Rock County's other paper, the Star, also said that Clarence Dybedoek was in Pearl Harbor as a member of the Navy at the time of the bombing.
Soon after the declaration of war, the American Red Cross set a quota of $3,500 for Rock County to raise in the War Relief Fund.
World War II and its bond sales, fund-raisers and victory gardens hold many memories for local people. But before those terms became a part of their vocabulary, Pearl Harbor was bombed.
Local people remember
Marie Frakes, Luverne, remembers her late husband, Marion, talking about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The two weren't married at the time, but he recalled the day's events to her. "He was on a ship at the time that was on the way to Pearl Harbor," Marie said.
Marion continued to serve in the Pacific through the war. Some of the details are vague for Marie to remember, but she knows that day changed almost everything for her husband.
Ray Nelson, Hills, was in Tennessee at the time as a new member of the service. "I'll never forget it," he said.
Nelson was initially told he was drafted for a year's worth of service, but he had been in the Army only three months when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He served through the end of the war where he eventually saw combat.
But with all he saw, Nelson still remembers Dec. 7, 1941, when the famous radio personality Sammy Kaye was giving his Sunday Serenade. The programming was interrupted to announce the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Warren Herreid, Luverne, said he sees similarities between the effect Pearl Harbor and Sept. 11 had on the country. But there are differences, too.
"At least we kind of knew what a standard war was, who your enemies were. Now there are no boundaries, no territories and the people fight different," Herreid said.
But he knew things were changing in his life when he learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Herreid would turn 21 on Dec. 28 and was in Kodiak, Alaska, helping to protect the Naval air base that was under construction.
Like Nelson, Herreid was drafted for a year of service and ended up serving out the war.
"It was a little bit scary when we found out war was declared. We knew it was bad, and we didn't have the communication they have today," Herreid said. "We just found out what they wanted us to."
But on Dec. 7, 1941, he knew things would never be the same. "It all changed after that," he said.