Yes, there was a war on. The war was already raging in Europe and Asia when the boy child was born. There was a little bit of scurrying around and some altered behavior, but for the most part, the war was far far away, a great distance away, and we could maintain a very protected and secure way of life. Not necessarily so for the adults. There was a local death that was felt by the family, but the boy probably did not ever see the fallen airman before his departure or know of his death.
There is an old real photograph family Christmas Card of the boy on a toy horse by the Christmas fire place hearth that is said to have been taken on the day of Pearl Harbor. The child was a mere one and a half years old at this time. The protracted posing of the child caused the parents to miss the news and President Roosevelt's radio speech. This posing was never remembered by the child, but he did remember a little bit.
His parents were active in the civil defense effort of the community. His father was an air raid warden and his mother was an aircraft observer. So there was a first baby sitter while the mother was away.
Arachnophilia 4.0.