“WWII Comes to O.B.”

The Ocean Beach Historical Society presented: “WWII Comes to O.B.”, featuring Dedi Ridenouer on July 17, 2014— We were transported back to the frightening start of WWII in O.B. by hearing an Ocean Beach native tell of hearing “War is Declared!”,
seeing armed soldiers patrolling Sunset Cliffs Blvd. (her front yard), about a hair-raising 45 mile trip in blackout, martial law, and air raids. We heard the actual unpublished words of a Navy doctor’s wife contemporaneous journal describe the anxiety, bravery and courage of our local OBceans as they faced possible invasion by  Japan in the first weeks of the war. Gust heard about O.B. Elementary School’s air raid drills, finding k-rations washed up on shore, and how growing up in a war affected these children later. Dedi shared a recently found document she discovered while digging for material for the new Ocean Beach historic book. This family treasure is a 72-year-old historical piece Dedi’s own mother wrote. She shared this interesting program to a packed crowded.