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Week 23 of 32 • Page 4
ACROSS
3. Financial atmosphere of a
community
4. Where Japan signed the
final terms of surrender
for WWII
6. The code name of the
secret project to develop
the atomic bomb
9. Death
11. Women’s Air Force
Service Pilots
12. General who led the first
air raid on Tokyo
This week’s words
and phrases for the
crossword puzzle can be
found on pages 1-3 in
this newspaper. Good
luck searching for them!
Gulf and
Hamilton Counties
G
If you’d like to make any editorial
comments about our paper, please
write to us at
[email protected].
DOWN
1. Place where NASA
launches space ships
2. Organized by the Civil Air
Patrol to protect the
coast of Florida during
WWII
5. Women Accepted for
Volunteer Emergency
Service
7. Countries that fought on
the American side
8. The place where Japanese
airplanes bombed the
United States on Dec. 7,
1941
10. Prisoners of War
ulf County is found just south of Calhoun County
and north of the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the
county took its name from the Gulf of Mexico. Right
in the center of Gulf County, you will find the cities
of Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and
Wewahitchka. These are some of Florida’s most
historic old towns, and many visitors come here to
see what “Old Florida” was like long ago.
Port Old St. Joe, once called St. Joseph, is
home to the Constitution Convention Museum,
honoring the city as the spot where Florida’s first
state constitution was written and signed.
Wewahitchka, also known as “Wewa,” is famous for
its delicious Tupelo honey, made from the
blossoms of the Tupelo gum tree. The beaches of
Cape San Blas have been called the best in the
United States, and St. Vincent Island, just off of
the city of Indian Pass, has a national wildlife
refuge where visitors can view animals in their
natural habitat.
Georgia forms the northern border of Hamilton
County, and the Withlacoochee River on the west
and the Suwannee River on the east and south cut
off the county from the rest of Florida. Hamilton
County is also home to the famous Alapaha River,
sometimes called the “River of Sand” because it
disappears underground during certain times of the
year, leaving only a dry, sandy riverbed in its place.
Hamilton County is also home to the Jennings
Bridge, the oldest standing Pratt Pony Truss Bridge
in Florida.
The county
is a great
place to fish
and enjoy
the beauties
of the
Florida
outdoors.
Week 23 of 32 • Page 1
®
A weekly newspaper for young students of Florida history
Vol. 12 Issue 3
Third Quarter
Week 23
World War II Brings
People to Florida
THIS WEEK
World War II
• The Manhattan Project
• Bombing of Pearl Harbor
• Signing on the U.S.S.
Missouri
I
Think and Review Questions
1. What happened to cause the United States to enter into WWII?
2. Who was the last country to surrender to the Allied Powers in
WWII?
3. What was the Manhattan Project?
4. How did the U.S. women help in the WWII war effort?
5. Who is Eddie Rickenbacker?
6. Who is Jacqueline Cochran?
7. Who are the WAVES?
8. Who is the Mosquito Fleet?
9. Explain the Geneva Convention.
10. What is the county of Gulf known for?
11. Who is Jack Eckerd and how is he a model for citizenship?
12. Explain how the Prisoners of War (POWs) were treated in
Florida.
n 1940, Florida was ranked 27th in
population nationally. But on Dec. 7, 1941,
the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and
everything changed. On Dec. 8, America
joined the Second World War.
During World War II, Florida became an
important training center, a place to ship out
soldiers and supplies. Jungle fighters trained
in Florida’s sub-tropical regions before
shipping out to the South Pacific. Bomber pilots
trained at what is now Eglin Air Force Base
near Fort Walton Beach. Those same
pilots, led by General James Doolittle,
led the first air raid on Tokyo. In
addition to 250,000 Floridians, many
thousands of servicemen and women from all
over the country made Florida their temporary
home during the war. They liked it so well that many
of them moved here with their families to live when the
war was over.
What was the result? Well, read the rest of this issue to find out.
Let’s read on to find out more about how Florida participated in WWII.
World War II
Imagine that you own a factory in Florida
during World War II. With most of the men
away fighting the war, you need to hire women
to do jobs they have never done before. Write a
help-wanted advertisement explaining to women
why they should come and work for you. Before
you begin to write, think about why the women should come work for
you. Now write to explain why the women should come work for you.
