These documents give you some insight into what we might describe as 1943 homeland security in Franklin County. During WWII local authorities took seriously the potential threat of "high explosive bombs, incendiaries, poison gas, parachute flares, disruption of communication and falling aircraft". And they rehearsed what to do in case of each of these threats. These exercise documents give us insight into how the communities prepared.
The documents came from the files of the family of Dr. Henry Karrer, who practiced medicine in Dublin for 32 years. During World War II, the Franklin County Recruitment Board decided which doctors were needed to stay at home and which could go to war. With Dr. Whitaker getting up in years and Dr. Karrer the only other doctor in the area, he was allowed to stay and practice. This lack of doctors in the area meant Dr. Karrer had an area of Hilliard, Plain City, Jerome, north of Rathbone, and Powell to cover. His responsibilities kept Dr. Karrer extremely busy caring for the people in this nearly ten-mile radius of Dublin.
To Read the Entire Story, Citizen Defense Corps
By Carolene Tuller (Mrs. Leonard)
Please click to download the pdf file: Citizen Defense
