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These Early ’70s Ads Tried to Convince Kids the US Army Wasn’t Totally Uptight | Mother Jones

In the early 1970s, the US Army had a serious problem with its brand. It was stuck in an unpopular and bloody war. Morale stank; even President Richard Nixon conceded to West Point cadets that "it is no secret that the discipline, integrity, patriotism, self-sacrifice, which are the very lifeblood of an effective armed force…can…

In the early 1970s, the US Army had a serious problem with its brand. It was stuck in an unpopular and bloody war. Morale stank; even President Richard Nixon conceded to West Point cadets that "it is no secret that the discipline, integrity, patriotism, self-sacrifice, which are the very lifeblood of an effective armed force…can no longer be taken for granted in the Army." Plus, Nixon had promised to stop the draft and the Pentagon had agreed to reintroduce an all-volunteer force in 1973. That meant military brass could no longer rely on a steady stream of warm bodies to fill the ranks—they would have go out and convince new recruits that Army life wasn't a drag.

via www.motherjones.com

We don't usually link Mother Jones, but this was an interesting look at some of the challenges the Army faced with recruiting at the end of the draft.

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Response to “These Early ’70s Ads Tried to Convince Kids the US Army Wasn’t Totally Uptight | Mother Jones”

  1. Paulitics

    I’ve lived in Newport Beach for 25 years and had never walked through Castaways Park during the Exchange Club’s “Field of Honor” flag display. Exactly 1,776 American flags blanket every pathway, paved and unpaved, throughout the park, and each flagpole is adorned with a yellow ribbon honoring a different soldier who gave his life in combat to this country. Some also have pictures and brief life stories of the honored dead. As you walk through the park, with the flags flying in unison as far as the eye can see and read the heroes’ names and their stories, you are humbled to an unspeakable degree.
    May God bless America.

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