Halloween WWII Style

This story is condensed from: EVERY VETERAN HAS A STORY_______

The other morning I woke up and looked out the window and saw pumpkins smashed and some decorations strewn.  “Ah, good,” I said to my daughters, “someone has done their research on the history of Halloween!”

 

They rolled their eyes and kept reading the comics over their bowls of cereal.  After 13 years of fatherhood, I’d lost the ability to shock them…or they were hoping by their indifference to ward off the inevitable history lecture to follow.  If so — it didn’t work.

Foe much of our history, Halloween wasn’t about trick-or-treating or going around in costumes – it was about vandalism.  Halloween celebrates the dark side, the side we reject and fear – all that we try to deny.  Mischief making has historically been a part of that.  If you look at newspapers 80 or 90 years ago, you’ll see very little about costumes or treats, but a lot about tricks.  I think I can make a strong case that WWII stopped the customary vandalism.

 

The first Halloween during WWII was in 1942, when the nation was in full-tilt war production mode and millions of men were in uniform.  Children and teenagers were suddenly set free from adult supervision, as mothers and fathers spent more time working or away from home altogether.  There were widespread fears of juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior.  Fear was a dominant emotion during the war years and the vandalism one might expect on Halloween now seemed to portend greater crimes.  Many communities did, in fact, cancel Halloween that year.

 

Some folks saw the opportunity to co-opt, rather than ban, the holiday by hosting costume  parties, dances, etc. to lure the would-be delinquents off the streets and into safer environments. (Still not much candy available though, due to the rationing of sugar.)  It worked.  Halloween vandalism feel off in 1942 and after the war, neighborhoods began hosting a kind of roving festival for kids – trick-or-treating.

 

So, this year if you run across some smashed pumpkins, consider them mild throwbacks to a darker version of this holiday……

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A question for the readers – I seem to recall my mother telling me that Halloween was indeed about the dark side, and Thanksgiving was NOT about turkey dinners.  But, thanks to the Depression, that was the day when children went door-to-door begging for food; and that is the reason why some people put fruit instead of candy in the Halloween bags.  Does anyone else remember a story like this?

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To locate and Print OUT the FREE templates to carve your own military pumpkins – CLICK HERE!!

Some of the animated photos for today’s post were created by artist, Kevin Weir, who used archived photos for his work.  They were located at HERE!

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FAREWELL SALUTES – 

Alice Braden – Ogilvie, MN & Waquoit, MA; US Air Force, jet engine mechanic

Cliff Corcoran – Sulphur, LA; US Air Force, MSgt. (Ret. 25 years)

John Gilmore – WPalm Beach, FL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, 101st

Edward Hopkins – Waiuku, NZ; RNZ Navy # 10691, Chief Petty Officer ’45-’77

John Jacoby – Sacramento, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, POW, Silver Star

John Klingbeil – Edmonton, CAN; RC Army, Chaplain

Felin “Red” Pipkin Sr. – Hinesville, GA; US Army, MSgt. (Ret. 32 years)

Martin Taylor – NY,CA & FL; US Army Air Corps & Reserves, bomber pilot, WWII, POW, LtCol. (Ret)

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