Although active recruiting posters date back to the Civil War, arguably one of the most recognizable of these is the “I Want You!” poster designed by James Montgomery Flagg, issued in 1917 near the end of WWI (the US entered the war on April 6, 1917). The effect proved to be quite successful, and the theme was used again in WWII… and in the Smokey the Bear “Only YOU can prevent forest fires!” campaign, which began in 1947.
Flagg was inspired by a 1914 poster used in Britain, which depicted Secretary of State for War, Lord Kitchener, compelling recruits that “your country needs you.”
The War Bond drives in WWII used the direct approach, too. Here is an ad from one of the era’s Captain America comics.
A rather provocative ad campaign from the “Retailers for Victory” event, where more than a million retailers in the US donated 4% of their July 1942 sales to the US Treasury’s Bond Drive, from the Bullock’s chain (LA Times, July 1, 1942, p 3), that I came across while looking for something else altogether.
Uncle Sam re-appeared on one of the most famous and powerful protest slogans from the Viet Nam war (1971): Join the Army; travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them.
In the modern age, the 1980s musical-TV Army campaign “Be All You Can Be” and the Marine Corps’ “We’re Looking for a Few Good Men” and “The Few, The Proud, The Marines” are probably the most memorable.
The War Bond Drive starring Captain America featured prominently in the 2011 Marvel Studios movie and some of the publicity.
A stunningly clever take on military recruiting that is reminiscent of the 1971 Viet Nam protest slogan can be found on the super-catchy, particularly-in-catching-you-unaware, 2014 pop song recorded by (the super-talented) Troye Sivan and appearing on the album TRXYE – an anthem for the wars in the Middle East titled “Fun” – a sardonic take on recruiting soldiers.
“Fun” (2014) performed by Troye Sivan
Well, don’t you want to see the world, boy
All the countries and their stars, boy
Just don’t look them in the eyes, boy
You just gotta’ take their lives, boy
Let me take you for a drive, boy
Oh, I swear you’ll feel alive, boy
All you gotta’ do is trust that I’m being true
And do it for the people who love you
Let’s go have
fun, you and me in the old jeep
Ridin’ ’round town with our rifles on the front seat
Fun, you and me in the Middle East
Shootin’ at rocks bullets cocked in the mid-day
Sun, you and me in the old jeep
Ridin’ ’round town with our rifles on the front seat
Fun, you and me in the Middle East
Shootin’ at rocks bullets cocked in the mid-day, sun
Listen to what I tell you
You’ll see, my sign
Now you know what you gotta do
Let’s go have fun
When you’re standing on the line, boy
Don’t go looking for goodbye, boy
Yeah you gotta set them free, boy
‘Cause you know that’s what they need, boy
Yeah you’re gonna make them cry, boy
Til’ they put you in the ground, boy
All you gotta’ do is trust that I’m being true
And do it for the people who love you
…