Citation: Delano, J., photographer. (1943) Greenville, South Carolina. Air Service Command. Group of men of the 35th service squadron chatting in the barracks in the evening. South Carolina United States Greenville Greenville County, 1943. July. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017860368/.
The welfare and recreation programs established in the World War II US Army, and continued in the post-war period, had one immediate goal: to keep soldiers as fit for combat as possible—primarily physically, but also mentally, morally, and spiritually—by lifting their morale and making them enthusiastic about their significant responsibilities.
Citation: Rein, Christopher M. “Recreation & Welfare.” The American Soldier in World War II. Edited by Edward J.K. Gitre. Virginia Tech, 2021. https://americansoldierww2.org/topics/recreation-and-welfare.
Citation: Delano, J., photographer. (1943) Greenville, South Carolina. Air Service Command. In the day room of the 25th service group. South Carolina United States Greenville Greenville County, 1943. July. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017860249/.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Notes – Handwritten letter dated April 5, 1943, single page. Includes envelope, postmarked April 5, 1943, 7:30PM, from Greenville, SC.
Army Heritage Trail - This web page offers information on what part of the induction into what the war looked like. It includes pictures, a video, and more information about what the Army process was in the 1940s.
The World War II Core Area exhibit on the Army Heritage Trail is based on technical manuals and photographs from 1944 and 1945 in the USAHEC collections and is a condensed representation of an induction center. At the outset of World War II, the United States Army was short of properly trained and prepared Soldiers, especially if the U.S. was forced to be into the battles already raging in Europe and Asia. To answer the call for more combat troopers, the Army built induction centers all over the country. The induction centers' design quickly and efficiently in-processed new draftees and recruits into the U.S. Army and shipped them off to basic training. The Barracks building includes period cots outfitted with Army blankets and other gear. The Mess Hall represents the areas of a training center not associated with training, but rather with the Soldier's well-being. Finally, the Company Headquarters building has a model of an orderly room and a classroom with training posters.
Citation: Army Heritage Center Foundation. (n.d.). Army Heritage Trail - World War II Core Area. U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/trail/WWII/index.cfm
In general, a corporal (paygrade of E-4 which is the same as a specialist) serves as the smallest unit leader in the army and is responsible for individual training, personal appearances, and the cleanliness of the soldiers in their unit. Squads consisted of twelve men and were led by a sergeant (paygrade E-5), with the corporal as the secondary leader. Sgt. Dolin, formerly Corporal Dolin, is now a squad leader and as such has more responsibilities. As a sergeant, Dolin would be held accountable in keeping up with his units training, cleanliness, and personal appearances. He would also be in charge of making his men presentable in uniform and in character. He would be in charge of making sure everyone is as successful as the man next to him, and that everyone was coordinated. The rank of corporal would be slowly dropped from the chain of command in 1944, with the rank of staff sergeant taking over as squad leader and the rank of first-class sergeant assuming the assistant role.
When it was time for promotions, it came down to certain factors. A commanding officer's first consideration when promoting someone was supposed to be seniority. The second factor, which is harder to measure, is performance. Recommendations of a soldier's peers determined merit and performance. For enlisted men, those recommendations came from NCOs and junior officers. For commissioned officers, it would take a biannual efficiency report and a good impression on your superior officer. Drawing on positive attention and politicking were wide practices within the system.
Citations:
Gatzemeyer, Garret. “Assignment & Promotion.” The American Soldier in World War II. Edited by Edward J.K. Gitre. Virginia Tech, 2021. https://americansoldierww2.org/topics/assignment-promotion.
Bajza, S. (2022, September 2). Army ranks for enlisted personnel. Military.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://www.military.com/army/enlisted-ranks.html.
World War II Resources - A Visual Guide to U.S. Army Air Forces Rank Insignia. Veteran Voices Military Research. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://veteran-voices.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WWII-US-Army-Air-Forces-Rank-Insignia.pdf