ESTHER PETERSON
By Kathryn Kastrinos
Many people reflect on battlefields and fighting when they hear of World War II, but while interviewing Esther Peterson I got a glimpse of a whole other story. Esther Peterson is a woman with many stories, many stories that unlock her background and her motives.
Esther was an ordinary elementary school teacher until she got the letter of her life. In this letter, she was informed that she was being recruited to teach at a military base in Germany shortly after World War II ended in Europe. Feeling honored, she accepted the chance and went to Germany to teach Occupation Force officers' children.
Esther grew up in the serene state of Kansas with the dream of teaching. She got her first teaching job at a rural elementary school, teaching second to eighth graders. After a few years in front of the same class in the same room she was ready for something new. While wondering what she wanted to do, she received that letter recruiting her to teach at the military base. Being only twenty-nine years old, she was very eager for the chance and gladly accepted the offer. She immediately was sent a one-way boat ticket to Heidelberg, Germany. In Heidelberg, she would be teaching at the Heidelberg Military Base in front of a third grade class.
After a few weeks of packing and getting ready, she arrived in New York City. Awaiting her arrival was the magnificent USS Henry Gibbins, a U.S. Navy troop ship. Since it was August the weather was beautiful throughout the trip and it was a sight she will always remember.
Upon arriving in Heidelberg, she was shown where she would be living for the next year. Her new home was called a "billet" and was fairly small, but suitable. Actually it was the Alt Heidelberg Hotel. After becoming more comfortable with her new setting she went over to the school where she would teach for a full year. It was located in an old hospital building over five stories tall. She was shown to her classroom and immediately wore a smile across her face.
There were two third-grade teachers and they each had thirty-nine students. After six weeks, another teacher was hired and for the rest of the school year they each had only twenty-six students. Some of the children had never been to school before since they had lived all of their lives on military bases.
At this point I was curious if Esther felt any awkwardness, being on a military base. She said, "Heidelberg wasn't as severely affected as many other bases. I was glad that I still had the opportunity to help war-stricken children, but in a nicer area."
After a semester's worth of teaching, Esther traveled around to Tunisia and Algeria in North Africa where she got to ride a camel, and also to lower Southern Germany. In Southern Germany she watched the Passion Play at Oberammergau, which is a very famous play and is very special to see. She also visited the American Military Cemetery in Belgium, one of the biggest in the world. She was also involved in playing the organ. Every week, all year long, Esther took organ lessons in the nearby church. She stated the organ helped her pass by some of her more lonely days in Germany.
"The instrument really helped my state of being, it definitely helped me get through many of my days."
Later in the year Esther became the choir director of a Military chapel near Heidelberg at the 130th Station Hospital headquarters, in addition to her duties as a school teacher. She enjoyed the interaction with military personnel in that position.
I think Esther Peterson is a very courageous woman, especially during that day and age. I was locked into her every word while talking to her and I realized that the aspects of war aren't always horrible. Some places, like Heidelberg, were barely affected by the massacres that were happening all around them.
After her teaching time and a few weeks of traveling, Esther returned to the United States and decided to return to Pullman, Washington. She still lives in Pullman and enjoys every day of her life, still remembering part of it that was lived out in a far away country.