Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower Women and the Marine Corps
Feb. 13, 1943 Women were allowed to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves.
U.S. Army Takes Over Railroads
Dec. 27, 1943 The U.S. Army took temporary possession of all railroads to prevent railway workers from striking. The railroads were returned in 1944.
First Jet-Fighter
Jan. 7, 1944 U.S. Air Force produced first jet-fighter.
Parade for Eisenhower
June 19, 1945 General Dwight D. Eisenhower was honored with a parade in N.Y.
Jan. 16, 1941 Vice Admiral Bellinger warned that Pearl Harbor might be attacked.
Pearl Harbor Attacked
Dec. 7, 1941 Japan attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor.
U.S. Declares War
Dec. 8, 1941 Congress declared war on Japan. On Dec. 11, 1941 the U.S. declared war on Germany and Italy.
Wartime Censorship
Dec. 19, 1941 the U.S. Office of Censorship was established under authority of the First War Powers Act to filter information for national security purposes. President Roosevelt said media stories must be accurate and could not help the enemy.
Roosevelt Accused of Abusing the Office of Censorship
Michael S. Sweeney, in his “Secrets of Victory” published 2001, claims that President Roosevelt abused the Office of Censorship during his 1944 presidential campaign, by restricting his photos in order to hide his paralysis from polio, and cover up his affair with Lucy Rutherford.
Aliens Had to Register
Jan. 14, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt required all U.S. aliens to register with the government.
Japanese Americans Relocated
Feb. 20, 1942 President Roosevelt ordered 110,000 Japanese Americans to be relocated from the West Coast to ten camps in U.S.
Blackouts
Apr. 2, 1942 Blackouts became the nightly norm along the East Coast of the U.S. There was a watch for enemy submarines.
Japanese Fire Cannons
June 22, 1942 A Japanese submarine slipped into the mouth of the Columbia River and fired cannons at Fort Stevens, Oregon.
Civil Defense
By the summer of 1942, millions of volunteers enlisted with the Civil Defense to serve in their own communities. They supervised in such jobs as blackouts and scrap drives. My mother-in-law, who had sons in the war, volunteered to be an air raid warden. At the first sound of the siren, she put on her helmet and knocked on the doors in her neighborhood if she could see light coming from their windows.
Nazis Land on U.S. Soil
June 27, 1942 Eight Nazis who came ashore on U.S. beaches, Florida and Long Island, from two submarines, were captured and tried in a military court. Six were secretly executed.
Aug. 9, 1944 Smokey the Bear became the spokesman for fire prevention.
Gen. George Marshall
Sep. 1, 1939 Gen. George Marshall became Chief of Staff of U.S. Army
The Draft Becomes Law
Sep. 16, 1940 President Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, setting in motion the first peacetime military draft in the U.S.
Discrimination in U.S. Forces
Sep. 27, 1940 Discrimination in U.S. Armed Forces protested by black leaders.
First Lottery for Draft
Oct. 16, 1940 The first lottery for U.S. WWII draftees begins. Only the unfit could get a deferment. Men with dependents or national defense jobs could get a six-month deferment. The Army kept them for 12 months. The draft was abolished in 1973.
Peacetime Draft
Nov. 15, 1940 Under peacetime law, the U.S. drafted 75,000 men into the Armed Forces.
Third Military Draft
Mar. 1, 1942 The U.S. implemented the third military draft.
Men Register for Non-Military Duty
Mar. 19, 1942 Men between ages 45-64 had to register for non-military duty.
Minimum Draft Age
Nov. 13, 1942 President Roosevelt lowers the minimum draft age from 21 to 18.
Roosevelt Postpones Draft of Fathers
Dec. 10, 1943 Roosevelt postpones draft of men who were fathers before Pearl Harbor.