This is a special on-core presentation of our two-part series, The World War II Homefront,

examining how the global conflict of the 1940 sparked new opportunities and challenges at home

and raised questions about what it meant to be a patriotic American during a time of crisis.

Imagine it's May 1943 in Harlan County, Kentucky. A Western Union messenger has just delivered a

telegram with horrifying news, confirming your worst fears. You walk into the kitchen in a days

and sit down at the table to wait for your brother to come home. Normally you both

be at work, your coal miners, just like your father. You first went down in the mines as teenagers,

but your mind has been shut down for weeks. The whole industry is on strike over low pay

and bad working conditions, and you're starting to feel the strain. You hold the telegram in your hands.

Your brother walks into the room, bag of groceries in his arms.

Hey, guess what? Finally got a hold of that cereal you like so much. Don't know why though,

tastes like dirt. You look at your brother, sadness weighing heavily in your chest.

Telegram came while you were gone, and sticky. At the sound of his son's name,

your brother steadies himself against the wall. What about Dickey?

Sorry John, he's been killed in action. He was in Tunisia. Your brother stares at you, totally

silent as his face folds and shock and anguish. I'm so sorry. Dickey was a good kid.

You knew this was possible, but I didn't want to believe it. No, no, of course not. None of us did.

Oh, God, sit down. John pulls up a seat beside you and puts his head in his hands.

You know, since I got the telegram of, I've been thinking a lot about Dad,

wondering what he'd do right now. Your brother turns towards you and narrows his eyes,

blinking away tears. What do you mean? Well, whether he would go back to work,

a time like this. So many of us are making sacrifices for the war. Maybe it's time we give it off.

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