In 1917, as America entered upon her first Struggle for Democracy, on some fronts the war quickly became one of words—on the home front these appeared as carefully selected phrases that were combined with pictures aimed at convincing the nation’s youth of the urgent need of their service in the Services?
Reflecting the brisk competition for enlistments, the recruiting presentations shrewdly included, too, the respective advantages to be found in the various Services.
For the Navy, the country-wide campaign, professionally planned and executed, employed the finest artists, writers, and creative media experts in the land.
The results, as may be judged by the selection presented on the following pages, included a multitude of posters depicting the citizen’s inherent obligation to serve his country, along with a description of the unparalleled attractions of naval service.
An immediate, emotional impact was registered with heavily-drawn reminders of the atrocities being committed by the Hun, along with the exhortation that only the Navy could stop such repugnant acts as unrestricted submarine warfare.
Because the Navy’s wartime manpower requirements encountered the problem of "not enough good men,” it soon found it necessary to abandon, for a time, the boast that "All enlistments are voluntary, and all enlistments are for four years.” The alternate solution appeared to be found in diverse appeals made to all types of the nation’s youth.
For the fun-loving young man, there was suggested the undeniable lure of heroic camaraderie; for the youthful patriot, there was the stirring image of Columbia calling her sons to battle as the sword was drawn.
In 1917 and 1918, the recruiting posters dealt in what might be termed the gut-issues of the times—Duty, Honor, Country—and something called The American Way, that almost everyone believed in.
For those who might fancy themselves basking in the warmth of worshipful female eyes, there teas the demurely provocative plea of artist Howard Chandler Christy’s auburn-haired beauty: "I Want YOU,” along with her Service sister's equally classic comment: "Gee! I wish I were a Man!” Which latter thought some might regard as presaging, unconsciously, a tenet of Women’s Liberation.
For the young realist, the Navy laid it on the line with impressive assurances of ample pay, promotion, and allowances. For those impatient to join the fray, the Navy pointed out that there were "No long periods in training camps or barracks. After two months you are on a ship and in the thick of it.”
Frequently depicted, too, were the traditional aspects of seapower: the awesome majesty of dreadnoughts and the greyhound leanness of destroyers, along with the important measure of job satisfaction to be derived from "delivering the goods.”
Special appeals were made to those having special qualifications or inclinations, as the Navy sought specialists ranging from subchasers to sea cooks, and "wireless” ham operators were invited to "Help the Navy Get the Hun Submarine."
Yet to come were the lean, postwar years of limited budgets and armament reductions that would make it necessary for Navy recruiting to appeal to the young man's desire for travel, fun, and adventure.