Editing History of Missouri (section)

===World War II===
More than 450,000 Missouri residents served in the military during [[World War II]], and roughly two-thirds were conscripted.<ref name="kirkendall 250">Kirkendall (2004), 250.</ref> More than 8,000 Missourians died serving in the conflict, the first of whom was George Whitman, killed during the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]]. Hospitals such as O'Reilly General in Springfield, were used as military hospitals.<ref name="kirkendall 250"/> Several Missouri soldiers became prominent during the war, such as [[Mildred H. McAfee]], commander of the [[WAVES]], [[Dorothy C. Stratton]], commander of the [[SPARS]], [[Walter Krueger]], commander of the [[Sixth United States Army]], [[Jimmy Doolittle]], leader of the [[Doolittle Raid]], and [[Maxwell D. Taylor]], commander of the [[101st Airborne Division]].<ref name="kirkendall 250"/> The most well-known of the 89 generals and admirals from Missouri was [[Omar Bradley]], who led combat forces in Europe and led the single largest field command in U.S. history.<ref name="kirkendall 251">Kirkendall (2004), 251.</ref>

At home, Missouri residents organized air raid drills and participated in rationing and scrap drives.<ref name="kirkendall 252">Kirkendall (2004), 252.</ref> Missourians also purchased more than $3&nbsp;billion in [[war bonds]] during the eight drives conducted for the war.<ref name="kirkendall 252"/> Local groups and well-known figures supported the war effort as well.<ref name="kirkendall 253">Kirkendall (2004), 253.</ref> Missouri painter [[Thomas Hart Benton (painter)|Thomas Hart Benton]] created a mural series known as ''The Year of Peril'', and the [[St. Louis Symphony Orchestra]] performed at concerts sponsored by the [[United Service Organizations]] (USO).<ref name="kirkendall 253"/>

[[File:A Rural Electrification Administration cooperative lineman at work in Hayti, Missouri.jpg|thumbnail|right|upright|A [[Rural Electrification Administration]] lineman at work in [[Hayti, Missouri]] in 1942.]]
The economy of Missouri was dramatically affected by the war: unemployment virtually disappeared during the early years of the war, and both St. Louis and Kansas City took steps to ensure workers were involved in essential industries.<ref name="kirkendall 256">Kirkendall (2004), 256.</ref> Rural areas lost population as underemployed workers, especially Southern African Americans, moved to cities to find jobs.<ref name="kirkendall 256"/> Both teenagers and women also entered the labor force in greater numbers, as many men were serving overseas. In Jackson County, Missouri, roughly half of the workers at an ordnance factory and an aircraft plant were women.<ref name="kirkendall 256"/> As a result of the departure of soldiers and higher employment rates among adults, [[juvenile delinquency]] increased, leading many Missouri communities to establish curfews and build recreational facilities for youth.<ref name="kirkendall 257">Kirkendall (2004), 257.</ref>

The war brought a surge of prosperity to Missouri agriculture, and farming became a major war industry in the state.<ref name="kirkendall 257"/> Farmers were encouraged to increase food production and to conserve other materials as much as possible, and rationing of machinery, tires, and other equipment.<ref name="kirkendall 258">Kirkendall (2004), 258.</ref> Despite these difficulties, many farmers modernized and learned new techniques due to the efforts of federal programs such as the [[Cooperative Extension Service]], the [[Soil Conservation Service]], and the [[Rural Electrification Administration]].<ref name="kirkendall 258"/> The [[Farm Security Administration]] provided loans and information to low-income farmers, and it also recruited and trained farm laborers in Missouri.<ref name="kirkendall 258"/> Despite the significance of the agricultural industry, the population of Missouri working on farms declined 59 percent from 1939 to 1945, and the overall rural population declined 24 percent, a continuation of the trend toward urbanization in the state.<ref name="kirkendall 258"/> The greatest declines in farm population were in agriculturally poor regions of the state, and in more suitable areas, remaining farm populations increased their mechanization of agriculture.<ref name="kirkendall 259">Kirkendall (2004), 259.</ref>

Manufacturing in Missouri also benefited from the war; both St. Louis and Kansas City were home to major war industries, particularly aviation in St. Louis.<ref name="kirkendall 260-262">Kirkendall (2004), 260–262.</ref> Kansas City also was a hub of aircraft manufacturing and development, although the city also produced a variety of military equipment as well.<ref name="kirkendall 263">Kirkendall (2004), 263.</ref> Railroading experienced a revival statewide with an increase in passenger and freight traffic; more than 300 freight trains and 200 passenger or troop trains transited Kansas City daily by the beginning of 1945.<ref name="kirkendall 263"/>

The state also became home to a large military installation, [[Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri|Fort Leonard Wood]], construction of which began in 1940 near the town of [[Waynesville, Missouri|Waynesville]].<ref name="kirkendall 264">Kirkendall (2004), 264.</ref> Construction of the base displaced rural families, but it ultimately brought thousands of workers and economic stimulus to the area.<ref name="kirkendall 264"/> After its construction, Fort Leonard Wood operated as a training facility for [[combat engineer]]s and as a base of operations for several infantry and artillery units.<ref name="kirkendall 264"/>