All they could do was wait.
The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin families tried to find out any information about their sons stationed at or near the naval base.
No word had come from the six local young men known to be at Pearl Harbor, or the others who had been in Hawaii at the time.
“Anxious parents and friends of Johnson County naval ensigns and army draftees stationed in the Hawaiian islands today awaited word of how they fared in the Japanese attacks launched Sunday in the isolated Pacific territory,” read the front page story of the Dec. 8, 1941, edition of the Franklin Evening Star.
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None of the local residents serving at Pearl Harbor ended up being injured. Still, as seen through the window of archived newspapers, the days following the attack were filled with shock and fear, countered by energy and activity.
Franklin residents rallied around the country with patriotic fervor, as flags were hoisted at nearly every house and business in town. Local businesses prepared to help in the war effort. Men enlisted for military service, and those already enlisted had their furloughs ended as they rushed back.
In a section from Dec. 8 titled, “As War Came to Franklin,” tidbits of information paints a picture of the mentality of residents as word of the attack filtered through town.
“The city today took on a warlike atmosphere. The break of day found Old Glory flying from homes and businesses throughout the downtown area,” the lead sentence read.
The newspaper describes residents moving their radios next to their beds, so that they could listen to bulletins throughout the night. Local amateur radio operators were prohibited from broadcasting, fraternity members at Franklin College paraded in front of their houses, and American Legion Post 205 encouraged all ex-service members to join to help in local defense efforts.
Two Franklin-based plants had contracts with U.S. military branches, and even before the attacks, were on high-alert for sabotage. Varynit Mills had converted a large portion of its garment production, and had large contracts with the U.S. Army and Air Corps.
Noblitt-Sparks Industries was making mufflers for Chrysler tanks. Plant officials had extra guards on patrol, wire fencing around the facility and a flood-light system installed for use at night.
“City police officers have been instructed by Chief Lawson Sullivan to be on look out for suspicious characters and to pay particular attention to strategic plants in the municipal area,” read the Evening Star on Dec. 8, 1941.
As war was declared and more information emerged about the Pearl Harbor attack, the Evening Star captured the duty that hundreds of local residents felt.
An Edinburgh resident, Robert F. Gephart, had been the county’s draft clerk until the bombings. One day after Pearl Harbor, he had quit his job, enlisted in the Navy and made his way to Chicago to start his training.
He had served in the Navy in World War I and was in the Naval Reserves, but wasted no time preparing for combat after the attack.
“He had told his friends since the beginning of hostilities that he would join the Navy again if ‘anything pops involving the United States’ and he wasn’t long in keeping his word,” read a story in the Evening Star on Dec. 9.
Wartime news would dominate life in Johnson County moving forward. The Evening Star published bulletins from troop movements and counterattack measures, and created maps showing residents where far-flung battles were taking place.
The community was entirely focused on the war effort. That attitude was summed up in an opinion piece on Dec. 13, nearly one week since the attacks in Hawaii rocked the nation to its core.
“Thought for the day: Remember Pearl Harbor,” it read.
