edited Greatest Generation

November 04, 2024

THE GREATEST GENERATION: A VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE

They called it the “Greatest Generation,” the time when all America pulled together to preserve our way of life and to protect our Allies. The men and women of the 1940’s gave their all. The men lined up at the recruiting centers to enlist; the women took off their aprons and went to work at the factories and businesses that were left without sufficient manpower. Victory gardens replaced front lawns, as the army was sending canned goods to the troops and families had to grow and preserve their own food, Children took their wagons to the streets to collect tinfoil, metal, and other things that could be used in the war effort. Food, gasoline and other products were rationed.

My grandmother, Lena RIVARD WICKENHIESER sent three sons to war. Her eldest son, Lawrence WICKENHEISER was a Navy pilot. He spent much of World War II as a flying instructor at Grosse Ile Naval Air Base. He stayed active in the military and ran reconnaissance missions along the Korean coastline during that conflict. His wife, Theresa SOLEAU WICKENHEISER, also a pilot, flew out of Willow Run Airport, transporting goods and personnel. Aunt Tee’s final flight was on her 100^th birthday. She was still a licensed pilot until her death at 103 years old!

The next eldest son, Earl WICKENHEISER was unable to join the Army. He had very poor vision and was the only support for his widowed mother and younger siblings. He joined the National Guard and did his part here in the States.

Grandma’s younger sons, Cletus WICKENHEISER and Herman WICKENHEISER enlisted as pilots in the Army Air Corps and flew missions throughout the war. Ever faithful, she prayed her boys home and they all returned safely. There were many mothers who could not say the same, and many homes had gold stars in their windows.

The “boys” were regular correspondents with their “Ma” and sisters. My mother, Clara WICKENHEISER JOBLINSKI had a stack of letters from them, especially Herman who decorated his missives with intricate pen and ink drawings. My mother did her patriotic duty as well; she was a “Rosie” working at Willow Run Bomber Plant. She was very shy, and didn’t like all the rough humor and attention at the plant. But she did her part for the war effort despite her desire to stay home.

That turned out well in the end, because she met my dad, Allie JOBLINSKI, when co-workers urged her to go to a party one day after work. While she wasn’t immediately impressed, he fell like a ton of bricks, and soon won her over. A pilot himself, he had tried to enlist in the service, but a youthful accident had left him with a serious limp, and he was denied entry because of that. For the remainder of his life he regretted being ineligible to serve.

American men and women put their country before themselves and served the greater good. Draft dodgers and protestors were unheard of at that time. War bonds were sold across the country, with movie stars and other famous people traveling from state to state to convince people to buy the bonds to support the war effort.

I grew up in the Vietnam era. That was a very different time, and right or wrong, patriotism took a beating. Our country didn’t come together again until after 9/11. This Veteran’s Day, I hope we all pause and remember the sacrifices that were made and remember the men and women of the “Greatest Generation” who risked their lives without hesitation to preserve our freedom and save our nation.