We Must All Be Ready to Sacrifice

-Albert Lea Women’s Auxiliary for Promoting National Defense, May 1st, 1917

Soon after the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, it became clear that all Americans would need to be involved in the war effort. The people of Freeborn, Mower, and Steele Counties in Southern Minnesota were no exception. Young men registered for the draft and went off to war; they had no assurance of victory or of ever coming home again. Women, farmers, workers, businessmen, young people, and church groups all contributed in supporting them, using their time and talents in countless ways to work toward victory. “Slackers” and those suspected of disloyalty were not tolerated. This is the story of those Southern Minnesota citizens who stood ready to sacrifice.