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TALES FROM THE WEST TEXAS DUST 8/31/99
"West Texans Remember The Home Front"; Ava B. Mills, Doss Books [San Angelo, TX], (C) 1997; 155 pp. One of my more recent essays dealt with my grandfather and, in part, my reflections on how he recalled his experiences during World War II. Well, the other day, I just happened to find an interesting book on the subject in (where else?) my nearby local library that might shed light on specific ways that this military conflict had on those who stayed out here in these parts while things were brewing in the Pacific and Europe that I thought I'd let you in on. Ms. Mills in this tome splits her focus in two ways--the first part focusing on personal recollections of their experiences from 1941-1946 and the latter half giving us a basic synopsis of certain regional and national events that went on even after the name of Pearl Harbor became synonymous with war. A great example of Mills' unique attempts in the second half to catch a little bit of the flavor of the lighter side of those times is when she gives an instance of a story from Boston about a 64-year-old who attempted to slide down a bannister to show friends how good he felt and how he was treated at a hospital for a scalp injury and a compound fracture of one of his legs. The headline to such a story? "Michael Wasn't So Chipper As He Felt." Another amusing one included a recollection of how in September 1942 thousands of black crickets who struck San Angelo managed to plunge the city into a partial blackout due to the fact that all night businesses had to turn off their outdoor lights to repel the insects--which then eventually converged under street lights. Mills in her work seems to focus on those who served either in or near all military operations close to the San Angelo area or to those who had even a minute connection to them--which brings up a main problem and quarrel that I have about her efforts. I don't know if it involves just personal preference or just a simple desire to be a little more comprehensive and inclusive of other West Texas and New Mexico cities that had similar operations during the war. But I personally would have liked to get a little more grasp on especially how other cities such as Amarillo and Lubbock were similarly affected and not just put too much of a lazer- beam emphasis on San Angelo. I don't know if the fact of simple convienence and the need to cut corners on travel
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