a lot

of the homesickness that many soldiers felt.

The next question we asked all the interviewees was, “How did you feel about the

bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?” All three men told us basically the same

answer. Wayne Vancil said, “Militarily, Yes… But I had sympathy for the civilians.

The bombing helped save many American lives because we did not have to go to

Japan and fight on foot.” Mr. Rice replied, “Yes, because it saved a lot of American

lives because we didn’t need to fight in Japan.” And also Wayne Christensen

remembers his father agreeing with the bombings in order to end the war. All of them

agreed on the bombings, they wanted an end to the war and it was a sacrifice that had

to be made in order to save even more lives.

When we asked the three men what changes they noticed in Yelm when they

returned home they all replied in the same way. They all said that they noticed

nothing new except that the children had grown up. Mr. Vancil said, “When I was

walking through town people would come up to me and say “Hello Mr. Vancil,” but I

didn’t have a clue who they were until they told me their name.” And they also stated

that the changes to Yelm were nothing like the changes they noticed nowadays.

Like I said before, those are not all the questions, just the major ones I felt needed

to be heard. The rest of the questions can be seen with the transcript of the entire

interview. The interviews were a success. Not only did we leam of their experiences

but we captured a little bit of history. And we also met these wonderful people who

had stories to tell and needed to be heard. My partner Kristi and I are thankful to have

had the opportunity to interview these individuals who represent what great things

Veterans have done for this country.

Pfc Phil Martin, Son of Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Martin, now of Tacoma, was at home on a short furlough this week.  Phil spent Tuesday in Yelm visiting with friends here.  he is a graduate of the Yelm high school with the class of ‘41.  he has been stationed at Jefferson Barracks, MO., but was recently transferred to an air field in Utah.

Another member of the class of ‘41, Midshipman Bob Woolery, spent several days last week at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Gifford.

Tech. 3 Lauren Mercliff, a former member of the staff of the Nisqually valley news, who has been in the army for the past two years and overseas for about eighteen months, arrived back in the united states a week ago Tuesday and is now at the Cushing General Hospital at Framingham.  Mass. Laurence has been the non-commissioned officer in charge of a wireless station at some point overseas.  he is suffering from his nerves and a reoccurrence of stomach trouble, which bothered him in Yelm.  After hearing the news, Laurence published a paper at Morton for a short time.

staff Sergeant Rex Eide, who has spent the past fifteen days at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Eide, has returned to Camp Carson, Colorado, where he will resume his duties with a mountain artillery unit.

Aviation Ordnance Man 2c Verne Schneider spent a week end at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. Schneider.  Verne is stationed at the Naval Air Base at Pasco.

Wally Music of the Naval Station at Lake Union, Seattle, spent a few days at the home of his mother, Mrs. Anna Music, this past week.

Bill Wilson, who has been stationed in Utah, arrived home for a furlough on Tuesday.  Bill is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harley Wilson.

Bob Fristoe, one of the NROTC students at the University of Washington, spent the last weekend at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.K. Fristoe.

Louis Brunetti, who has been undergoing boot camp training at Farragut, Idaho, arrived home on Thursday to spend a leave with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bruno Brunetti.  Louis’ brother, Frank, who has been stationed at Bremerton for a short time was also home this week.

Yelm Soldiers and Sailors Meet In Faraway Places

Thursday, March 30, 1944

Nisqually Valley News

Very often when people run into an acquaintance at some nearby party in a neighboring city, they probably make the remark, “My, what a small world it is.” However, when people from such a small town as Yelm meet all over the world in such places as Rhode Island, New Caledonia, Pearl Harbor, and California, it really is beginning to be true, “what a small world it is.”

In a recent letter from Bob Grinds in Pearl Harbor, he said that he and four other boys had a regular Yelm reunion.  Bob of the U.S. Navy, his brother, Jack, who works in the Navy Yard at Pearl Harbor, and another Yelm boy, who likewise works there, Earl McVittie.  Ray Hicks of the U.S. Army Air Force and Louis Along, another one of Uncle Sam’s sailors, all met in Honolulu and spent a Sunday together.  All of theses boys are graduates of the Yelm High School and all played on the baseball and football teams.

If we would have looked on Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harness, at their home in Fast Greenwich, Rhode Island at about midnight a week ago Saturday, we would have seen a taxi pull up to at nine o’clock…This of course was a very pleasant surprise for Mr. and Mrs. Hinrich…in that part of the United States….

Now from the East Coast we will go back to the West coast of the United States, in California. Here, we find two soldiers.  Lauren Gritten and Dorsey Longmire running into an old high school friend, none other than George Rice, of the U.S. Navy.