Not Forgotten
S
ixteen million American
men and women fought in World War II
and 248,000 of these were from Florida.
Today, about 600,000 WWII veterans make
their homes in our state. Recently, Florida
opened its own memorial to honor the men
and women who served our country during
WWII.
Completed in 2004, the memorial is
located in Tallahassee and is part of the
Museum of Florida History. A stone memorial,
modeled after the one that honors WWII
veterans at the National Monument in
Washington, D.C., was built just outside the
museum and was dedicated by then-Governor
Jeb Bush in 2005. The memorial includes 67
stone markers representing Florida’s 67
counties. The purpose of the memorial is to
preserve the spirit, commitment and sacrifice
of these veterans for generations to come.
Along with a permanent WWII
exhibit at the Museum of Florida History,
there is also a traveling exhibit which can be
set up at locations across the state. The
exhibit teaches what the war meant to those
who had to fight, what it was like for those
left at home, and the impact of the war on
Florida’s history. Teachers can also request a
special unit from the museum that will help
them teach their students more about the war.
Are you interested in learning more
about WWII? Plan a trip to the Museum of
Florida History in Tallahassee or to one of
the traveling exhibits throughout the state.
For more information, ask a parent or teacher
to help you visit
http://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/progra
ms/trex/
This picture is from the dedication in
June 2005. These men are WWII
veterans from Florida.
World War II
Week 23 of 32 • Page 2
World War II
In 1939, another great war began in Europe. This time, the Axis
Powers, led by Germany, Italy and Japan, went to war against the
Allies, led by Great Britain, France, China and the Soviet Union.
Again, the United States was determined to stay out of the war, but
something happened on December 7, 1941, that left America no
choice but to join the war. On this date, Japanese airplanes dropped
bombs on the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More
than 2,700 Americans were killed, and many American ships were
sunk. The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United
States declared war on Japan and the other Axis countries.
Florida did its part in helping to win World War II, as this war was
called. A total of 248,000 men and women from Florida served in
World War II, but those who stayed at home helped with the war
effort as well. Farmers had to produce extra food to feed those at
home and those away fighting the war. Factories that had made cars
started to make airplanes and tanks instead.
During World War II, the government asked C. D. Atkins, Louis
MacDowell and Ed Moore to figure out a way to get fresh orange
juice to the soldiers in Europe who needed more vitamin C. The war
ended before they could finish, but shortly after, the first glass of pure
orange juice from concentrate was slurped down. Yum! Yum!
This made an enormous difference in Florida’s economy (financial
atmosphere of a community).
No More Staying at Home
Florida women who had once stayed at
home entered the work force. With the
men off fighting the war, thousands of
women had to take over the men’s jobs
doing work that they had never done
before. Women worked in factories,
making airplanes and tanks, and did other
jobs that had been reserved for men only.
Eddie Rickenbacker
The U.S.S. Shaw explodes during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The WWII Orange Juice Trio
Where would Florida be without orange juice? Most of the world
enjoys a glass any time they want, but it couldn’t have happened
without three men from Florida.
Jack Eckerd:
A Great Citizen
W
More of Florida’s
Who’s Who of WWII
J
acqueline Cochran was a cosmetics manufacturer
and the founder and director of the Women’s
Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) in World War II.
While serving as the United States Florida
senator during WWII, Claude Denson Pepper
promoted a legislative action called the Lend-Lease
Act to Britain. He also had other legislative
accomplishments including provisions for health
organizations and numerous laws to aid the elderly
Jacqueline Cochran
of America.
The Mosquito Fleet was organized by the Civil Air
Patrol to protect the coasts of Florida during WWII.
Thousands of “spotters” (volunteers) were trained
to track air activity along the coastline.
Claude Pepper
Let’s Make Some WAVES
During World War II, women who served in the war
were called WAVES—Women Accepted for Volunteer
Emergency Service.
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The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was the code name used
for a secret project to develop the atomic bomb.
During World War II, scientists in America
worked together secretly to create and perfect the
atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was then dropped
on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
causing Japan to surrender to the United States.
This was a terrible loss of life. Most historians
say that Japan would have kept fighting for a long
time if we had not dropped the bomb, and even
more people would have died. It was a tough
decision for the president to make. It was a
decision that changed the world
Florida’s Population
Boom
1940-1950
WW II
Just How Close Did The
Germans Get?
