A study of military recruiting...
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A study of military recruiting posters over the last forty or fifty years would provide interesting insights into our changing values. Sometimes the appeal was made to a sense of adventure and travel: Join the Army and See the World. Sometimes the approach was quite pragmatic --here is an opportunity to learn a career. Sometimes the lure was couched with images of power --the challenge of commanding a rugged tank or the thrill of hot dogging it in a supersonic fighter. Obviously the ads were pitched to what was felt to be the prevailing mood of the times. Recent efforts seem in sharp contrast to the image of recruitment efforts of the forties and early fifties, namely, a stern looking Uncle Sam, his finger wagging at you and proclaiming "Uncle Sam wants you!"