And in a recent letter from the Radioman is Don Miller, he wrote “I was hitch hiking back to camp, and I was almost positive that I saw Archie Marshall.” When friends and relatives of two boys get their heads together back here in Yelm, it was decided that it was probably Archer, as he is stationed in New Caledonia, the same island where Don is located.

Yelm took it very seriously. Shifts were scheduled for the air raid watching so that at all times someone was watching out for an air raid. This lasted throughout the war, even at times when the United States was winning. Many businesses used the rationing as a way to help their sales. They used the new point system to promote the sale of goods that gave people points. Examples of this

were found in ads, which lay printed in the Nisqually Valley News paper. These promotions would last throughout the war. Another form of donation to the war effort was war bonds. War bonds were highly encouraged and ads telling people to buy war bonds with lists of various reasons could be found littering the newspaper. War bonds helped America greatly by raising half of the government’s revenue. If a person refused to buy war bonds in Yelm they might be asked if their money was worth more than their son’s lives. Schools even held drives to help fund the war. One drive helped with raising money to buy 10,000 jeeps for overseas. Schools would also fly battle flags and prepared at war scrap books for exhibiting.

People even went around attempting to get people to help with the war effort. One article talked of “Publicly spirited men and women” who “will be doing as much as they can to get every household to take part in war services so necessary to success in this total war.” People seemed more than happy to do so, which the editor, E.K. Fristoe, said, “When asked these people responded whole heartedly…” later in the article. Taxes were of course a constant. The government dramatically raised many taxes, but a sign of complaint or bad public sentiment could be found in the paper. In Yelm simulations of air raids on troops were held. Flour sacks were used as simulations of bombs being dropped at soldiers as Yelm’s citizens were guided where to go during such circumstances. Even the 1943 prom was affected by the war. The theme became the “Fuhrer’s Face”.

A small community like Yelm was always affected when someone joined the war effort. If a soldier came home, switched bases, or advanced in the military it could be found in the newspaper. This information could usually be found in the “Honor Role” and “Our Boys Oversees” sections of the newspaper. One person who joined the war effort was Dorothy Huhn Kettenton of Yelm. When she joined WAAC she hoped to further the war effort and help bring her husband, who was a Sergeant in the military, get home sooner. Other things like poems in the newspaper could be found. These poems were usually encouragingly optimistic.  Sometimes clubs were created and added to the war effort. The Navy Mother’s Club sent bandages to the war effort. The government went as far as calling for “Victory gardens” and people were expected to collect their cooking fat for explosives. Things like letters from soldiers were also found in the newspaper.

Sometimes clubs were created and added to the war effort. The Navy Mother’s Club sent bandages to the war effort. The government went as far as calling for “Victory gardens” and people were expected to collect their cooking fat for explosives. Things like letters from soldiers were also found in the newspaper.

Many things during the war could be found that affected the people of Yelm. These helped them contribute more thoroughly to the war effort. They were expected to contribute to the war effort as much as possible; therefore it encompassed much of their lives. On top of this, the constant ads and surroundings of war and patriotism heightened the effect of the war on Yelm’s citizens.

Surely the fact that Yelm was right next Ft. Lewis never escaped the minds of the people of Yelm. The constant sounds of training reminded the people of what their loved ones were constantly enduring halfway across the world. Many local recruits would go to the Navy in Seattle, or Ft. Lewis by Roy, or McCord air force base.

War was a constant reminder in the day to day life of a Yelm citizen. They could never forget what their loved ones were going through while they were safe at home. The people of Yelm were constantly searching for new ways to help the war effort. No matter where they looked or what they did the people of Yelm saw war or the results of war.

Her Story

Dad’s third bout with pneumonia occurred the following spring. He almost died of suffocation by was saved when the doctor cut out a rib section and inserted a lung drainage tube. The doctor told him it was time he left the damp climate of Seattle and lived in drier air. “Without it,” the doctor warned, “you’re sure to have a relapse.” Mother made it her business to carry out this order. She got a map of Washington and pointed out to dad a town named Yelm, just west of the Cascades.

“But Mac is in school,” father protested.

Mother went to Max’s teacher and explained the problem. It was spring; would it be

alright if she took Max out of school for the rest of the term?  Teacher and principal both consented; Max would be promoted to fourth grade. Mother appealed to Augustus for funds and he came through without delay. It was little more than our train fare, but it got us to Yelm. The owner of our tarpaper shack assured us we could move back into it when we returned after father regained his health. Kay and I carried our dolls. It took very few bags to hold our clothes and personal items.

