Sadness has a way of bringing people together. Regardless of the occasion, sadness does have the ability to bring like-minded people together in a group where we mourn as one. Such was the case back in 1941, with our country marching back into war. The citizens of Concord were indeed acting as one as they sent each son and daughter off to war. The Concord train depot in Railroad Square was the setting for many a last visit as our soldiers marched off to war once again, as they had so many times before. The steam engine fired up and headed south towards Boston, this train taking many dreams away from our ancestors as it traveled the rails. Some fortunate soldiers did return while sadly many did not.

As the war continued and letters home were greeted with much anticipation, there was a sadness that settled over Concord. The people that were left behind were experiencing much unrest, some families provided many of their children for the war effort. Uncle Sam was demanding and it was the brave young men and woman that stepped forward to bring this war to a close as quickly as possible. The days that followed were difficult, but we had a life to live back here in Concord, there were jobs, farming, schools to attend and holidays approaching. There was work to be done and many people needed to heal. They were missing those that they loved and they wanted to desperately help, from the very young to the elderly, it was this great sadness brought on by the war that brought the people together across the country. The Americans were defiant and sought remedy for their sadness by forming groups, organizations and committees. Everyone walking our Main Street held this thought of unity close to their hearts ... for it was the people they loved that left on that train south to basic training and then the European and Pacific fronts to engage in battle ... and help those in need.

As the days continued, the weeks turned into months and eventually the months to years.

The seasons passed in all their glory, but the golden oaks and maples that produce our beautiful foliage each year, seemed to lack that vibrant color. The people organized and donated all that they could to help from home. Care packages were sent from home, as other gathered money, warm hats and gloves and shipped them off to the soldiers on the battlefields. People cut back on the very few luxuries that they once afforded, books were used to manage rations. The Brown Paper Company in northern New Hampshire salvaged wood and paper to help where they could, while the people of Concord pitched in with salvaging metal to assist the war effort. Word spread quickly back in 1942 that the Brown Paper Company salvaged twenty million pounds of scrap metal to aid our troops during the World War II era.

It was the good citizens of Concord that listened to these tales about helping the troops overseas. They came together and embarked on the road to collect anything that would aid each son and daughter on the front ... the young children in class would harvest milkweed pods and remove the small amount of silken material, consolidate each amount​ and ship it off to the military. These small children with the milkweeds provided some of the parachutes that save our loved one’s lives in battle.

The Concord Rotary Club went door to door collecting keys that were no longer used. The Rotary Club collected 1,500 discarded keys in 1942, weighing just 31 pounds, and shipped them to the military to make helmets for our men and woman. The students enrolled at Concord High School organized a scrap iron pile in front of the school where they collected many pounds of metal for the war effort. Many a Victorian iron fence surrounding some of the oldest homes in Concord were removed and brought to Concord High School for the students to sort for salvage. Some of these young teenagers would find themselves on the battlefield shortly after graduation.

The young children in elementary school gather metal, paper and cloth to help those soldiers in need. War Bonds were sold and each cent raised did help those that they loved. The effort was so accepted and adopted by every single citizen in Concord that regardless of the salvage amount it was the effort that we appreciated. Children enjoying a special treat in the form of a stick of gum, would remove the foil from the paper and consolidate with other young students to donate that pound of foil.

They have been called the greatest generation. They worked together to boost the morale of their fellow citizens. Their love of their soldiers and their country was quite evident through their actions. As they rationed and lived on less they felt they provided more for those soldiers in need. As a generation they had themselves seen battle during the first world war, survived the depression years and learned to live with less. The second war brought this emotion back, they understood that there was a special power in unity.

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As 1945 arrived and victory was in view there was much to celebrate. Some of the soldiers returned on the same train they had departed, sadly some did not. Some of the soldiers that were fortunate to return to Concord lived the war in their minds as they slept each night, never discussing the horrors of war, they returned to routine.

This unity that we witnessed here in Concord over 80 years ago helped our ancestors to cope with loss, they were patriotic and contributed to the war effort together.

Yes indeed, sadness has a way of bringing people together.