During times of war, soldiers looked to keep their spirits up and take their minds off of the battlefront in a variety of ways. In terms of American history, if you look back at The Civil War for example, you have military bands that performed music, minstrel shows that combined both music and comedy. My favorite has to be the Lice races. Soldiers would watch lice race across tin plates. Tell me you’re in need of entertainment without telling me you’re in need for entertainment.
During WWI, we saw the development of more formalized entertainment programs. You have volunteer entertainers and artists who traveled to the frontlines. This paved the way for the more structured forms of entertainment that we see develop during WWII and The Korean War.
Keeping troops entertained was important for keeping morale high. War torn soldiers needed something to occupy their minds and spirits and have things to look forward to.
Creation of the USO
The USO was created in 1941 and partners with the Department of Defense (which at the time it was created was known as The Dept of War) in order to provide live entertainment, social facilities and other programs to US military members and their families. President FDR wanted to unite a variety of associations that worked to help boost the morale of our enlisted members of the US militaries. Those groups were The Salvation Army, The YMCA, The YWCA, just to name a few. The USO was known for its Camp Shows. The USO originally disbanded in 1947, but started up again in 1950 for the Korean War and continued after that. Eventually, USO clubs opened all over the United States and even in combat zones. These clubs gave US military members a taste of home and an opportunity to take their minds off of the war. Camp shows provided live entertainment for the troops. Hollywood stars, Radio personalities, famous comedians, dancers, musicians and eventually television stars all went and performed live for the troops as a way to boost their morale.
WWII
The organization quickly became known for bringing top-tier entertainment directly to the troops, entertainers traveled to remote and often dangerous locations to perform, offering a much-needed escape from the harsh realities of war. The USO shows featured a range of performances, from comedy and music to dance and theater, ensuring that there was something for everyone.
Korean War
During the Korean War, the USO continued to play a vital role in maintaining troop morale, but the nature of entertainment began to evolve. Television had a noticeable impact on the entertainment landscape, prompting changes in the types of performances that were offered to soldiers. Live shows remained a staple, but there was an increasing demand for recorded entertainment options. To adapt to this shift, the USO began to include more movie screenings and broadcast shows.
Additionally, advancements in technology allowed for better quality sound and visuals, making recorded entertainment more engaging for the troops. Portable projectors and sound systems enabled the USO to bring high-quality movie screenings and recorded shows to even the most remote locations, providing a welcome distraction from the rigors of military life.
Giving soldiers a connection to home was critical and there is no better way to do that than with letters from home and being able to send letters to your loved one’s back home.
Writing in 1942, the United States Postmaster General argued that “frequent and rapid communication with parents, associates, and other loved ones strengthens fortitude, enlivens patriotism, makes loneliness endurable, and inspires to even greater devotion the men and women who are carrying on our fight far from home and from friends.” The 6888 Battalion was an all-women division and worked with the US Women’s Army Corps to sort through mail which totaled in the millions. Their motto was “No mail, low morale”. The Battalion was composed of mostly Black women with some women of Hispanic and Caribbean dissent. The 6888 dealt with racism and misogyny. The US military was still segregated at this time and the members of the 6888 were expected to drink from separate water fountains, use different bathrooms and The American Red Cross refused hotel accommodations for Black auxiliary members when they were in London. They ended up being housed in a former boarding school. The unit was created in 1944 in order to help alleviate a backlog of mail for soldiers who were stationed in Europe. There were 6 warehouses of mail that needed to be sorted. Well-meaning family members back home in the states who had sent food items to soldiers fighting in Europe – not knowing the mail would take such a long time to process made the work difficult for the 6888. The perishable items would spoil and rats and other vermin were also present in those 6 warehouses of mail. The windows were blacked out to prevent the Germans from spotting them and in the winter, there was no heat. Still, the members of the 6888 persisted – after all no mail, low morale. In just 3 months the Battalion had sorted 17 million pieces of mail and erased the backlog. They then went on to France to clear a 3 years long backlog there in just a few months. President Joe Biden awarded the group the medal of honor in March of 2022.
These were civilian runways to keep morale high amongst the millions of soldiers fighting overseas. The military realized that the soldiers on the battle front also needed to be reached so they developed a way to do that. Today we are joined by author, Robert O’Connor. His book, Jeep shows – A trouper at the Battle of The Bulge is here to discuss this form of entertainment and the overall importance of morale.
