During World War II, Americans on the home front searched for ways to become involved in the war effort. Victory gardens, scrap metal drives, and the sale and purchase of war bonds all rose in popularity to support the US military. Certain home front efforts displayed particular creativity. The Sojourner, an original publication run by the residents of Manitowoc County, was a prime example of such originality. A group of young women founded the paper by raising funds for the initial publication by hosting a dance at their local community center. They came up with the slogan “Morale Makes Might” for their fundraising campaign which aimed to raise the spirits of service members and their families. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization sponsored the postage needed to ship the Sojourner across the world, and, thus, the first copy circulated in April of 1942. The Sojourner continued publication throughout the war until VE Day, Germany’s surrender, in May of 1945.
The paper’s primary goal was to spread information about active service members from Manitowoc, along with offering news from home. The very first publication asked active service members to send letters and updates for publication with the question, “Would you like to keep in touch with all of your friends now in Uncle Sam’s service?”. Most soldiers during World War II were frequently transferred across America for training, then deployed overseas, making it nearly impossible to stay updated with friends and other service members. The Sojourner aimed to alleviate this issue by acting as a sort of message board. The new in Two Rivers, WI was permanent and easy for Manitowoc County service members to remember. Soldiers could send the Sojourner updates about themselves, messages to their friends and family, and stay up to date on what other locals were doing. In some ways, the Sojourner was similar to keeping a photo in a locket– each month soldiers received a new memento ensuring their friends and family were safe.
Each publication followed a similar structure. The paper began with an editorial written by someone on the home front, such as a high school teacher or the paper’s editor. Each editorial occupied about a full page and offered a motivational message to service members deployed elsewhere. Next, the paper featured a “Bits from the Barracks” section that included letters from active service members. Soldiers often expressed their gratitude for the Sojourner in their letters. For example, one soldier stationed at Fort Trumble, Connecticut wrote in the paper’s June 1942 edition: “I know that all the fellows in the service of our country enjoy receiving their copy of your paper, because it reminds them that the folks back home didn’t just forget about them.” Following this section, news about Manitowoc including births, engagements, and events kept readers informed, and, finally, a cartoon, poem, or fictional story served to entertain the readers.
The Sojourner effectively brought the community of Manitowoc together despite readers living thousands of miles apart. Active service members described their loneliness and isolation abroad since most did not have anyone from home or from Wisconsin in their units. They appreciated how the paper made them feel connected not only to the home front but also to their friends stationed all over the world. Service members abroad could read up on the Manitowoc shipyard at home, the Manitowoc war effort, and their friends’ updates, while sharing their own experiences with those back home. Many Manitowoc soldiers described how no one else they knew had newspapers like the Sojourner from their hometowns and that other soldiers were jealous of how the paper served as a piece of home. The Sojourner made a lasting impact on the community of Manitowoc and kept a Wisconsin town connected during a time of war.
Written by Caroline Hunken, April 2022
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