WW2 Vocational School Knives

[Mike in Wis.]

I've been researching the fact that the Vocational School down the road from me made and donated knives to soldiers in WW2. Attached is a pic of one of the knives they made, nice bowie like blade... marked "Vocational School, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin" and "Donald Lauzon" who made the knife (I believe after making this knife Don entered service). Interesting that today you can't even bring a butterknife on campus.

[Johnny P]

I've been researching the fact that the Vocational School down the road from me made and donated knives to soldiers in WW2. Attached is a pic of one of the knives they made, nice bowie like blade... marked "Vocational School, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin" and "Donald Lauzon" who made the knife (I believe after making this knife Don entered service). Interesting that today you can't even bring a butterknife on campus.

When I was in school most of the boys wore lace up boots during the winter. On the right side of the right boot was a pocket for a knife. Of course every boy had a knife in the pocket, but nothing was ever thought of it. It was common for someone to bring a shotgun or rifle to school for a school play. Different times with different values.

[Mike in Wis.]

Yes...alas times have changed. When I was a kid I had several pair of those boots too... my Scout knife just fit in the pocket.

When I started in law enforcement in far Northern Wisconsin in 1980 the school bus would stop and pick up kids along the road that had been hunting during deer season early in the morning. They all had a soft case and they carried their rifles onto the bus, to school and then to their locker until they went home... it was repeated daily for years during the 14-day deer gun season. They stopped allowing that in the mid 1980's.

[Bill]

My shop project in High School was a fully functional cross bow, and no body said anything about it.

One day a friend brought his fathers Savage semi-auto pistol to school to show us.

The principal invited us to the office to look at the gun, then suggested that perhaps it should stay in his desk drawer until the end of the day.

No histerical excitement. The principal was a WWI vet, told many stories about "going over the top" with a .45 in each hand. I suspect the stories were true.

[JB White]

There was the time a fellow brought his fathers Luger to class to use as a pattern in our highschool foundry. The instructor got involved making sure precautions were taken not to damage the pistol. Once the mold was made he ordered the kid to store it in his locker and take it back home at the end of the day.

There was a shooting range at our school too. I heard they shut that down since. I sometimes wonder what happened to the Springfield 22's the school had. I once asked an ROTC training officer but he had no clue.