From the editor: Home Front

 

In 2009, Fred Bahlau of Onsted, Michigan holds the boots he wore as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne on D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and throughout his service overseas during World War II. Fred passed away in 2014. It was an honor to meet and interview him. He was funny and deeply devoted to his fellow soldiers. WWII veterans will tell you they are not the heroes. The real heroes are their brothers who did not come home. (Photo: © 2009 Redwood Educational Technologies)

In 2009 I covered the 65th anniversary of D-Day from Normandy, France. Standing on Omaha Beach and listening to D-Day veterans tell their stories was a life changing experience for me. I came home committed to keeping this history alive. Since then, I have had the honor of meeting many wonderful people from that generation and their families who are dedicated to honoring their loved ones and keeping history alive.

All of the content on this site has been developed from my primary source interviews and in-depth reading about World War II history, which includes the amazing story of America transitioning from a peacetime economy to a wartime economy in a short period of time. This site focuses on the “Great Arsenal of Democracy” America became in response to a challenge from President Roosevelt in late December 1940, one year before Pearl Harbor.

To the right is a picture of Fred Bahlau, a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne who jumped into Normandy on D-Day and participated in the Battle of the Bulge as part of his WWII service. He is holding his boots he wore throughout the war.

This site is dedicated to Fred, all WWII veterans, and those who made victory possible by working on Home Front. We honor the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E Day) that occurred on May 8, 2020.

Judy Stanford Miller, M.Ed., M.A. (jstanfordmiller@gmail.com)

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