NHF_WC_2015_Stenger_Jack
2015 June 17
Jack Stenger, born in 1928 in Easton, Maryland, described his childhood in Chestertown as typical for a small town. He reminisced about the era before the Bay Bridge, recalling how travel required trains, ferries, or buses to neighboring cities like Wilmington and Annapolis. The attack on Pearl Harbor resonated deeply with the community, although Stenger, being sixteen when the war ended, wasn't directly affected by the draft. He registered for the draft at sixteen, eventually serving in the Air Force during the Korean War. Stenger's family, led by his father, the high school principal, felt the war's impact mostly through rationing but maintained a sense of normalcy in daily life. Despite the war's challenges, Stenger fondly recalled simple pleasures like biking and going to the movies, where newsreels kept them informed about the war's progress. The war's end, while celebrating with a church service on V-E Day, didn't prompt grand celebrations in Chestertown, reflecting a subdued mood amidst relief.
Digital
English
27m 38s
Jack Stenger, Interview, National Home Front Project, Washington College, Chestertown Maryland
Interview was recorded by Joseph Swit and Elijah McGuire-Berk for the Starr Center of the American Experience National Homefront Project
C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience (Washington College)
Oral histories
oral histories (literary genre)
World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States
Oral histories
oral histories (literary genre)
World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States