Tennessee, like the rest of the United States, plunged into war following the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7th, 1941. The state provided 315,501 soldiers and six Medal of Honor awards. Though shocked from Pearl Harbor, millions of Tennesseans served their country on the Homefront and in the war theaters.
The Volunteer State played a prominent home front role during World War II. Tennessee supported the war with multiple training camps, prisoners of war camps, and war-manufacturing employment opportunities for 280,000 Tennesseans. At home, every-day citizens donated scrap drives and war bonds, rationed and made victory gardens. The Oak Ridge laboratories contributed thousands of jobs and development of The Manhattan Project.
As the state purchased more land over the war, camps like Fort Campbell and Fort Forrest prepared hundreds of thousands soldiers for war. Furthermore, over twenty counties in Tennessee were used for military maneuvers throughout the war; including one conducted by Major General George S. Patton. These maneuvers trained over 800,000 soldiers.
Tennessee supported the war effort in multiple facets. Not only did thousands of soldiers sacrifice their lives abroad, but the millions of Tennesseans at home assisted the war with both small and large scale efforts.