World War I had been raging on in Europe for nearly three years when the United States decided to join the war effort on the side of the Allied Powers as Germany had been unrestrictedly attacking American ships and ships containing American passengers. Along came the young George Francis Raymond, a 25-year-old man born on January 9, 1892, in Millbury Massachusetts, a man who urgently wanted to help make a difference with the war effort and felt it was the right time to do so, signed up to be shipped out in the infancy of America’s assault in the War to End All Wars. Pridefully, of the 101st Yankee Division, George fought courageously and fiercely in the short time period America was in the war, and came home to what he would have hoped was…show more content… Nana vividly remembers rationing during the Second World War. Most importantly, gas, meat, and butter were rationed, as they were most in need in the fight. She remembers having had tokens for some items, and stamps for others, retrieving them once a month from the local stamp PLACE??.
After the first war, George entered employment in the local fire department, and due to his need for a car available at all times, the family got an elevated allotment. When he was no longer needed for a war, he spent his time saving lives in another way. And when World War II came about, the cut off age was around his age, disallowing him to fight in both of the biggest wars in the history of the world.
However, Nana’s older brother took up the position, joining the war. Due to his birthday, he joined rather late, during the time when the United States seemingly stopped shipping men out to the front lines, likely as it neared the foreseeable end of the war. Instead, thankfully Nana says, he was stationed in New Jersey. His name, Frannie Raymond, is carved into the War Memorial up on College Hill, a landmark Nana passed nearly every day on her way to high
