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As a historian, I am always on the hunt for information. I am forever researching, talking, listening and writing about the things I learn. I've gotten better over the years and I have started to write down specific stories and topics that catch my interest, and maybe will be the inspiration for an upcoming article. There are some sources that are better than others, but one of my favorite sources for local history is the records of the Weirton Steel Employees Bulletin. Every issue from 1934-1989 is available to search thanks to the work of past president Dennis Jones and the Weirton Museum and Cultural Center. All one needs to do is visit the museum's website and select digital research.
The bulletin archive is a fantastic resource not only for Weirton, but for the whole region. The Weirton Steel Bulletin editors and photographers acted as community editors and photographers, going to many local community events in those years. When you consider that most area people were employed by the mill, it was in their best interest to report on the daily happenings of the community.
To me, the 1940s through the 1970s are the most interesting because there is just so much community history covered there. The years of World War II are so cool because they show all that was taking place in the mill and in Weirton at that time. I am especially interested in those years of our town because it was such a unique period in our history. A time when the community came together, not only to rally around our soldiers but to come together to help one another regardless of any barriers.
Pretty early on, in 1941, before Pearl Harbor, the Bulletin was at the forefront to talk and feature the men and women who went to serve in the military who were employees. For me, this is one of the most prized parts of the collection. My grandfathers fought in World War II, many great uncles, neighbors and family friends too, and when I was growing up, I considered them all heroes. They were simply larger than life to me.
To get a sense of their experiences in the war though, 78 years after the fact, is a challenge. How they felt and what they went through, is often something that we may never know, unless they spoke about it and someone cared enough to record it. In an effort to learn about that part of life for these soldiers, I have for many years collected artifacts from the war years. Uniforms, flags, scrap books, metals, books, equipment and the like to keep that part of our history alive.
I've not purchased hardly any of the collection, rather I have been gifted most pieces. I have exhibited these humble objects many times in the past at various events and museums. What I like the most is the fact that while it is on display, it starts conversations with folks who may have their own story to tell.
One of my prized objects is a pair of leggings worn by a soldier as he fought on Iwo Jima. But most of all, I like to collect letters. Letters sent from soldiers on the front back home, and the Weirton Steel Bulletin is full of these important, albeit short correspondences. These letters were reproduced in a section called "With our Boys," and it gave service men a chance to write to the bulletin office and have their letters reproduced.
One of the many interesting stories related in the publication at that time was in May of 1941 when the Bulletin staff followed a group of 127 men from Hancock County as they left their homes to serve in the Army for one year. The men assembled in downtown New Cumberland just opposite the old Graham's Department store on Madison Street. There, they embarked on a new adventure of army life amid friends and loved ones in addition to the American Legion Band who provided entertainment to lighten the mood. Five buses awaited the men to take them to Wheeling to catch a train to Clarksburg for medical examinations.
That night, a banquet was held at the Waldo Hotel, where the men were given the oath and officially sworn into the service. From Clarksburg the men went on a 6 a.m. train to Fort Harrison, near Indianapolis for basic training and further assignments, but many of the Weirton men would become part of the 201 Infantry. Among these men were my grandfather Paul M. Zuros and my great uncle, Walter Casimir Zysko, in addition to many other familiar Weirton names.
Alaska was the destination for these men and their duty was to protect that area from the Japanese. On Dec. 7, 1941, my grandfather was in a foxhole in Alaska ready for an invasion. The war would take him from the Aleutian Islands to Europe fighting the Germans by war's end. What was constant in the lives of these soldiers from Weirton was the presence of the bulletin. Many servicemen kept the bulletin office aware of changes in address so they would still receive regular correspondence from the mill.
One of the many deeds that Weirton Steel did for its employees while in the service was pay them their vacation pay as if they were still working. Their time in the service would count toward their longevity. As they had done in World War I, the mill would be willing to re-employ the person in their former position if they wished, at the end of the conflict. Many wrote to the bulletin expressing their thanks for the checks and the opportunity to catch up on things happening at home.
While exploring the bulletin archive, I came across a letter my grandfather wrote to the bulletin in the Oct. 29, 1943, edition. He wrote, "Dear Sir: I have been receiving the Bulletin regularly. After reading it I pass it on to a buddy of mine -- we both look forward to the next copy. I have neglected to write, but after getting the Bulletin from my former address, I decided to write and keep my address up-to-date. I enjoy reading the bulletin especially of the boys I know who are in the service. I read of the records that were broken and can imagine the hard work it takes to break records.
I can't help but feel the great part Weirton Steel is playing to end the war as soon as possible. Thanking you, PFC Paul M. Zuros."
Letters like this are common in the collection. For folks like me who missed the opportunity to talk to my loved ones about their experiences in World War II, it was like finding a long-lost piece of my history. Thanks to the Bulletin and the Weirton Museum, this history is preserved for all of us to enjoy.
(Zuros is the Hancock County administrator)