Rose Aust
I chose to interview my grandmother Rose Aust. She is 80 years old and was a teenager when the war began and a young adult when the war concluded. She has many memories of the struggles the war caused. She, like many other women and teenagers in the time did the best they could with what they had. It was interesting hearing her speak of her experiences.
Lauren: Where were you during World War II?
Ms. Aust: Speedway , Indiana
Lauren: How old were you and what kinds of things were you involved in?
Ms. Aust: I was 15 when the war began and 19 when it ended. I was a freshman at the beginning of the war. I went to St. Agnes Catholic High School during the day and worked in my father's drug store after school until it close. (10 p.m.)
Lauren: What did you do in the drugstore?
Ms. Aust: I did everything from cleaning to shelving to working in the pharmacy. At this point in time there was such a shortage of workers that we did everything.
Lauren: Did you work with anyone else your own age?
Ms. Aust: My sister Joann and I took turns working but there were times when we would both work, like Saturdays when it was busy.
Lauren: How come your father needed you to work so often?
Ms. Aust: Every able bodied man was basically drafted, so there was a huge shortage of men in every profession.
Lauren: What did you like the best about working in his pharmacy?
Ms. Aust: I was trained to be an actual pharmacist, even though I did not have the schooling. Pharmacy was different back then, it was more work. It pushed me to pursue a career in pharmacy when I went off to college. The experience was great.
Lauren: Obviously your social life changed because of working so much and many of your friends at war, but how did your family life change?
Ms. Aust: We were always a family that sat down to dinner at 7 together. Once the war started and all the men were gone, family dinners were few and far between. It was hard because my dad would work extremely long days and we wouldn't see him as much. The war strained him. Also, being one of 10 children, everyone always needed something. It seemed like everything you needed was rationed so it was unavailable.
Lauren: Did you mother work?
Ms. Aust: No, she never did go to work. However she was involved a lot at St. Christopher Church, our parish at the time. She participated in committees with women making socks and other objects needed over seas. Everyone had their own role to play.
Lauren: Do you remember what it was like when the war ended?
Ms. Aust: I remember it like it was yesterday, it seemed as though everyone flooded to downtown. Everyone danced and mingled all night. It was a wonderful feeling. The relief that spread over the people is indescribable.
Lauren: How did the war impact you the most?
Ms. Aust: My husband was in World War II. Though we were not married at the time, this impacted me greatly. He would never talk about what happened during the war and sometimes he would be sad and I wouldn't know what to say or do. There wasn't anything you could do, you were just there. I think that impacted me the most because it was something that I struggled with throughout my entire marriage. You think people forget things and the memories, but they don't.
Lauren: It seems like today, even though there is a war going on, the people in the U.S. are not all that much affected. Was the atmosphere at the time of World War II different than now?
Ms. Aust: Heavens yes. This is a different kind of war we are fighting. We are fighting an idea, not the world. World War II impacted everyone because of the amount of people that were fighting. It seemed like everyone had an uncle or a cousin or a brother fighting. We didn't have the technology, the security we have today.