World War II had been raging in Europe for more than two years when Japan made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

President Roosevelt responded the next day with his famous “Day of Infamy” speech, ending it with, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. With confidence in our armed forces with the unbounding determination of our people we will gain the inevitable triumph so help us God.”

As America was swept into war, Montgomery responded with many acts of patriotism. Numerous men enlisted. Children and adults that remained on the homefront supported the war effort.

Montgomery Mills had opened a few months before the attack. In a previous Luminary article, Jim Winder, a former mill employee, shared that the mill contributed to the war effort by manufacturing machine gun belts. The belts were designed to hold rows of cartridges that were inserted into machine guns. He added that the mill didn’t handle the cartridges, the belts were made and shipped elsewhere to be have the cartridges loaded into them.

The Keep ‘Em Flying Club was formed with the goal of sending letters, birthday cards, and packages all over the world to servicemen from Montgomery and the surrounding area. The club held numerous fundraisers and raffles and paid membership dues to support their efforts. They sent a Christmas gift to each serviceman. Due to the nature of military life, a gift had to be small and useful. According to their meeting minutes that were donated to the Montgomery Area Public Library by Cynthia Bryan, the club sent wallets in 1942. In 1943, they sent sewing kits and subscriptions to the Montgomery Mirror newspaper. In 1944, they sent fruitcakes. The war ended in 1945, but some of the men were still serving, so the club sent packages of candy.

Children in Montgomery were involved in the war effort as well. Joan Wheal-Blank’s “Around Montgomery Borough 1940-1990” features a photo of children who had formed “Montgomery Home Defence [sic] Unit No. 1.”

In the July 2, 1942 issue of the Montgomery Mirror, under the line “Remember Pearl Harbor” they had a short piece entitled, “Jimmy Harman is Youthful Financier”. The paper reported, “Jimmy, 12 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Harman, who has been collecting and selling old paper has, to date, received eleven dollars for his efforts. He has invested this amount in War stamps.” In today’s money, that would be $201.11.

Of the many men from Montgomery and the surrounding area that served in the war, fourteen of them made the ultimate sacrifice. Their names are memorialized on a plaque in Fairview Cemetery that was given by the Keep ‘Em Flying Club. Those men were: Aaron N. Decker, Delmar A. Decker, Paul E. Shireman, Eugene C. Betts, Dunning K. Tupper, Fred Kennedy, Maurice E. Felix, Harry W. Fox, Elwood A. Bennett, Raynier Wertz, R. Allen Gruver, Schuyler A. Fry, Earl Larue Smith, and Howard M. Kahler.

The people of Montgomery stood up and did their best to serve their country in any way they could, whether in combat or on the homefront. And true to President Roosevelt’s words, they did help America “win through to absolute victory.”