U.S.O. #2, 713-15 Commerce St., circa 1946. During World War II, although black and white soldiers fought side by side, the United States Army was still segregated. In Tacoma, African American service men and women had their own USO Club at 713-15 Commerce. It was dedicated on September 4, 1942 and closed late in March of 1947. The Kaufman-Wolff building where it was located had previously housed the Soldiers and Sailors Clubhouse during World War I. USO #2 was enlarged in 1944 by adding an annex in the building to the north of the original club. The enlarged structure provided the following facilities: dark room, music room, hobby room, game room, showers, sleeping accommodations, library and snack bar. It was operated by the YMCA and staffed primarily by volunteers. (brochure from Recognition Ceremony USO Number Two on 3/30/1947; photograph by F.L. Powell of Tacoma).

Lincoln Heights War Housing. The exterior of one of the buildings with several automobiles and a delivery truck with signs for Lucky Lager, Rainier Beer and Double Cola signs parked in the parking lot. A sign for a barber shop hangs on the side of one of the doorways.

World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; Housing--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lincoln Heights Housing Project (Tacoma);

In January of 1946, a group of unidentified Red Cross volunteers met the troop ships bringing returning soldiers with baskets of doughnuts and bottles of milk. Because of a shortage of troop trains in the Pacific Northwest to transport soldiers to their discharge centers, and do to a lack of housing, thousands of soldiers had to stay aboard ship in the Port of Tacoma. (T.Times 1/2/1946 p.1) TPL-959

World War, 1939-1945--Peace--Tacoma; American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma);

Progress photographs at 86th Street and South Tacoma Way for Wick & Dahlgren. War housing project Washington 45326. Approximately So. 86th & Warner. This is the proposed site of the Lakeview Housing Project. Only persons employed by the naval advance base depot and their families will be admitted to the project. 300 dwelling units are anticipated. South Warner runs through the lower left corner. (T.Times, 7/10/1945, p.1)

World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; Lakeview Housing Project (Tacoma);

Lutheran Service Center, Rev. Theodore Schleipsick. Times. A soldier and a sailor are at the counter being served cake and coffee by an older woman. An American flag hangs above the small kitchen area where open shelves contain bowls and other kitchen equipment. Two coffee pots sit on the electric range.

World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; Lutheran Service Center (Tacoma);

In June of 1945 three unidentified women prepared to send Father's Day messages to servicemen from the special Post Yarns mailing center in Tacoma's Rhodes Department Store; an unidentified clerk working in the booth took their addressed messages. Rhodes joined with the Saturday Evening Post magazine in a special wartime Father's Day offer. The Saturday Evening Post made copies of Post Yarns, a pocket size version of their magazine, available at the department store; Rhodes provided free delivery for the miniature magazine - with a personal note from the sender.

World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Tacoma; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Fathers & children;

Interior of attended station on Pacific Avenue. Looking towards the back of the Telephone Center, service men wait their turn to use the phones. They fill nearly every chair in the center and many crowd the service counter. A sign at the back says, "Welcome Home, Job Well Done". A clock and world map hang below the sign. Troop ships were bringing 500 to 3,000 service men at a time through the Tacoma port. They were discharged or sent to other bases through the Fort Lewis staging area. Several ships brought troops home through Tacoma each week until the staging area was closed January 21, 1946.

World War, 1939-1945--Peace--Tacoma; Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (Tacoma); Public Telephone Center (Tacoma); Telephone operators;

Red Cross Nurses were waiting on the dock when the troopship U.S.S. General Mann arrived at the Tacoma pier #2 on October 8, 1945.The General Mann was carrying 45 officers and 5,060 enlisted men who were taken on board at Okinawa. At least 3 of the officers and 280 of the enlisted men were from the Pacific northwest. Most of the arriving men were high-point men eligible for discharge. Another transport carrying 592 officers and 4,017 enlisted men was do to arrive on October 12th.(T.Times, 10/6/1945, p.1)

World War, 1939-1945--Peace--Tacoma; U.S.S. General Mann (Ship); World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; American Red Cross Pierce County Chapter (Tacoma);

Armory civilian fire trucks. The State Armory also participated in assisting Pierce County reach the Fifth War Loan Drive goal of $22,000,000 by exhibiting Army equipment. View of Army/Civilian Defense fire trucks on display at State Armory.

World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects of war--Tacoma; War bonds & funds; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma;

Central School Board for war finance. Tacoma School District contributed $110,000 to the Fifth War Loan Drive. Left to right view of Bartlett Rummel, President of School Board, Ernie Wetherell, Secretary of the School Board, Melvin J. Eklund, Chairman of the 5th War Loan Drive, and Howard R. Goald, Superintendent of the Schools (T. Times, 6/28/44, p. 5).

