Willoughby: WWII — Small town’s big contributions

Aspen, like the rest of America, responded quickly to Pearl Harbor. Locals volunteered for service, supported causes like the Red Cross, reduced consumption of important war-related items like gasoline, and the mines ramped up production of lead and zinc. It is worthwhile to remind ourselves of what that generation contributed, the example they set for us to follow.

The first casualty was not a longtime local but, at the time, one of the most important people connected to Aspen: William “Billy” Fiske, a partner in the Highland Bavarian Company. Fiske had been raising money for their proposed operation at Ashcroft, to build the first two lifts. He was also recruiting groups of skiers to come to Aspen to ski. One of his sidelines was being a pilot. 

In 1940, because he was appalled at the German attacks on Britain, he went to Canada, pretended to be a Canadian citizen, and volunteered for the British Roal Air Force. Months later, he was in the air battle with Germany having some success shooting down their planes. In one battle, his plane was shot up, but he made it back to base, barely, crashed, and his plane caught on fire. He died the next day. He was the first American to die in the British Service.

Locals’ deaths were reported in The Times with the identification of “killed in action.” The first, beginning in 1943, was James Beaty from Basalt. William Garry died in Holland. Joseph Morgan died in Germany. Thomas McNeil, who graduated from Aspen High in 1937, was killed in 1944. After high school, he took over Thorpe’s Garage until he entered the service. He was a Marine and was on a boat when the Pearl Harbor attack took place; he survived that attack but later died in the Pacific.

Others survived major attacks. Robert Ray, Aspen High graduate in 1940, went on to the University of Alabama, joined the service and was assigned to submarine service. He rapidly gained in rank and experience. He was involved in major action in Saipan. Myron Quam was a medic in the Navy, serving in the Pacific. Brother Lewis Quam served in Africa and Italy. Douglas Holmes fought in Germany; John Jurick at Okinawa; Charles Roberts, Avid Hedman served in the Pacific; and Frank Dolinsek in Italy. Glenold Kelly was wounded, as was Timothy Workman in the Navy. James Beck survived Iwo Jima. Carl Pecjak and Louis Baltizer saw action, Elmer Johnson was a medic in the Pacific, and Frank Loushin was in the Navy. Albert Bishop served in the Merchant Marines.

Aspen was tasked with supplying strategic minerals of lead and zinc. At that time, there were few mines producing those minerals. The Heron Brothers ramped up production in the Smuggler and Durant. The Midnight was working a major vein and went to three shifts a day, mining the full 24 hours. At the beginning of the war, zinc was a net loss as it cost more to mill and smelt it than what the mine received for its sale. It rose in price, making it a brake-even operation, but the war strategic minerals need took precedence. During the war, the Midnight produced 2,500,000 pounds of zinc and 1,000,000 pounds of lead.

Locals scrounged their sheds and garages for scrap metal. Each county in Colorado was challenged to have its citizens buy war bonds; Pitkin County was the second highest in the state for exceeding its quota. It also was a good model for raising funds for the Red Cross. Aspen went out of its way to host 10^th Mountain soldiers who came to ski and get away from camp for a weekend for months before they left for battle in Italy.

It was a small town doing a big town’s commitment to the nation.

Tim Willoughby’s family story parallels Aspen’s. He began sharing folklore while teaching at Aspen Country Day School and Colorado Mountain College. Now a tourist in his native town, he views it with historical perspective. Reach him at redmtn2@comcast.net.