Well, At Least I Have My Haversack
Tag: Soldiers
I Am Going To Fight
Yep, it’s another letter from a student going off to fight in April 1942, a few months the attack against Pearl Harbor.
Call of Duty
In 1943, the USA was smack dab in the middle of WWII, and graduating college students were faced with the inevitable: enlistment. A cartoon in the Jayhawker magazine shows the four steps awaiting them: graduation and swearing in…
…securing fatigues and heading into combat.
How frustrating it must have been to finally achieve graduation, to fill your head with knowledge, only to enter a war where it may be blown off.
John Conard, Editor-In-Chief, shared these words:
Gratitude To All Who Served, Part II
And to my great-uncle, Al, who is still going strong as well–Happy Veteran’s Day!
Gratitude To All Who Served, Part I
And to my 93-year-old grandfather, Happy Veteran’s Day!
Inside Yank, Part II
Yank addressed the realities of the American soldier in his own words, from discharge to depression, all in one panel.
This issue summed up the progress made in the war over the past year, without mincing words (B-29s pounded hell out of the Jap mainland).
The common bond of a shared experience gave comfort to men who had been to hell and back. Humor was often the best salve.
Here a British soldier conveys the perception of American soldiers as lousy lovers:
Grand company indeed.
Interesting words from FDR, who had passed only eight months prior to this publication. 
Inside Yank, Part I
I’ve been going through some of Granddad’s WWII items, and I stumbled upon this Yank magazine, dated Dec 28, 1945. Christmas was upon the nation, and the war was over.
But even though the war was over, many American soldiers had yet to return home.
It is fascinating to read how the servicemen felt about what should be done with the secret of the atomic bomb.
As you might guess, the centerfold included these lovely ladies:
Apparently, the servicemen were feeling a little frisky once they landed on familiar soil.
And there are some (understandably so) not quite politically correct cartoons…
Stay tuned for Part II for another inside glimpse into Yank, the army weekly.
Home Of The Brave