World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects of war--Tacoma; War bonds & funds; Tacoma Public Schools (Tacoma);

College of Puget Sound Soldiers taking exam. 235 soldiers taking exams after completing a specialized training course at College of Puget Sound. Many will then be transferred to a highly mechanized combat organization for basic training. Major L. E. Darlington is commander of group.

World War, 1939-1945--Recruiting & enlistment--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1940-1950;

Initiation into Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Six of 24 veterans of the U.S.S. Nashville, who were active in many battles in the South Pacific, were recently accepted into the U.S.S. Tacoma post 2329 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The men were sworn in as members of the Tacoma V.F.W. post. Names appear in newspaper (T. Times, 3/7/45, p. 3).

World War, 1939-1945--Veterans--Tacoma; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Veterans of Foreign Wars (Tacoma);

Department of Interior details of Japanese church. In 1942 Japanese Americans in Pierce County were ordered into temporary detention camps located at the Puyallup Fair Grounds and later some were sent to permanent detention facilities in California and Idaho. Following the mass evacuations, Japanese homes, churches and businesses were searched for evidence proving disloyalty. This ransacked room has been identified as being located in the Japanese Methodist Episcopal Church, 1901 Fawcett Ave. There were two Japanese churches in Tacoma during this time, the Japanese Buddhist Church and the Japanese Methodist Episcopal Church, both located on Fawcett Avenue. (Additional information provided by a reader)

World War, 1939-1945--War destruction & pillage--Tacoma; Searching--Tacoma; Japanese Americans--Evacuation & relocation, 1942-1945;

General construction, erosion and piling at Todd Pacific. Todd Pacific Shipyards Inc., formally known as Seattle Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., is currently going through rapairs and construction. They are preparing for an expansion in order to fill larger contracts. Interior view of shipyard during expansion period (T. Times, 9/1/44, p. 22).

World War, 1939-1945--Economic & industrial aspects--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Remodeling--Tacoma; Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc. (Tacoma);

Mr. and Mrs. George Hellyer open their home in Interlaaken to their English friend's children for the duration of the European War. Pictured standing in the rear are Mr. and Mrs. George Hellyer flanking their friend Mrs. Robert Schlee. The children are, center row left to right, Nicholas Schlee and Marian Hellyer; bottom row left to right, Sandy Schlee and Harold Hellyer. Hundreds of English children had been sent to the U.S. to escape the German bombing of their own country. These boys are the first to come to Tacoma. They are also some of the last to leave England as the English government has forbidden future sailings of English children. Mrs. Schlee will return home to England. (T. Times 10/26/1940, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Children--Tacoma; Hellyer, George--Family; Schlee, Robert--Family;

Four children play joyously on the swings, however two of these children are seeking refuge in the United States from the German bombing of England. English schoolboys Nicholas and Sandy Schlee arrived October 24, 1940 with their mother from England. Their mother will return home but the boys will remain at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Hellyer for the duration of the war. Pictured, left to right, are Marian Hellyer (8), Sandy Schlee (9), Harold Hellyer (seated, 6) and Nicholas Schlee (10). The boys are thrilled to be in Tacoma, not for the reasons that you think, but because they hear that the fishing is great! The excited anglers will attend Park Lodge school. They are the first, and probably the last, refugee children to arrive in Tacoma. The English government had recently forbidden all sailings of children. (T. Times 10/26/1940, pg.1)

World War, 1939-1945--Children--Tacoma; Hellyer, Marian; Schlee, Sandy; Hellyer, Harold; Schlee, Nicholas;

Fifteen Tacoma men were sworn into the U.S. Navy at a special "Avenge Pearl Harbor Day" ceremony at 11:25 a.m. on June 7, 1942 at 9th and Broadway. Sailors, civilians and police are pictured on and around the traffic island at 9th and Broadway. The Music Box (Tacoma Theater) can be seen at right; Roxy (Pantages Theater) and other business buildings at left. The Navy Mother's Club were the special guests and the Stadium band provided the music. (T. Times 6/6/1942, pg. 1)

