Maryellen Martin
Phil Martin
How old were you when the war started?
-I had just turned 23. I had been married since 1938 to Marvin.
Did you have any kids?
-Peter (my uncle) was born in 1939 and Margo (my aunt) was born two years later.
What did Marvin do during the war?
-Instead of being drafted, he began to work at Ford Motors making Pratt Whitney engines for the planes. He was not home very often because he got up very early and came home very late.
What new things did you have to endure at home?
-We had some tough rationing of sugar, gas, meat, tires, and we had to turn the lights off sometimes for blackouts. I had to send Peter to the store with the meat stamps to pick up food during the day.
So essentially, you had to raise two children almost by yourself?
-Yes, because Marvin was gone so often.
Did you write any letters to the service men or make “victory gardens” because of the rationing?
-I did not write any letters, but many of my friends did. They often sent items like things that they had knitted. They also threw parties for service men when they were home to raise money to send to people overseas. We personally did not have a victory garden, but many of my friends did, and Marvin and I frequently went and bought vegetables from people who sold them out of their gardens.
What was it like when the war ended?
-There was so much celebration, but so many people were gone. Everything was almost back to normal.