1942: Area residents are told collecting junk here will help jolt the Japanese

For several months, everybody and his dog had been out scrounging for scrap metal to feed the war machine so it is hard to imagine how any could be left by September.

Apparently there still was old farm equipment lurking in groves.

On Sept. 9, the Advocate reported that the farmers and townspeople of Laurel had brought in more than 210 tons of scrap metal to the new drive but another 40 tons were needed to reach the town’s quota of a half million pounds. “It can and must be done,” said the Advocate. “Some mills have already had to curtail production. Let’s clean up every pound of metal and old rubber on your place and bring it into town at once.”

To help facilitate the drive, Sept. 26 was designated as Scrap Rally Day in Laurel. George Berglund contributed an old steam threshing engine and another one was on the way. Berglund said one would be kept on the street on Rally Day to show youngsters what a real steam engine looked like.

Berglund and Alf Mittelstadt said they would give rides on the steamer to anyone who brought in a ton of scrap. Those who contributed at least a half ton could pull the whistle, and anyone who brought in 50 pounds could look at it. How they prevented anyone from looking at the engine as it chugged up and down the street was not explained.

Mandatory blindfolds? That worked with Covid masks.

By the end of the month, Laurel had exceeded its million-pound quota but not everyone seems to have jumped on the bandwagon.

Some people wanted to know why, if the scrap was so badly needed, was it allowed to pile up in Mittelstadt’s lumber yard instead of being shipped to the steel mills. A spokesman for the state salvage committee explained that it was safer to keep the scrap disbursed throughout the state until it was needed instead of piling it in one location where saboteurs could destroy it. How saboteurs could destroy millions of tons of scrap metal was not explained.

There may have been a rubber shortage but some of the kids either hadn’t found out about it or didn’t care. “If we abused our tires the way a few of them do, we would be taken off the road pronto,” said Editor Allison. “Some of ‘em ought to have to walk down town at noon for their lunch instead of driving a car.”

In other news of September 1942. The Baby Boom generation would not start arriving until 1946 but the Laurel schools opened with a record enrollment. A total of 319 students registered for classes on Aug. 31. That number included 147 in the grades and 172 in high school. The high school enrollment included 53 freshmen, 36 sophomores, 42 juniors and 41 seniors.

The 2022-2023 high school enrollment was 124 for Laurel, Concord and Coleridge combined.

‘’Did you ever try to put a quart of water into a pint jar?” asked Editor Allison. “You say it can’t be done. But there is one guy who could do it. Supt. Hugh Linn has put 53 freshmen in a school where there is only room for 45. When it comes to feats of magic, he is a whole show unto himself.”

Due to low enrollment, it was decided to terminate the agriculture program taught by William Weidenbach. This left only two men on the faculty: Supt. Hugh Linn and Richard Lutes who taught science and band.

The Advocate of Sept. 9, 1942, reported that Duane Phillips was missing in action. After graduating with the Laurel High School Class of 1941, Phillips enlisted in the Navy and was the first Laurel casualty of World War II. His story was more fully discussed in this column a few weeks ago. (Next up will be Emory Graffis but so far I have not been able to find much information about him.)

Mrs. A.G. Mittelstadt learned that a nephew was missing in action.

Word came by a very roundabout manner. The boy, whose name was not given, was stationed in the Philippines. A letter written in March was sent home on a freighter. While enroute, the ship was sunk by a Japanese torpedo. Some months later a mailbag was found floating in the sea. It was picked up and sent on its way.

The letter was sent to the mother who lived in Wisconsin. One day after receiving the letter, the mother received a telegram stating that her son was missing in action. News of other servicemen: Leslie Paulsen suffered head injuries in a motorcycle accident in California. Paulsen had enlisted in the army air corps and was awaiting his call for service. The injury did not keep him out of the army. Dr. William B. Hay, son of former Laurel physician James C. Hay, joined the 105th General Hospital Unit and was shipped to Australia.

Gaylord Burton, Gilbert Krie, Allen Christensen, James Campbell and George Sandrock were among the large contingent of Cedar County boys drafted in September.

Don Steenbock graduated from officers candidate school and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant. Jim Embick was commissioned a naval lieutenant.

James “Jimmy” Cambell enlisted in the reserve army air corps.

Dean Sutherland and James Lessman graduated from an officers training school and were commissioned 2nd lieutenants.

Neal Felber graduated from the medical school at Camp Robinson, Arkansas, and was transferred to Camp Barkley, Texas.

Donald Dalton suffered a fractured spine when the truck in which he was riding overturned. He was participating in maneuvers with an army tank destroyer unit in Tennessee.

E.C. Chederquist was ordered to report to an officers training camp at Fort Crook.

Lloyd Halladay was training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Dixon: Alfred Hansen, Marlen Shell and Earl Boeshart were in the army. Melvin Ehlers was in the army air corps.

Concord: Robert Paul Hanson graduated from flying school and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the army air corps. Lloyd McDonald and Ivan Anderson were at Ft. Leonard Wood. Dwight Kilbourn was at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Leonard Salmon enlisted in the coast guard. Walden Kraemer was shipped to England.

Belden: Gordon Casal, Wayne Kuhlman, Jerry Leapley and Lester McLain were in the army.