Community Chest Travelers Aid at Union Depot. The War Chest in conjunction with the U.S.O. council will be opening a servicemen's lounge at the Union Depot. Going over the plans on November 1, 1943, are, L-R, Dick Richer, Phoebe Lea, J.T. Kane, Rhoda Reynolds, and Andy Rome. (T.Times, 11/10/1943, p.10)

World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Tacoma; Tacoma Community Chest (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma); USO clubs (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Richer, Dick; Lea, Phoebe; Kane, J.T.; Reynolds, Rhoda; Rome, Andy;

Early in May of 1943, a quintet of adventurous Tacoma lasses posed in front of the locomotive at Union Station that was their first step to going "over there." The local women left Tacoma May 6th for the new training center at Monticello, Arkansas, to begin basic training in the year old Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC.) They are, left to right, Agnes Dittbenner, Mary Dittbenner, Ellen V. Vail, Marie J. Stith and Grace Garner. They travelled in a special car along with 47 other potential privates from Washington and Oregon. Over 150,000 American women served in the Army Corps in World War II. (T. Times 5/7/1943, pg. 8; TNT 5/7/1943, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (Tacoma); Dittbenner, Agnes; Dittbenner, Mary; Vail, Ellen; Garner, Grace; Stith, Marie;

Five local women pause to pose for the camera at Union Station prior to leaving Tacoma May 6, 1943 to begin their careers as members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Pictured are, left to right, Agnes Dittbenner, Mary Dittbenner, Ellen V. Vail, Tacoma recruiter Dorothy Kerr, Grace Garner and Marie J. Stith. The bill authorizing the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps was enacted on May 14, 1942. By August of 1943, there were over 50,600 women in the WAACS. In August of 1943, in recognition of their service, the WAAC was converted to the Womens Army Corp, a bona fide part of the United States Army. (T. Times 5/7/1943 p.8; TNT 5/7/1943, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (Tacoma); Dittbenner, Agnes; Dittbenner, Mary; Vail, Ellen; Kerr, Dorothy; Garner, Grace; Stith, Marie;

Bing Crosby arrived at Tacoma's Union Station in August of 1942 to help out with WWII bond sales in the town of his birth. Harry Lillis Crosby was born in Tacoma in May of 1903 when his family lived at 1112 North J Street. While in town with a USO troupe to entertain the soldiers at Fort Lewis, he graciously agreed to headline a show on August 6th at 12 noon at the Liberty Center in an effort to promote bond sales. The Paramount Studios star sang a number of popular songs. Also appearing were Hollywood comedians Phil Silvers and Rags Ragland. The Tacoma local of the Boilermakers union were noted as buying $50,000 worth of war bonds. (T. Times 8-5-42, p. 1; T. Times 8-6-42, p. 1-article)

Crosby, Bing; Singers; Entertainers; Celebrities--Tacoma; War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma;

A uniformed soldier checks the baggage of the Japanese Americans boarding a train at Union Station to be shipped to Pinedale "Assembly Center." The adults are dressed in their best clothing for the trip and wear smiles, hiding the uncertainty that they must be feeling. On May 17-18th, 859 Tacomans were sent by train to the internment camp, in accordance with Executive Order 9066. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1+)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

Army soldiers speak with a couple at Union Station. On May 17-18, 1942, 859 residents of Tacoma of Japanese descent were forced to leave their homes and board trains to the Pinedale "Assembly Center" near Fresno California. They were allowed to take a few approved possessions to their new "homes." This woman, dressed in her Sunday best for the trip, is transporting an irregularly shaped parcel and a First Aid kit, uncertain about the future. One of the soldiers inspects her package. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

An unidentified army soldier goes over some last minute information with two Japanese American women being transported by train from Union Station to the Pinedale "Assembly Center" near Fresno, California. Smiles hide the fear and confusion these women must be feeling as they pack up their families and few approved possessions, locking up the homes that they are leaving behind and heading into an uncertain future. The Japanese were detained under the umbrella of Executive Order 9066, allowing people considered potentially dangerous to be banned from areas considered risky. The Japanese were be detained for "the duration," until the end of the war. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

This photograph of six year old Yukie Suekawa and Pvt. Howard L. Loudermilk at Union Station was chosen to grace the front page of the May 17, 1942 Tacoma Times with the caption "Goodbye for the Duration." As Pvt. Loudermilk adjusts the bonnet on the head of the little girl's doll, they are surrounded by a group of smiling Japanese adults. The smiles were considered the proper face to put on the hard facts that 859 Tacoma residents of Japanese ancestry were being removed from their homes and shipped by train to the Pinedale Assembly Center near Fresno California, despite the fact that many of them were US citizens. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1; TNT 5/18/2003, pg B8+, by Stan Flewelling)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma); Suekawa, Yukie; Loudermilk, Howard;

Friends bid farewell to the 418 Japanese American Tacoma residents departing by train from Union Station for the Pinedale "Assembly Center" in California. The following day, another 441 will join their friends on their way to the internment camp. The Tacoma residents are being evacuated under the veil of "national security." (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1+)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

