McCook civilians in World War II

It is difficult to overstate the impact that World War II had on the lives of all Americans. An entire generation of young men (and a sizeable number of women) had gone off to war. Too many of these young people never did come home again, and those that did had their lives changed forever by their experience.

But at home life had to go on, and the American people responded admirably. Even as everyone struggled to maintain a semblance of normal life at home, they were caught up in "The War."

It seemed that the war dominated everything, from rationing to getting the job done with less people, utilizing women and teenagers for work that had previously been done by men. Those men were now serving their country in far off corners of the world, while here at home everyone was doing their best to help "our boys in service" any way they could.

In McCook, help for the boys showed itself in a myriad of ways. McCook, as a Division Point on the Burlington, had a great many trains coming through McCook each day. These trains carried a great number of service men, some just out of their teens, to the coast -- east and west -- for ports of embarkation to Europe or the South Pacific.

At the time of McCook's Centennial, in 1982, one of these "young" men picked up his pen and wrote of his experience traveling through McCook some 40 years before.

"Suddenly we were greeted with a pleasant surprise. Coming on to each car were grandmothers, mothers, and daughters. They carried food, candy, writing paper, etc. They offered each of us something. It was a wonderful feeling to be treated as a hero when most of us were so unsure of ourselves.

"The ladies were probably on the train less than 10 minutes, till we were moving again. I never became a hero, but others with me that day died or carry the scars of war to this day...all carry the memory of that 10 minutes in McCook.

"Recently, after almost 40 years, I again anxiously looked out the window of my Amtrak train, late at night, waiting for the sign reading McCook. I jumped off the train to take a flash picture of the sign on the depot that I hadn't even seen almost 40 years ago.

"If any of you ladies remember, I wish to thank you again for the memory."

Robert W. Meagher,

San Jose, California

During those years there were women to meet almost all of the trains carrying servicemen through McCook, to give the soldiers cookies or small useful items. Because of security regulations these trains were not announced. Yet dispatchers managed to get word, "You ladies will be busy in a few hours", to contacts, who would spread the message.

The Beta Sigma Phi met the trains that went through on Sundays. Groups from the Imperial and Bartley areas took regular turns meeting the trains. Betty (Mrs. Lester) Harsh, of the Busy Bees Ext. Club of Bartley remembered that there were about three trains a day. She greatly enjoyed the work. "Everyone felt they were doing something worthwhile...the boys were always glad to get out, stretch their legs and enjoy a cup of coffee and a cookie."

Many other groups and individuals met the trains, or helped run the McCook Canteen Service, a small shop inside the depot. The city was divided into 12 sections. Volunteers conducted weekly door to door drives, asking for 10 cents from every household for the canteen.

Besides the women's groups there were other organizations active in McCook. The Red Cross was very visible, providing assistance to servicemen and their families during the war. The Volunteer branch of the Red Cross was made up of ladies from all of the McCook Churches.

Attorney Wade Stevens was chairman of the Home Service Department, which assisted soldiers with dependency claims. He also headed the Red Willow County War Savings Committee, which conducted continuous fund raising drives, selling bonds to hundreds of McCook Area citizens.

Wade Stevens had been a pilot in France during World War I. After the war Wade returned to his home in Beaver City, where he first assembled an airplane for, then became a pilot for Dr. Brewster, the nation's first doctor to make his house calls using an airplane.

Alex Gochis, of the Olympia Restaurant, was McCook's leading War Bond Salesman, accounting for a large share of the $275, 392 McCook raised for the war effort through bond sales. Alex was born in Greece, but made his way to the United States as a lad of 13. Prevailing against almost impossible odds, Alex became the owner of his own business, the Olympia Candy Store, which evolved into a Restaurant. He was proud of his Greek heritage, but treasured his US Citizenship above all. He considered selling War Bonds to help "our boys" his calling in WW II, and became perhaps the only individual in the country who was licensed to issue War Bonds. For his efforts he was awarded a special Commendation, "From a Grateful Nation."

Victory Gardens took over every vacant lot in town, marked by placards showing the name of the gardener and his sponsor, a project of the Municipal Defense Council.

There was a surgical dressing room at the Courthouse where women prepared bandages for the use of combat medics on battlefields in Europe and the Pacific.

The Navy Mothers had a campaign to raise money by selling knitted socks---socks knitted by the members of that group. Their slogan was "Buy a sock, sock a Jap."

In 1943, after McCook became the home of an Army Air Base, the Morriss Building in the 100 Block of Main (Norris), was remodeled as a Service Club. It had a small lunch counter, pool tables, and comfortable chairs and reading materials. This center, sponsored by the city, was manned by members of the McCook Jaycees, and mainly served boys at the Air Base.

Clerk of the District Court, Elmer Kay was Chairman of the Civil Defense Committee for McCook. In this capacity he commanded a large number of volunteer Defense Wardens, men who patrolled neighborhoods on nights of practice Air Raid Drills, and guarded the city's municipal light plant, fire station, and water works.

"Big" Bill Hanke, working through the American Legion, set up a collection box in the Post Office to collect hunting knives for the use of our boys who were engaged in jungle combat.

Even the name, "McCook" played a part in the war. In 1943 the destroyer, USS McCook was commissioned and set off for duty in the Atlantic, where she took part in the invasions of France, and later in the South Pacific. By chance, two McCook boys, Leland Sterr (a former Gazette employee) and Kenneth Ludlow were assigned to this ship and were a part of the ship's noteworthy war action.

(Note: The USS McCook was actually the second US warship named McCook, after Commander Roderick McCook, of the Fighting McCook family of Civil War fame. McCook #2 was commissioned at the Seattle Tacoma Shipworks in 1943 and christened by Commander McCook's granddaughter. She was decommissioned in 1949, and scrapped in 1972.)

USS McCook No. 1, also a destroyer, was laid down in 1918, during World War I, but the Armistice came before the ship was finished. She served in the US Atlantic fleet until World War II, when she was transferred to the British fleet as part of the Lend-Lease agreement.)

These are but a few of the examples of the contributions folks in McCook made to the War Effort during World War II. Suffice it to say, McCookites unselfishly did their part.

Source: McCook Gazette Centennial Edition 1882-1982; Navy Ship Registry