WWII Changed Utah

WWII put Utah women to work, changed face of the state
The Salt Lake Tribune
By CHRISTOPHER SMART
First Published Sep 01 2015

"It was simply revolutionary. There were very few facts of life that weren't impacted," Cannon said. "Nothing has altered the landscape here at home as much as the Second World War."

Utah State Historical Society Jo ann Roble works at Hill Air Force Base, post WWII.

During World War II, the United States and its Allies defeated enemies on two sides of the globe, but the impact on Utah cut across many fronts.

In fact, historians say, the war transformed the Beehive State — economically, socially and otherwise — more than any other event since the Mormons' arrival in 1847.

A relatively isolated place before Pearl Harbor, Utah had become part of mainstream America by the time Japan officially surrendered to the U.S. and its Allies aboard the USS Missouri 70 years ago Wednesday, on Sept. 2, 1945 — V-J Day.

The war effort sent men to foreign countries they otherwise would not have seen. By 1945, more than 62,000 Utahns were on active duty. With their victory, they came home with new ideas about the future — including more skiing in Utah.

More than 412,000 Americans perished in the fighting — more than 3,000 of them Utahns. Many who made it back suffered from "shell shock" ­— what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder.
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