1941-1945
Actually, the Germans got much closer to the
United States than many people believed. In fact,
there were German U-boats right off
Florida’s coast. German U-boats were
able to sink 24 ships. Many of these
ships could be seen by Floridians
living by the beach. In 1942, German
submarines attacked four merchant
ships near Cape Canaveral (the place
where NASA shoots off the rockets).
German spies came ashore at
Ponte Verdra, which is just south of
Jacksonville near the naval base.
Their mission was to blow up
railroads to stop the shipment of war
supplies.
Fortunately, the spies were captured before they
could do it.
Nuclear explosion over Nagasaki.
German U-Boat U534
Atomic Bomb
Dropped
1945
WW II Ends
1945
WE WON THE WAR!
After four years of fighting, the Allies won the war.
There were 4,255 Floridians killed in battle, with
another 8,398 dying while in the military during this
period. More than 11,700 Floridians were wounded in
battle. Japan was the last of the Axis Powers to give
up the fight. They signed the final terms of surrender
on board the battleship U.S.S. Missouri on Sept. 2,
1945. Floridians breathed a sigh of relief and looked
forward to better times.
Korean Conflict
1950-1953
What Were
Victory Gardens?
______________________________
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This question is meant as an enrichment
activity. Extra research is required. Your
teacher has the answer in the Teacher Edition
of this paper.
10,000 POWs Sent to Florida
D
uring WWII, many German and
Italian soldiers were captured by
the Americans and their allies
(countries that fought on the American
side).
These men were war prisoners
called Prisoners of War (POWs). The
problem was what to do with them.
Well, to make a long story short,
the United States shipped almost
400,000 of the POWs to America—and
more than 10,000 POWs came to
Florida! There were about 25 camps
throughout Florida. Central Florida
had two camps—one near Kissimmee
(now near Disney World) and one at
the Orlando Army Air Base near
downtown Orlando.
The POWs really had it made. They
didn’t have to grow, hunt or catch their
own food or find shelter. Why is this?
Because the Geneva Convention
promises to treat foreign soldiers who
have been captured in a humanitarian
manner. We even had some of the
POWs working in the citrus industry,
harvesting and packing oranges. What’s
even stranger is that some even helped
our military while the war was going on!
Do you think they wanted to leave
after the war?
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
hat do you do if you start a
drugstore chain that grows to
1,724 stores in five states and eventually is sold to
J.C. Penney Company for $2.6 billion? Well, if your
name is Jack Eckerd, you spend most of your time
giving money away.
Jack started out as a World War II pilot, but after
the war, he started his drugstore in Tampa in 1952. A
few years later, he met his wife at the Tampa
Gasparilla celebration. Together, they built a vast
fortune that now occupies most of their time as they
try to give it away to worthy causes like the YMCA,
United Way and various hospitals and colleges.
Mr. Eckerd died in 2004, at the age of 91. Of all
his accomplishments, he saw his work in community
service as the most important.
Most of his efforts were focused on benefitting
children because, as he said, “. . . They’re the
community’s future.”
Eddie Rickenbacker was a daring
Floridian. He once said, “I’ve probably cheated the old Grim
Reaper (death) more than any other man.” As a racecar driver,
Rickenbacker was almost killed numerous times. Then he became
the greatest American pilot in World War I. No other American
pilot shot down as many enemy aircraft as Eddie Rickenbacker.
Later, in World War II, Rickenbacker was on a secret mission with
eight other men flying a B-17 bomber across the Pacific Ocean.
Their plane disappeared for so long that rescuers gave up the
search. After three weeks, Rickenbacker
and several others were found floating in
shark-infested waters on a rubber raft. He
said that a sea gull, which landed close
enough to catch, provided a meal that kept
them alive.
Eddie Rickenbacker was a pioneer in
commercial airlines. He owned and
promoted one of the largest airlines of the
20th century. On one of his own airline
flights, he survived a crash near Atlanta,
which killed eight other people.
After 10 years of retirement, Eddie
Rickenbacker died of a heart attack in
Eddie Rickenbacker
1973.
Week 23 of 32 • Page 3