How a Small Washington Town Helped Win World War II
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, teacher and World War II history buff Anne Claire shares the story of how Bremerton became a vital center of America’s wartime buildup. Home to the Bremerton Naval Yard, the town transformed almost overnight as the nation prepared for global conflict.
After Pearl Harbor, damaged battleships from the Pacific Fleet were rushed to Bremerton, where workers labored around the clock to repair and return them to combat. The story of Bremerton is a powerful example of how small towns and civilian workers helped turn the United States into the Arsenal of Democracy during World War II.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:14.1 | This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. |
| 0:18.6 | And we tell stories about everything here on this show, including yours. Send them to Our American Stories. And we tell stories about everything here on this show, including yours. |
| 0:22.1 | Send them to Our American Stories.com. |
| 0:25.6 | Up next, a story from our regular contributor, Ann Clare. |
| 0:30.0 | And as a teacher, organist, and choir director, she's also a World War II history buff. |
| 0:35.5 | You can find her stories at the nap time author. |
| 0:38.4 | orghum.orghum.com. |
| 0:41.4 | Up next to story on the Bremerton Naval Yards in Washington. |
| 0:46.1 | Here's Anne to tell the story. |
| 1:04.7 | On October 30th, 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a campaign speech in Boston, in which he said, I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again. Your boys are not going to be sent into any |
| 1:19.3 | foreign war. Of course, with hindsight, we know that didn't last more than a year because... |
| 1:29.4 | We interrupt this broadcast and bring to this important bulletin from the United Press. |
| 1:33.4 | Flash, Washington. |
| 1:34.9 | The White House announces Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. |
| 1:39.0 | However you look at it, this was a huge change, a huge impactful event in American history. It had a profound impact |
| 1:47.0 | on really everybody in the country, but in different places it hit differently. One place that had |
| 1:55.9 | a really interesting historical connection with the whole Pearl Harbor attack and with the way World War |
| 2:04.6 | II would change the U.S. is the town of Bremerton in the state of Washington. |
| 2:13.6 | Now, Bremerton's not a big metropolis. |
| 2:17.5 | In fact, it largely grew because of some Navy connections. |
... |
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