There was a real lack of enthusiasm in November, 1945 for eighth war loan

In November it was announced the army would step up discharges of men who had served in Europe. Enlisted men with at least 50 points would now be eligible for discharge. It was also announced that enlisted men with at least 21 months of service would not be sent overseas to join the occupation forces. Also exempt from occupation duty were officers with more than 33 months of service, medical officers with more than 39 months of service, and nurses over the age of 30.

Laurel veterans discharged in November included Elmer Nunemaker, Reinhard Michels, Frank Lipp, Laurel Miner, Wilmer Mason, Keith Wickett, Marlen French, Gail Carmen, Odell Meyer, Milton Johnson, Lloyd McDonald, Darrell Dahl, Douglas Harrington, Lloyd Halladay, Warren Patefield, Paul Ross, Joseph McCoy, Earl Boeshart of Dixon, and Edna Ericson, an army nurse who had been in charge of a hospital in Caro, Egypt, for three of the five years she was in the service.

And a tip of the “Hatlo Hat” - to borrow a phrase from the popular cartoonist, Jimmy Hatlo - “to the war widows who have done a swell job of keeping things together on the home front. Someday we are going to write about them and pay tribute to their contributions to the war,“ wrote Editor Allison.

At least one Laurel lady had been contributing in other ways. “The doll baby who thinks she is fooling the natives on Wednesday and Saturday nights better guess again. There’s trouble brewing for the gal, and this ought to be plain talk to the interested parties.“ This old gal was taking care of business on foot not in a black Ford.

Although the war was over, Uncle Sam still needed money. The Victory Loan Drive kicked off Oct. 29 and ran through Dec. 6. It had a goal of raising $11 billion to help fund the cost of bringing soldiers home from overseas and providing care to those suffering from service-related injuries. It was also supposed to help stave off post-war inflation.

Cedar County’s goal was set at $372,200 plus another $185,700 in Series E bonds. Laurel‘s share of this amount was $22,500 plus $11,400 respectively. But the fighting was over and potential buyers seemed rather unenthusiastic about shelling out again. By the end of November – with only two weeks to go – Cedar County’s total sales were only 50 per cent of the assigned quota.

Only three towns: Hartington, Randolph, and Belden had met their quota. Laurel was at the 85 percent mark and tiny little Magnet had sold only one percent of its $2800 quota.

To encourage sales, the Laurel Theatre offered a free movie to anyone who purchased at least one bond. The featured attraction was “ You Can’t Help Singing” starring Deanna Durban followed by “Ski For Two” starring Woody Woodpecker.

Thanks to a lot of arm twisting and pleading most of the towns, including Laurel, met or exceeded their quotas by the time the drive ended on December 6. Of the rural precincts, however, only precinct #1 made the quota. Sales for the entire county were only 83 percent of the $372,200 mark.

But by extending the deadline for purchasing Series E bonds to the end of the year, and counting purchases made by servicemen stationed overseas and corporations doing business in the county, the drive went over the top by 8 percent.

Still, most of the rural precincts failed to reach the finish line.

With the war over and rationing lifted, people may have had other ideas on how to spend their money. During the first week of November, Lamson Chevrolet – now the Hometown Market - had one brand new 1946 model on display in their showroom. The catch was that it wasn’t for sale. People could look but couldn’t buy until the government Office of Price Administration set prices.

Last week’s article told how little Johnny Sullivan managed to open the door of a moving car and fall out on his head. The following near tragedy happened to little Jimmy Lipp, the year-and-a-half old son of Mr. and Mrs. Art Lipp.

Jimmy was toddling alongside his mother as she was carrying a bucket of boiling water to do the family washing. Jimmy reached up and grabbed the pail, causing it to tip and spill scalding water all over himself.

He was taken to Dr. Carroll’s office where his burns were dressed. “He still suffers a great amount of pain but he is getting along as well can be expected,” said the Advocate. “Industry is changing from wartime to peacetime production,“ said H. R. Baukhage in his Washington Digest column. “Education must change as well. Education for world freedom is an important objective.” A report revealed Nazism was still popular in parts of Germany.

“Nazi propaganda is even affecting the American Army of Occupation,” said Baukhage. “An American army major is reported as doubting the truth of atrocities in a concentration camp near where he was stationed.

American soldiers are heard parroting the lie that Germany was forced into the war and that Hitler was really great in many respects. “Apparently what American kids needed was less reading, writing and arithmetic and more Holocaust education. Incidentally, “holocaust” meant a big fire in those days.

Answering repeated rumors of Hitler’s escape, British intelligence declared that an exhaustive investigation found the Fuehrer shot himself in the bunker beneath the Reichs Chancellory building in Berlin and that Eva Braun had followed him in death by taking poison.

So liberal readers can stop worrying that Hitler dyed his hair blonde, shaved off his mustache, and is currently living in a big white mansion in Washington D.C.