Young Love Survives Warfare Of World War II Editor’s note: This is the sixth in a series by Grace College students on local people’s memories of World War II. The series is in conjunction with the Old Jail Museum’s D-Day exhibit.
High school sweethearts Norma and Charles Roose met as blind dates at senior prom. She knew immediately that the connection was enough to spark true love.
Before they knew it, Charles had popped the question, and they were married when Norma was 18.
Unfortunately, World War II was in full swing and Charles had agreed to enlist in the Navy.
“Norma,” Charles said, “I can’t stay home. I have to enlist.”
He was sent to boot camp in Chicago, leaving Norma to wait for his return while she was expecting their first child.
Norma, now 93, had her fears — her brother had been captured as a prisoner by the Japanese — but she admired Charles’ thoughts and feelings and encouraged him to go.
Norma would check the mail every day. As many as six months would go by without a letter between the two; the mailman would just shake his head when there was no word.
She named her first child Robert, honoring Charles’ middle name; he went by “Bobby” then. Norma believes that her son Bobby was a gift from God to fight the loneliness she experienced as she waited for Charles’ return.
While Charles was stationed in Dearborn, Mich., Norma begin to watch the children of a neighbor, as both parents were involved in the war effort. As a caretaker for those children, she was able to let the parents serve full-time.
“It was something you had to do to protect our country and families,” Norma said. “It changed our way of living. Women went to work because they felt they had to support the movement.”
Norma, who lives at Grace Village, avoided listening to the radio back then because she feared bad news. She has similar fears today.
“What worries me most about war,” Norma said, “is how easy it is for one nation to try and outdo the other with nuclear weapons. Now I’m concerned that one person can be too powerful. It’s up to us to put people in office if you want to change something; you have to vote.”