On May 17, 1942, 418 Tacoma residents of Japanese ancestry were shipped, in accordance with Executive Order 9066, to Pinedale Assembly Center near Fresno California. Tsuyoshi Horike, left, and Hanako Horike reach out the train window to Miya Fukuyama. An unidentified youth reaches for the hand of Salem Yagawa. Isamu Kawakumi & Charles Miyoshi bid farewell to Noboru Taki, in uniform. The 418 departing on the 17th would be joined with their friends in California as 441 more departed on Monday. All four of the young men in the photograph grew up in the White River Valley area near Auburn. The Taki family owned a parking garage in downtown Tacoma and the young men were helping their friend Noboru, 22, with the business. In early 1942, Noboru was drafted and, in March, inducted into the army. The same day as he departed, his father was arrested by the Department of Justice for suspected anti-American affiliations. He was later released to reunite with his incarcerated family. Norboru Taki, after serving his country at war as his family resided in a detention camp, settled in Auburn. He and his wife later moved to Seattle where they raised five children. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1; TNT 5/18/2003, pg. B8+ by Stan Flewelling)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma); Horike, Tsuyoshi; Horike, Hanako; Fukuyama, Miya; Kawakumi, Isamu; Miyoshi, Charles; Taki, Noboru; Yagawa, Salem;

Japanese American families wait to board a train at Union Station. The 418 Tacoma residents are being sent to the Pinedale "Assembly Center" near Fresno California, for "the Duration," until the war is over. In all, 859 people of Japanese descent left Tacoma May 17-18, 1942 for incarceration in the internment camp. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

Members of the Yoshigiro Yamada family gather around a radio on the train departing Tacoma's Union Station for Fresno's Pinedale Assembly Center on May 17, 1942. During the late 30's and early 40's, the Yamada family was separated. The six children lived with their mother Chiyeko Yamada in Seattle; their father ran the Vasa Hotel on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. In June of 1941, Mrs. Yamada died and the children came to live with their father in Tacoma. Several months after President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, the children were uprooted a second time and sent to the internment camp.The group are, left to right, twins Teddy and Kathryn (12), Robert (8) and Eddie (19.) (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1, 14; TNT 5/18/2003, pg. B8+ by Stan Flewelling)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma); Yamada, Teddy; Yamada, Kathryn; Yamada, Robert; Yamada, Eddie; Children--Tacoma--1940-1950;

On February 19, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This action eventually led to the removal of some 110,000 Japanese-Americans to internments camps in remote areas of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. This little girl was photographed at Tacoma's Union Station as she and her family prepared to board a train to the Pinedale, California assembly center camp. 879 Japanese-Americans from the Tacoma "restricted area" left for Pinedale beginning on May 14, 1942. (T. Times)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

Tacoma's Japanese Americans board a train at Union Station. Thirty six hours later they will arrive at the Pinedale "Assembly Center" where they will wait out the war, their presence on the coast considered a threat to national security. The relocation was peaceful, with uniformed soldiers answering questions and helping with baggage. Only a few of the Japanese Americans complained about the process. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1+)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

On May 17, 1942, 418 Tacoma citizens of Japanese ancestry gather at Union Station prior to being shipped to the Pinedale "Assembly Center," an internment camp near Fresno California. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 allowing the military to shortcut civil liberties and remove anyone they considered potentially dangerous from any area considered to be at risk. On March 2, 1942, the Western Defense Command unveiled its plan to banish all people of Japanese ancestry from the entire West Coast and incarcerate them in internment camps. (T. Times 5/18/1942, pg. 1; TNT 5/18/2003, pg. B8+ by Stan Flewelling)

World War, 1939-1945--Relocation camps; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945; Union Station (Tacoma);

On August 17, 1941, Tacoman Dwight Howell, Jr., the male Washington State entry in the national finals of the Ford Good Driver's League, and his mother, Mrs. D.E. Howell, set off from Union Station to travel East for the contest. They were pictured boarding the train for the trip to Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan. The Howells were being seen off by Leon Titus, 2nd from right, and an unidentified man. While in Michigan, the student drivers were given a series of driving tests over a six mile course laid out in downtown Detroit. They were also entertained by the Ford Motor Company. Dwight Howell won a $500 scholarship by placing third out of 49 contestants. (T. Times 8/15/1941, pg. 13-article; T.Times 8/26/1941, pg. 16-results)

Howell, Dwight; Howell, D.E.--Family; Union Station (Tacoma); Titus, Leon E.;

Tacoma Marine Corps Reservists boarding the train at Union Station on November 7, 1940 for active duty in San Diego. A special train of fourteen cars carried Companies B & C of Tacoma, as well as Companies A & D of Seattle. America, although not formally in the war, had reinstated the draft and was calling up its reservists to enter active duty. (T. Times 11/7/1940, pg. 12)

Union Station (Tacoma); Marines (Military personnel)--1940-1950; Military uniforms--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Military mobilizations;

Two police officers stand by Patrol Car Number 12 along curb of Pacific Avenue south of 19th Street, Union Depot in background. Ordered by United Pacific Insurance Company

Union Station (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Miss Mary Fairhurst is pictured boarding a southbound train at Union Station for San Francisco, California where she has accepted a position with a nationally known concern. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cyril J. Fairhurst. (T. Times 8/26/1940, pg. 9)

Fairhurst, Mary; Union Station (Tacoma); Arrivals & departures--Tacoma--1940-1950; Farewells; Luggage; Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Parking lot at Union Station, 1717 Pacific Ave., located at the north end and behind the station. Schoenfelds, 1423 Pacific, can be seen in the background.

L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Furniture stores--Tacoma--1970-1980; Union Station (Tacoma); Parking lots--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;

ca. 1979. Area around Union Station, circa 1979. Station opened in 1911 and is on the City, State and National registry.

Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1970-1980;