Unsung heroes

Willis and Lucille Jones

The generation of World War II has been called "The Greatest Generation." This usually refers to the women and men (mostly men) who fought for our country in that war. We said goodbye only a month ago to a man who exemplified that quality of American men (though he would have been the first to refute that claim.) McCook's Willis Jones was a pilot in the Air Force and a Prisoner of War in World War II, and in the years since that conflict served as an inspiration to his family, as well as to countless young men in our area who were fortunate to have known him.

Just this past week we said goodbye to his beloved wife, Lucille.

Lucille, in her own way, represented another class of heroes of the "Greatest Generation"-- the wives, the mothers, and the sweethearts of the men who fought in the war. They bravely endured the grief, the anxiety, and in too many cases, outright hardships that came with being left at home alone, to rear the family, and keep the home fires burning, in spite of the uncertainties brought on by the war.

Prior to World War II the traditional place for women in America was in the home. They were homemakers first, and handled the sacred task of rearing their children. Women had held jobs in the workplace for generations -- "women's" work, like teaching, nursing, waitresses, and sales persons in stores. Real jobs -- in industry, manufacture, and transportation were all held by men. Women represented less than 25 percent of America's workforce in 1940 (as against almost 50 percent in 2009).

Before Pearl Harbor, there were no Women's units of the Armed Forces. As had been true in all of America's wars up to that point, nurses made up the total feminine representation in the war -- and even there the representation was miniscule -- less than 100 nurses in the Army Nurse Corps in 1941. By the end of World War II there were women's units in each of the branches of service.

After Pearl Harbor there was a literal explosion of women coming into the work force -- into the Armed Forces, defense industries, as well as the positions back home, which were formerly filled by men, now gone off to war. It is safe to say that women coming into the work place played a key part in the United States winning the war.

There was another category of Women in the War that is outside statistical coverage, and that is the number of women -- mothers, sisters, wives and sweethearts, who had sent men off to war and awaited the return of their loved ones actively serving the US in various parts of the world, during World War II. The sacrifices that this group of women made for their country were the greatest of any group of US citizens. It is heart-wrenching to imagine the anguish that these women went through.

World War II was the bloodiest and most costly war in history, with some 50-70 million casualties worldwide. The United States alone suffered more than 1 million casualties, which means that there were more than 1 million telegrams, which were delivered, announcing that a loved one had been killed, wounded, or missing in action.

McCook's Dal Wood, a teenager during World War II, used his bicycle to deliver telegrams to individuals and businesses. A great deal of business was conducted using telegrams. But there were some telegrams that Dal was not allowed to deliver. Lucille Jones, now of McCook, was the bride of a US airman who was serving in England as part of a B-17 bombing crew. Lucille was the recipient of one of those telegrams.

Lucille and Willis Jones were married in early 1943. Willis had been drafted in 1941, and at the time of their marriage was serving as the co-pilot of a B-17 Bomber. For a time Lucille was allowed to accompany Willis when he was assigned to various bases in the United States. She made friends and pen pals with the other wives -- some of these friendships lasted for many years. When Willis and his unit were sent to a bomber base in England, Lucille went back to her parents' home in Prosser, Neb., to await his return.

Willis had already flown some dozen missions over occupied France and Germany when he received news that their daughter, Dianne had been born.

A month later, Willis embarked upon his 26th bombing mission, as co-pilot of his bomber. After this mission he was scheduled to return to the United States, having successfully completed the required number of missions for rotation back to the States. Unfortunately, on this mission his plane sustained heavy enemy fire on its raid over Germany. Having hit their target, Willis and his crew were headed back to England when they were badly shot up by a German fighter plane. Their crippled plane lagged behind the squadron formation and Willis and crew were forced to make a rather hectic parachute jump. He remembers that as he was descending to earth his one thought was that they were so far behind the other US planes that none of his friends would be able to tell Lucille that he had been able to parachute from the plane, and was still alive.

At Prosser, in rural Nebraska, Lucille and her new baby were alone in the house when the telegraph operator from Hastings knocked on her door. When he learned that Lucille was alone he asked if he might bring his wife into the house. It was only then that he handed her the telegram, which announced that Willis was "Missing in Action." The telegraph operator's wife did indeed provide immediate consolation. It was a small gesture of concern, but one that Lucille very much appreciated.

A month later -- the longest month of Lucille's life -- she received the second telegram, which brought the news that Willis had been captured, and was imprisoned in POW Stalag Luft 1 (prison), in northern Germany.

During World War II Stalag Luft 1 housed almost 9,000 Allied prisoners, mostly American and RAF personnel. It was with immense relief that Lucille received this second telegram. Willis was alive, and though he was a prisoner, she would be able to communicate with him (occasionally), and he would be coming home!

During the months that Willis was imprisoned in Stalag Luft 1 Lucille carried on a correspondence with the other Airmen wives she had met. The wives bolstered each other's spirits and plans were made for a reunion when their husbands returned home.

In May of 1945 The Russian Army liberated Stalag Luft 1. The prisoners were freed, and soon Willis and his crew were headed back to the United States. For Willis that meant a reunion with his wife and daughter. Dianne was now 18 months old. Though Lucille had tried, during all those months, to convey to Dianne that the face in the picture was her father, and that the three of them would be a family when Willis returned, it took time for the little girl to grasp that concept. Dianne believed that she and her mother had managed very well with just each other and she was not at all sure she wanted "that man" to share her mother's affection.

By the end of summer in 1945 the war had ended in Japan as well as Europe, ending any speculation that Willis and his crew would be called upon to participate in the invasion of Japan. Soon after that Willis took his discharge from the Army and the Jones family -- father, mother and daughter, returned to Nebraska to embark on a happy life together -- as civilians.

Not all of the friends Lucille had made with the other Airmen's wives were as fortunate.