Union City the Day After Pearl Harbor, December 8, 1941
The Day After Pearl Harbor – Union City, Pennsylvania
December 8, 1941
The Union City Times had a long standing tradition of community journalism that allowed the big city dailies to cover national and international news. That’s why it was not too surprising that the December 8, 1941 edition of the Times didn’t have banner headlines announcing Pearl Harbor of any stories about it. Rex Williams was the only one who mentioned “the date that will live in infamy” in his here and There column.
Rex said “Our country is now at war and through no act of its own, following the example of its chief Aix partner, Japan has made a cowardly attack on this country and no course remains open for us but to meet that attack with all the vigor, power, and skill at our command.”
Life progressed as usual in the rest of the town. Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Ward of Bridge Street escaped serious injury the evening of Pearl Harbor when their car was sideswiped near Wrightsville east of Corry, and rolled over. Also on the evening of Pearl Harbor Martin’s Garage on North Main Street was broken into by some daring thieves. They went to the office, ransacked a desk, and took $140 in cash from the cash drawer.
There were stories about various church and school activities around town and a story predicting that there would be a poor deer harvest because of weather conditions.
Two other stories – one about volunteering for the Red Cross and the other about local soldiers who had won an award for war games predicted the challenging years ahead for Union City.
In the words of Rex Williams, Union City citizens met the attack on America with “all of the vigor, power and skill” at their command.