In writing about Washington, D.C. during the Second World War, YANK correspondent Merle Miller (1919 – 1986), does not ramble on about historic bone-yards or any other pedantic clap-trap, he preferred instead to present his far-flung readers with useful information that a G.I. could actually apply to his life (if he ever got a furlough in Washington):
“Of course, getting a fair date while you’re in town is no problem. A Canadian newspaperman recently discovered that, judging from ration-book requests, there are 82,000 single girls of what he called the “right marrying age” of 20 to 24 in town, and only 26,000 men of the same age Therefore, he concluded, a girl has only about a 30-percent chance of getting a husband — or, for that matter, a date”
The missing period at the close of the article, I assume, is due entirely to war-time shortages.
For further reading about Washington, D.C. during the Second World War, this native son highly recommends this book, there is none better:
You may learn more about W.W. II Washington in this 1944 magazine article
To read about the VJ-Day celebrations in Washington, click here.
Which Hollywood actors received draft deferments?
