World War II and the Home Front: Working at Maytag in Newton
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Collection: Iowa's WWII Stories
Maytag was one of the Iowa firms that stopped producing consumer goods and started making war supplies. In 1943, 19 year-old Hollys "Pat" Harrison from Albia, formerly Hollys Tarbell, had been working for a local dentist taking care of domestic chores. Harrison saw a newspaper advertisement placed by the Maytag Company in Newton.
(Hollys "Pat" Harrison) All the guys were doing something, they were fighting, going to service, enlisting and what have you, that we knew and we thought it would be a good idea for us to do something too, while we could and the money was good.
The company, famous for its clothes washers, started making air craft parts. Harrison was hired to make exhaust systems for B 26 Marauder Bombers. To help finance the creation of war goods, the government began to offer bonds. The investment strategy was not lost on Maytag employees together they purchased a B 26 Marauder for the war effort.
Tags:Post Date: April 12, 2007
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World War II Veteran: Bob Benson
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World War II Veteran: Jack Smith
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World War II Veteran: Vincent Martinez
Vincent Martinez served as a first class petty officer 1943-1945. When the war ended, he liked the Navy, and reenlisted. ... 02:02
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World War II Veteran: Maurice Vasquez
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World War II Veteran: Anthony Navarro
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World War II Veteran: Samuel A. Vasquez
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World War II Veteran: Elizes Chaves "Al"
Elizes Chaves was born and raised in Davenport. He volunteered for the service in September, 1942 because he was mad at ... 07:50
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World War II Veteran: James Peavey
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World War II Veteran: Ivan W. Crees
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World War II Veteran: Lonnie Conger
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World War II Veteran: Robert Sullivan “Bob or Sully”...
Sully tells us that patriotism was very high in the 40’s, and at 17, you don’t feel the war can be won without you. So ... 12:50
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World War II Veteran: Jerry Corrigan
Jerry Corrigan was the third oldest of 11 boys on the family farm north of Harper’s Ferry, Iowa. He tells us about the ... 09:14
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World War II Veteran: Don Cottrell
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World War II Veteran: Francis Toale
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World War II Veteran: Vernon "Bud" Hall
Bud Hall was in the amphibious forces in the Navy from “44 to ’46. 09:44
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World War II Veteran: Willis Haddix
Willis Haddix served as ground support attached to the second Air Corps in 1944 and 1945. He was attached to the quartermaster ... 05:10
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World War II Veteran: Marvin Boyenga
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World War II Veteran: Dick Blunt
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World War II Veteran: Ben Colson
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World War II Veteran: George Temeyer
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World War II Veteran: Bill Watters
Bill Watters was a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. He was on O'ahu in Hawaii for a while. Then they transported him ... 07:25
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World War II Veteran: Darwin “Dar” F. Reber
The doctors told Dar Reber that he did not have enough sight to be accepted into the Air Force. That was not acceptable ... 09:01
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World War II Veteran: Ed Callanan
Ed Callanan joined the army on April Fool’s Day, 1942. He served with the 91st Cavalry Reconnaissance squadron. 08:16
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World War II Veteran: Art Gratias
June 6, 1944 has two memories for Art Gratias of Mason City. He had been married June 6, 1943. On his first wedding anniversary ...
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World War II Veteran: Willard Leon McCormick, Jr. ...
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World War II Veteran: James Van Ginkel (Jim)
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World War II Veteran: Martin R. Grandquist (Marty)
Marty Grandquist knew that he was going to be in the military as a child. He is a three wars veteran, serving in the Marine ... 08:52
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World War II Veteran: Curt Bauer
Curt Bauer of Ames, Iowa served in the Navy 1944 – 1946 aboard a supply ship to the Seabees. 07:59
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World War II Veteran: Edward O’Connor
Ed O’Connor found it difficult to study engineering at Iowa State in 1942 with the draft just around the corner. So he ... 11:51
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World War II Veteran: Leo Soderholm
Leo Soderholm was assigned to the 411th AAA gun battalion as their radar officer. 10:14
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World War II Veteran: Michael Cervantes
Michael Cervantes was in General George Patton’s 3rd army. His service in Europe 1943-1945 includes the Battle of the Bulge....
