I am very glad to have grown up when I did, in the years prior to and during World War II. Back then, boys were allowed to be boys and growing up was full of adventure, excitement, danger, and fun.

The stupid distractions of television and video games were not yet available. Schools were in our own neighborhoods, so we did not have to waste our youth on long mind-numbing rides while imprisoned in school buses. Walking to and from school was often harrowing, but it sure developed street smarts. Sports were played for fun, with no pesky adults to interfere, especially after the United States entered the war in December 1941. The draft removed so many men, ages 17 through 40, that a widely recognized manpower shortage ensued. Boys rushed in to fill many of the jobs vacated by men, as did girls and women.