Changes

==Civilian support for war effort==

==Civilian support for war effort==

A major government policy was to create official-sounding roles for civilians so they could have a sense of participation in the war. This was especially important for middle class citizens who did not work in munitions industries.  Most of the "jobs" were artificial—such as hundreds of spotters in Illinois looking for enemy aircraft (which presumaby had been missed by the hundreds of spotters in Indiana and points East. In any case the government knew full well that no German planes had the range to approach the U.S. coastline.)  The [[Civil Air Patrol]] was established, which enrolled civilian spotters in reconnaissance. Towers were built in coastal and border towns, and spotters were trained to recognize enemy aircraft, so as to report if any were seen. Blackouts were practiced in every city, even those far from the coast.  All lighting had to be extinguished to avoid helping the enemy in targeting at night.  The main purpose was to remind people that there was a war on and to provide activities that would engage the civil spirit of millions of people not otherwise involved in the war effort. In large part, this effort was successful, sometimes almost to a fault, such as the Plains states where many dedicated aircraft spotters took up their posts night after night watching the skies in an area of the country that no enemy aircraft of that time could possibly hope to reach.<ref>Campbell, ''Women at War with America'' (1984)</ref>  

A major government policy was to create official-sounding roles for civilians so they could have a sense of participation in the war. This was especially important for middle class citizens who did not work in munitions industries.  Most of the "jobs" were artificial—such as hundreds of spotters in Illinois looking for enemy aircraft (which presumaby had been missed by the hundreds of spotters in Indiana and points East. In any case the government knew full well that no German planes had the range to approach the U.S. coastline.)  The [[Civil Air Patrol]] was established, which enrolled civilian spotters in reconnaissance. Towers were built in coastal and border towns, and spotters were trained to recognize enemy aircraft, so as to report if any were seen. Blackouts were practiced in every city, even those far from the coast.  All lighting had to be extinguished to avoid helping the enemy in targeting at night.  The main purpose was to remind people that there was a war on and to provide activities that would engage the civil spirit of millions of people not otherwise involved in the war effort. In large part, this effort was successful, sometimes almost to a fault, such as the Plains states where many dedicated aircraft spotters took up their posts night after night watching the skies in an area of the country that no enemy aircraft of that time could possibly hope to reach.<ref>Campbell, ''Women at War with America'' (1984)</ref>  

The [[United Service Organizations]], or USO, was founded in 1941 in response to a request from [[President Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to provide morale and recreation services to uniformed military personnel.  This request led six civilian agencies—the [[Salvation Army]], [[Young Men's Christian Association]], [[Young Women's Christian Association]], [[National Catholic Community Service]], National [[Travelers Aid]] Association and the [[National Jewish Welfare Board]]—to unite in support of the troops.

The [[United Service Organizations]], or USO, was founded in 1941 in response to a request from President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to provide morale and recreation services to uniformed military personnel.  This request led six civilian agencies—the [[Salvation Army]], [[Young Men's Christian Association]], [[Young Women's Christian Association]], [[National Catholic Community Service]], National [[Travelers Aid]] Association and the [[National Jewish Welfare Board]]—to unite in support of the troops.

==The draft==

==The draft==