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World War II Veteran: Burdette Parrott (Shorty)
Sgt. Shorty Parrott was a platoon leader in Company K, 168th Infantry, 34th Division - the “Red Bull Division”. He tells ...
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World War II Veteran: Wilbur Tiffany
Wilbur Tiffany bought a car for $35 in 1942 and drove home to Independence, Iowa to enlist in the paratroopers. He ended ... 16:58
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World War II Veteran: Kenneth Lubben (Ken)
Kenneth Lubben served in the Army as a PFC in the 546th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, called the coast artillery corps ...
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World War II Veteran: Phyllis Freymann Koopman
Phyllis served in the Waves as an Aviation Machinists Mate 3rd Class. The Navy opened to women in the summer of 1943, and ...
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World War II Veteran: Clifford Perry
Cliff Perry served in the Army with the 36th mechanized cavalry. Cliff was the company clerk for two years. When they ran ...
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World War II Veteran: Merton L. Jessen “Stub”
Stub Jessen served with the 28th Division, 707 tank battalion 110th infantry 1942 – 1945. He tells us about being captured ...
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World War II Veteran: John Schnepf
John Schnepf served with the 11th Air Force as crew chief. John worked with the 54th Fighter Squadron in the Aleutian Islands....
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Full Program: In the spirit of Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The War," Assignment Iowa is looking back at some of our most compelling stories ... 27:45
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World War II Veteran: Maurice Hoxie
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World War II Veteran: Norm Kling
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World War II Veteran: Glenn Clark Underwood
Clark Underwood was a flight engineer aboard a B-17 on a bombing mission over Bordeaux, France. They were shot down and ...
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World War II Veteran: Mary Adams
Mary Adams rode to Fort Des Moines in the back end of an open pickup truck on a cold December day to join the army. After ...
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World War II Veteran: Ervin Bostwick
Ervin Bostick lived with his grandfather on a farm near Shenandoah and went to country school. He served aboard the USS ...
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World War II Veteran: Vince "Pete" Conners...
Pete Conners was called up February, 1941 with Company E along with 112 young men from Shenandoah.
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World War II Homefront: Helen Castle
Helen Castle was 19 years old when Company E from Shenandoah was called up. She talks about the parade of soldiers marching ...
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World War II Veteran: Dr. Kenneth James Gee
Dr. Kenneth Gee and a small cadre of people built a 3,000 bed hospital in Batangas, Philippines. They trained medics at ...
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World War II Veteran: William "Bill" Tyner...
Bill Tyner was a forward observer in the 928th field artillery battalion of the 103rd infantry division. He tells us about ...
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World War II Veteran: Luther Smith
In the skies over Italy, 24 year-old First Lieutenant Luther Smith of Des Moines, was on his second tour of duty.
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World War II Veteran: Billy M. Amos (Bill)
Bill Amos landed on Omaha Beach several hours into the invasion of June 6, 1944 on an LCM landing craft. The amphibious ... 09:52
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World War II Veteran: Harold Lamont Schoolen
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World War II Veteran: Donald R. Vaughn (Don)
Don Vaughn of Ottumwa, Iowa talks about his training after being drafted in the Army in March, 1943 and his service in Europe ... 10:25
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World War II Veteran: Richard Henneman
Richard Henneman talks about surviving a brutally cold winter in France, Germany and Belgium. 10:21
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World War II Veteran: Richard O. Keep (Dick)
Dick Keep learned to speak German from his mother and grandmother growing up on the farm. He served as interpreter for his ... 10:18
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World War II Veteran: Robert A. Helgerson (Bob)
Bob Helgerson of Ottumwa, Iowa talks about his '90 day wonder' training in the Navy, and his experiences aboard the Intrepid.... 10:58
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World War II Veteran: Aurelio Barron
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World War II Veteran: Henry Leonard
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World War II Veteran: Glenn McDole
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World War II Veteran: Galen Kittleson
In early 1945, 20-year old Galen Kittleson from St. Ansgar was stationed in the Philippines as part of an elite unit called ...
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World War II Veteran: Elvin Moritz
Moritz and other members of the 168th were surrounded by German troops at the Battle of Faid Pass in February of 1943. Major ...
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World War II and the Home Front: Ed Tubbs
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World War II Veteran: Dean Lettington
As part of the 559th Field Artillery Battalion, Lettington had spent the last few months fighting across France.
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