Pittsburgh Remembers World War II (Military)

Enormous sacrifice on the battlefields and tireless effort on the homefront-- Pittsburgh answered the call to duty after the news of Pearl Harbor hit local airwaves that infamous afternoon. With its high enlistment rates and booming war industries, the city was instrumental in the Allied victory. Duquesne University professor Joseph F. Rishel has compiled the memories of seventeen residents who lived through the war years, from GIs serving overseas to real-life Rosie the Riveters who kept the mills and factories in operation. From stories of daring in all theaters of combat and hardships at home to recollections of schoolchildren collecting scrap metal, USO dances and wartime sweethearts, Pittsburgh Remembers World War II celebrates the city's perseverance and patriotism.

A native of Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood, Joseph F. Rishel is a descendant of Pennsylvania Dutch pioneers who came to America in 1738 and settled in western Pennsylvania after the War of 1812. He earned his PhD in history from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rishel is a professor of history at Duquesne University, where he has taught for twenty-six years. He has written Founding Families of Pittsburgh: The Evolution of a Regional Elite, 1760-1910 and "The Spirit That Gives Life": A History of Duquesne University, 1878-1996 and has edited American Cities and Towns: Historical Perspectives. He now lives in Whitehall Borough in the South Hills of Pittsburgh with his wife, Helen. They are the parents of Jonathan, Emily, Marjorie and Elizabeth Rishel.