World War, 1939-1945--Recruiting & enlistment--Tacoma; Roxy Theatre (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Fifteen Tacoma men were sworn into the U. S. Navy at a special "Avenge Pearl Harbor Day" ceremony, held on Sunday June 7th, 1942, at the traffic island at 9th and Broadway. The Winthrop Hotel and Roxy (Pantages Theater) can be seen in the background. Pictured are, front row, left to right, Richard Lee Olson, Homer Eugene Puariea, Maurice Elven Christoferson and James Clark Patchell. Middle row- Lejeune Hays Reynolds, Raymond William Kronlund, Theodore Scott Beem, Everett Raymond Coovert and Howard Harry Lohman. Back row- Jean Cousins, Verner William Bitten, Donald Wayne Donoghue, Lewis Dale Sloat, Allan Richmond Hidy and Raymond Bert Lockhart. (T. Times 6/8/1942, pg. 12)

World War, 1939-1945--Recruiting & enlistment--Tacoma; Roxy Theatre (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Members of the Navy Mother's Club were the special guests at the June 7, 1942 "Avenge Pearl Harbor Day" ceremony. Fifteen Tacoma men were sworn into the Navy during a ceremony held at 9th and Broadway. Roxy (Pantages Theater) and Winthrop Hotel pictured in background. Movies playing are "Rings On Her Fingers" and "Call Out The Marines." Pictured are, front row left to right, Mrs. L.L. Lanning, Mrs. R.H. Culbertson, Mrs. Fred Lambert, Mrs. G.V. Pryor, Mrs. Inez Richards, Mrs. Florence Hopkins, Mrs. Clyde Melendy, Mrs. J.R. Myers, Mrs. N. Weeks and Mrs. H.N. Brooks. Back row- Mrs. Jack Doris, Mrs. Helen Wood, Mrs. Nellie Sanford, Mrs. G.M. Crow, Mrs. Paul Braaten, Mrs. Ann Kemp, Mrs. H.H. Lowe, Mrs. Harry Simons, Mrs. Helen Olson, Mrs. G.B. Babcock and Mrs. David Freeman. (T. Times 6/8/1942, pg. 12)

World War, 1939-1945--Recruiting & enlistment--Tacoma; Roxy Theatre (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Navy Mothers Club (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);

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);

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);

Barn dance at South Tacoma U.S.O. Members of the 183rd band form a jazz orchestra to supply plenty of swing for the dance. The addition of straw hats to their uniforms gives them a country flair.

World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Tacoma; USO clubs (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Military bands;

Two members of the Tacoma Women's Emergency Motor Corps handle the sale of candy, cookies and cakes at a bazaar and carnival held on South 38th St. on May 22, 1942. Their booth is decorated with balloons and tissue with the words "something to write home about" painted on the front of the booth. The event took place in Horsfall Hall, 801-09 South 38th St., and funds raised went toward helping the Corps continue their work. Women of the corps were trained to maintain and drive Tacoma's emergency vehicles during this time of war.

World War, 1939-1945--Women--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma; Women's Emergency Motor Corps (Tacoma); Carnivals--Tacoma--1940-1950;

During a March 21, 1943 civil defense drill, men from the Army medical unit, wearing white arm bands with the red cross, lay out their field dressings and stretcher prior to entering a "bombed" building to bring out casualties. The drill simulated a bomb attack on Tacoma.

World War, 1939-1945--Ambulances--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma;

Civilian Defense. Portrait of large group of men wearing uniforms with red cross armbands in front of first aid vehicles. Historic Fire Station #1 is in the background. The men are a medical team from Fort Lewis that has been assigned to Tacoma in the case of an attack, such as a bombing. The group portrait was taken during a March 21, 1943 drill that simulated just that occurrence.

World War, 1939-1945--Ambulances--Tacoma; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma; Group portraits--1940-1950; Fire stations--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Boy Scout "victims" relax in a military ambulance after being rescued by Civil Defense unit members during a March 21, 1943 drill. The drill simulated the bombing of Tacoma by enemy forces. It opened with a squadron of P-38's flying low over the scene for realism.

World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma;

Two men in suits stand by their vehicles speaking into field phones, tracking the progress of the March 21, 1943 Civil Defense drill. The drill simulated the bombing of Tacoma, with attendant destruction of buildings and casualties.

World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma;

During a March 21, 1943 civil defense drill, members of the Auxiliary Fire Service fought a real blaze that had been purposely set in an industrial area. The purpose was to test out the new pumping equipment of Company 7. Companies 2 and 5 also took part in the drill that simulated bombs being dropped on Tacoma.

World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1940-1950;

During the March 21, 1943 civil defense drill, two pumping trucks hooked up to a fire hydrant to fight the real blaze purposely set in an industrial area. Companies 2, 5 and 7 of the Auxiliary Fire Service responded to the call. The drill simulated a bombing raid on Tacoma. Cities on the West Coast were considered vulnerable to attacks.

World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma; Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fire fighters--Tacoma--1940-1950;