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If anyone ever complained about having been born at the wrong time, it might be those of us who came onto this earth during the period of 1929 to 1931. Just look at our calendar record.

The Stock Market kicked off all the trouble by crashing in late 1929 and I was born in mid-1930, but I accept no responsibility for that.  From 1932 through 1939, The Dust Bowl and the Great Depression caused havoc: World War II from 1941 to 1945 affected every American: the Korean conflict extended our problems. In other words, those of us who were born about 1930 were 24 years old before we enjoyed any peace and quiet.

However, I was blessed to meet and marry a wonderful girl in 1950, so I enjoyed a ton of happiness during an otherwise tough period.

World War II was an extremely difficult time for almost every American.  Nearly every family suffered some kind of loss. And there also were shortages of many things that most people had taken for granted for many years.

Not long after the war started, it became necessary to reduce the use of these products with a very restrictive rationing plan.  Rationing of course is the means of requiring cut backs of certain civilian home products in order to provide enough of these products for our armed forces personnel, both at home and overseas. There were many, many things that most of us relished and enjoyed everyday that had to be curtailed or sharply reduced.

To oversee the broad rationing program, some 8,000 Ration Boards were created in America  There were as many or more Ration Boards as there was Draft Boards. As I recall, the Ration Board members were appointed by the County Commissioners who knew the pulse of that area the best.

It was a  thankless job to say the least, but each Board member received a small stipend for their time and effort.  Board members were usually well acquainted with those they regulated and so it was inevitable that bad feelings would sometimes crop up that would be remembered for several generations.

The product that hit home the hardest was the rationing of gasoline. An “A” sticker for your windshield indicated that you were entitled to 4 gallons of gasoline a week, and that was the most common issue, depending on the distance the family needed to travel to fulfill the obligations of their family. It was seldom enough. Farm families who had to drive greater distances to get their kids to school, usually received a “B” sticker, good for 8 gallons a week. Farmers also used gasoline in their tractors and trucks, so other amounts were authorized. There was also a “C” sticker, mainly for sales people and truckers, and an  “X”  sticker for Congressman.

A set of tires were expected to last a year. Sugar rationing was tough for housewives, as well as oils and fats and meat. The list was long.

Certainly, the War caused deprivation.  But nothing as serious as losing a family member who was serving us all overseas.

Kay Melia is a longtime broadcaster, author and garden in northwest Kansas.