The “flavor” of an era is found in all manner of words and images.<\/span><\/p>\n

Case in point, the following advertisement – seeking candidates for pilot, navigator, and bombardier positions in the Army Air Force – which appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> on September 9, 1943.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The text of the ad – presented below, verbatim – evokes purpose and achievement, within a context of teamwork.\u00a0 Patriotism is certainly implied, but that’s secondary to both challenge and adventure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the verbal “hook” (a well-written and meaningful hook, at that!) forming the core of the advertisement, information is presented about the practical steps of entering the Army Air Corps for qualification as a Pilot, Bombardier, or Navigator.<\/span><\/p>\n

The artwork, depicting a B-17 pilot, is by Robert L. Benney, who, during his very lengthy career as a professional artist, served as a civilian correspondent with the armed forces during the Second World War, focusing on military activity at Saipan and the Marianas Islands.\u00a0 Several powerful examples of Benney’s work – which has a very distinctive, clearly recognizable style, in terms of visual texture, and the use of light and shadow – can be found at the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a>____________________<\/p>\n

THIS IS<\/span> WHERE I BELONG\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re almost there\u2026<\/p>\n

Only four minutes to go – and the plane up ahead will drop the first flare.<\/p>\n

Only four minutes to go – and Joe will give us our speed, the doors will open and we\u2019ll start our run\u2026and the ship will quiver like a thoroughbred who\u2019s been given her head\u2026<\/p>\n

And Bob will center the target and we\u2019ll come in – and the ten seconds or fifteen will seem like a year before we hear him call \u201cBombs Away\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

And then – they\u2019ll go out of the bay, nose over and fall, and begin their march over the land with the stamp of a giant\u2019s tread.<\/p>\n

This<\/em> is where I belong.<\/p>\n

Not down there but up here\u2026with my ship and my crew\u2026in a world of our own.<\/p>\n

Up here, where the clean, sharp air bites to the bone, I can see things clear. \u00a0I can see the kids we were, and the team we\u2019ve become and the men we\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n

Up here in the night, I remember nights with the books – when numbers and formulas jumbled and blurred and I couldn\u2019t get them into my head.\u00a0 But I swore that if other men had done it before \u2013 I<\/em> could, and I would.\u00a0 And all at once they came clear and I understood.<\/p>\n

And I remember the time when I took over the stick and the ship lost speed and she stalled out and spun\u2026and my mouth went dry and my hand shook. \u00a0And then, my instructor\u2019s voice was quiet in my ear and the fear left me – for good.<\/p>\n

And, now up here, alone, and all of us closer together than we\u2019ve ever been, I hear once again the words of a pilot I knew: \u201cI can\u2019t tell what it means to fly with a bomber crew,\u201d he said, \u201cthat\u2019s like telling a blind man what you mean by the color red.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the target comes nearer, and the fighters slide up, and the guns start their chatter, I know this is where I belong…this is what matters\u2026<\/p>\n

This is my <\/em>air.<\/p>\n

This is my <\/em>future.<\/p>\n

This is what I was born for\u2026to fly with the Army Air Corps!<\/p>\n

If you can qualify<\/strong> – you, too, belong in the Army Air Forces as a Bombardier, Navigator or Pilot.\u00a0 And here\u2019s what you can do about it right now. \u00a0Go to your nearest Aviation Cadet Examining Board – or see the commanding officer of the Army Air Force College Training Detachment neatest you.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are under 18<\/strong>\u2026see your local Civil Air Patrol officers about taking C.A.P. Cadet Training – also see your High School adviser about taking H.S. Victory Corps prescribed courses. \u00a0Both will afford you valuable pre-aviation training.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are 17 but not yet 18<\/strong>\u2026go to your nearest Aviation Cadet Examining Board to take your preliminary examinations to see if you can qualify as a Junior Cadet in the Air Corps Enlisted Reserve. \u00a0If you qualify, you will receive your Enlisted Reserve insignia but will not be called for training until you are over 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are 18 but under 27<\/strong>\u2026go to your nearest Aviation Cadet Exam, using Board\u2026see if you can qualify as an Aviation Cadet. \u00a0If you are in the Army, you may apply through your commanding officer. \u00a0When called, you\u2019ll be given 5 months\u2019 training (after a brief conditioning period) in one of America\u2019s finest colleges\u2026a you\u2019ll get dual-control flying instruction\u2026then go on to eight months of full night training during which you will receive as $10,000 life insurance policy paid for by the Government. \u00a0When you graduate as a Bombardier, Navigator or Pilot – you will receive an extra $250 uniform allowance and your pay will be $246 to $327 per month.<\/span><\/p>\n

And after the war you will be qualified for leadership in the world\u2019s greatest industry – aviation!<\/span><\/p>\n

(Essential workers in War Industry or Agriculture \u2013 do not apply)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES<\/strong><\/p>\n

THIS ADVERTISEMENT HAS THE APPROVAL OF THE JOINT ARMY NAVY PERSONNEL BOARD<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cNOTHING CAN STOP THE ARMY AIR CORPS\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Reference<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Obituary for Robert L. Benney, at New York Times wesbite<\/a>. (June 3, 2001)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The “flavor” of an era is found in all manner of words and images. Case in point, the following advertisement – seeking candidates for pilot, navigator, and bombardier positions in the Army Air Force – which appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on September 9, 1943. The text of the ad – presented below, verbatim – … Continue reading This is Where I Belong: Army Air Force Recruiting Advertisement – The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 9, 1943<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4,3,60,157,7],"tags":[160,159,158],"class_list":["post-999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advertising","category-art","category-aviation","category-military-history","category-second-world-war","category-sociology","tag-military-recruiting","tag-philadelphia-inquirer","tag-robert-l-benney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=999"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1459,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999\/revisions\/1459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepastpresented.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}