We had no definite destination in Yelm. For us children it was an adventure. Now when I think about my mother and father leaving the only home and security they had, and dad in poor health, I marvel at their daring to move the five of us out as they did. Dad and mother went to the town hall where the “help wanted” notices were posted. “Farmer needs family for berry picking.” Eagerly we applied for the job, but the farmer shook his head at the sight of us. “I meant a couple with bigger kids,” he said. “I need a more grown up family.” He looked down at Kay and me and asked, “What kind of work could such cute little girls do?”

Kay promptly answered, “I can pick berries!”

Not to be outdone, I echoed, “Me too!”

“O.K. We’ll give it a try,” he said, his eyes searching the area as though still hoping a

better prospect might come down the road. “Hop in my truck.”

Max and Kay and Mother and I climbed up into the truck bed. Dad rode up front with the farmer. We children squealed and laughed. Mother seemed happy. The wind blew my hair into my eyes and mouth as we bumped down the country road.

As the farmer lifted me down from the truck and set me beside Max and Kay, he said “Now, I expect you children will be my best berry pickers.” He led us to the row of cabins where the workers lived and we crowded into the small drab that was to be our home. If mother felt any disappointment, she didn’t show it. There was a kerosene lamp, a kerosene stove, a table and chairs, and a washstand with a place for a pail of water and a dipper. We would carry water from the farmer’s well. Two double-deck wooden bunks with straw mattresses were our beds.

Mother opened up a small bag and took out the carefully folded flowered curtains she had brought from the tarpaper shack. She strung them up at the two windows of our new home and immediately the room looked more cheerful. She laid red-and-white checkered oil cloth over the table and sent us girls out to pick wild flowers. As we went, we saw father take mother in his arms, and kiss her.

There were extraordinarily happy days. Dad wasn’t smoking or drinking. He worked hard helping the farmer prepare the bushes for their harvest. Mother and the farmer’s wife did farm chores. Kay and I played with their little girl and Max fished in a large irrigation ditch near by. Our work would start when the berries began to ripen. While we were working at the berry farm our grandfather, now divorced from Louise, came to visit us. He was a handsome man with a white moustache and startlingly white hair. No wonder mother worshiped him. Easygoing and gentle, he soon won our hearts completely. Finally, the farmer decided it was time to pick his crop and now life became more exciting for me. All the berry pickers hurried out to the bushes very early in the morning. We girls ate almost as many as we picked of those delicious sweet blackcap raspberries. It was a bumper crop.

We soon found out that it was hard work. My back got tired and I longed to quit. But no, we were migrant workers and we had signed with Mr. Jones as a family. When the farmer came to see how we were doing, he said, “Well, now, if you aren’t the best little workers I’ve got! Your row is one of the cleanest picked of all I’ve seen.”  We stood there smiling broadly at him, revealing purple teeth and lips.

He said, “Even though you aren’t the fastest pickers, I’m happy with you because your berries aren’t crushed.” Then he noticed our lips. He laughed and said, “You’d better not eat too many of those berries.”

Mother, alarmed that we would lose our job, turned on us and warned, “You mind Mr.

Jones, do you hear?” But Mr. Jones laughed again and said, “Better keep an eye on those kids. If they get a bellyache, they’ll need a good does of castor oil.”

“Oh?” mother questioned.

“There’s an old Indian saying about them berries, ‘Eat’m too much, and plug’m up

fast!’ It’s the seeds, ma’am.”

We did indeed all get stomach aches. Dad had to go to town and get us some castor oil.

At last the berries were all picked and it was time to be paid. It seemed there was nothing to do but return to Seattle.

The tally of our earnings, showed that we had only enough left for train fare back home after the farmer deducted what he had advanced for kerosene and groceries. Father and mother were depressed and their mood affected us children. W had all worked so hard, thinking that every berry was money in our purse.

Then there was a knock at our door and one of the workers said, “I’m driving to Lake Chelan to pick apples. If you want to help buy gas and oil for the trip, I’m sure you can find work there too.”

That ride bore much resemblance to the trip to California of Ma Joad and her family, depicted in The Grapes of Wrath. After a series of flat tires and much engine trouble, we arrived in apple country in plenty of time to find work. The man who hired us said we children should pick all the apple that were with in reach as long as we kept our feet on the ground. “I don’t want any kids climbing ladders,” he warned.  We worked hard all wee. Kay and I had found a new girl to play with and on Sunday Max went fishing wit the local Indian boys. Dad and Mother read Westerns, and we girls played house under a big apple tree.

When dad had collected the money we all earned, he said it was time to return to Seattle. “You kids should be in school,” he said. Max was ready for fourth grad and Kay was eager to start first grade. School was already in session, as it was near the end of October.