Two new resources bring WWII to life for area residents

A few months ago I received a book called Pure Grit by Mary Cronk Farrell for review. Before I was able to read the book, I received an email from the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center about a new, limited-time exhibition called World War II, Part II. Individually these are fascinating opportunities for families to bring WWII to life. Together these two create a picture quickly fading from most peoples' memories.

Pure Grit by Mary Cronk Farrell is based upon the true stories of American nurses who volunteered to serve their country caring for injured soldiers. By today's standards, nursing is a noble career. One of the paragraphs I found most fascinating in Pure Grit explained that most parents were not proud to have a nurse in the family. It was considered un-pure for unmarried young women to work with male patients as women were not supposed to be familiar with the male anatomy until they were married. Parents were often ashamed that their daughters went into nursing. Once you read that paragraph, you realize how really amazing it is that these women volunteered to serve.

Amazon.com describes the book by saying, "In the early 1940s, young women enlisted for peacetime duty as U.S. Army nurses. But when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 blasted the United States into World War II, 101 American Army and Navy nurses serving in the Philippines were suddenly treating wounded and dying soldiers while bombs exploded all around them. The women served in jerry-rigged jungle hospitals on the Bataan Peninsula and in underground tunnels on Corregidor Island. Later, when most of them were captured by the Japanese as prisoners of war, they suffered disease and near-starvation for three years. Pure Grit is a story of sisterhood and suffering, of tragedy and betrayal, of death and life. The women cared for one another, maintained discipline, and honored their vocation to nurse anyone in need—all 101 coming home alive."

This description doesn't bring to life the stories these women shared through letters and remembrances. The pictures remind readers of how very young the soldiers and nurses really were as they battled Japanese forces. In our family we had several WWII veterans who never talked about their experiences. It's only through books like Pure Grit that we learn the stories which shaped an entire generation, and our country.

Pure Grit is designed for readers from 10 - 16 years old. It's really worth reading even if you're a bit older than 16 years of age. I learned a lot about the military nursing corps and gained a new appreciation of how brave those women were throughout their service.

Another dimension of the WWII story is on display from March 13 - March 16 at the McCord Gallery and Cultural Center in Palos Park. What's fascinating about this exhibits is that it is filled with privately-owned, museum-quality artifacts from local World War II veterans.  

The exhibit is described as an opportunity to "learn of the turmoil and hardships of the years 1939 through 1945 as they view documents signed by FDR, Eisenhower, Truman, and Hitler, along with V-day letters and personal histories.  Military vehicles, weapons, uniforms (American, German, British, and Japanese), and more will be on display. Also included will be a saki set that survived the bomb on Hiroshima, a fragment of the USS Arizona which was sunk on December 7, 1941 during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Adolf Hitler's personal napkin ring, trench art, and much more."

This exhibit is available for a limited time from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. each day. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 is you're a McCord Gallery member. Children under 18, veterans and students are free.

The McCord Gallery and Cultural Center is located on the corner of 129th St. and LaGrange Road in Palos Park. For more information, call 708-671-0648 or visit www.mccordgallery.org.