 IN 1941 THE UNITED STATES
 WAS STILL RECOVERING
 FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION.
 THE JOBLESS RATE HAD BEEN
 AS HIGH AS 25 PERCENT,
 BANKRUPTCY WAS NOT UNCOMMON,
 AND THE STANDARD OF LIVING
 FOR MOST AMERICANS WAS
 60 PERCENT LOWER THAN BEFORE
THE STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929.
 WHEN THE WAR STARTED,
 ALL THAT CHANGED.
 MORE PEOPLE WERE NEEDED
TO PRODUCE THE FOOD AND WEAPONS
 FOR THE MEN
 ON THE FRONT LINES.
 THE NEW JOBS WERE TAKEN
 BY MANY WHO HAD BEEN
 OUT OF WORK
 FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
 AS MORE MEN WERE
 SENT AWAY TO FIGHT,
 WOMEN WERE HIRED TO
 TAKE OVER THEIR POSITIONS
 ON THE ASSEMBLY LINES.
 BEFORE WORLD WAR II,
 WOMEN HAD GENERALLY BEEN
 DISCOURAGED FROM
 WORKING OUTSIDE THE HOME.
 NOW THEY WERE BEING ENCOURAGED
 TO TAKE OVER JOBS
 THAT HAD BEEN TRADITIONALLY
 CONSIDERED "MEN'S WORK."
 EXISTING COMPANIES
 CHANGED THEIR LINES FROM
 CONSUMER GOODS
 TO WAR MATERIALS,
AND NEW PLANTS WERE CONSTRUCTED
 STRICTLY FOR THE CREATION OF
 PRODUCTS FOR THE WAR EFFORT.
 IN ANKENY,
 THE DES MOINES ORDINANCE PLANT
 WAS ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
 WHEN WAR WAS DECLARED.
 BY 1942, .30 AND .50 CALIBER
 MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION
 BEGAN TO ROLL OFF THE LINE.
 JEANNE ERSLAND OF ANKENY,
 FORMERLY JEANNE GIBSON,
 WAS AMONG THE 19,000 PEOPLE
 WHO WORKED AT THE FACILITY.
>> I THINK THEY GAVE US
A SHORT INDOCTRINATION AS TO
WHAT WE WERE THERE FOR,
AND THEN THEY TOOK US
RIGHT TO THE WORKING AREA.
I STAYED IN THAT
SAME WORKING AREA
ALL THE TIME
THAT I WAS THERE.
I THINK THE PATRIOTISM
CAME AS IT PROGRESSED
AND I WAS THINKING OF
GOING ON INTO THE SERVICE.
