Hello from California

My name is Ryan, I am in my 30s, and I became interested in learning more about World War 2 history while doing research for a book at the National Archives in DC. I am a researcher and archivist for a living so I have a natural curiosity towards historical subject matters. I look forward to poking around the forum and maybe posting from time to time if I have something to say.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Enjoy your stay Ryan

 

Thank you all.

 

Hello and welcome to the forum Ryan

Lesley

 

Welcome to the forums!

 

Welcome to the Forum, Ryan. I am also interested in the topic of your book.

 

Thank you everybody for the warm welcomes.

Slipdigit and TD-Tommy776, to answer your questions, for the past 3 years I have been doing research for a photo book about shore leave in wartime Honolulu, which is what brought me to the National Archives. However, while there, I happened upon a folder of WW2-era VD posters and have since completed a book about that. I found the posters fascinating and set about learning all I could about them. One of the more interesting facts I learned is that the government, in their quest to find the most effective strategy for delivering their message about VD, leaned heavily on art directors from Madison Avenue to create posters that they believed would help win the war. When viewed together, there is a clear lineage from the early, abstract posters of the WPA, and later posters (1944-1945) which began to look more and more like magazine advertisements of the day. I was also surprised to learn that Stan Lee, who would later go on to create Spiderman, X-Men, and countless other comic book characters, was one of the artists who did VD posters during the war. Sadly, I was unable to track down any of the posters by Stan Lee as I would have loved to have included it in the book.

 

I was torn between saying "Thank you", or saying "Ewww!". Can I go with both?

Well, I suppose he had to start somewhere...


Seriously, though, I can see how the transition of the artistic style of the posters could be interesting despite the subject matter.

 

Ha! Thanks. I know what you mean re: the subject matter. It becomes especially tricky when you are on a date and, when asked what you do for fun, must explain to the girl that all your free time revolves around v.d.

 

If you can successfully run that gauntlet, you're a better man than I.

 

Hello there and welcome to the forum

 

Thank you Spitfire_XIV!

 

WElcome Ryan !

 

Thanks Ruud!

 

I guess for some, VD was something to deal with. My dad didn't have time to catch any STD's because he was too busy in and out of fox holes, dodging bullets, shrapnel , and bombs going off all around him most of the time. A good time for him was being alive or " OK " as he liked to say. "I'm OK Now " Making his home in craters left from 500 pound bombs or eating fresh parrots or monkeys and fruit that he was lucky to find was his gig..................I don't think Papa needed to worry about VD much as he mostly worried I'm sure about getting killed most of the time. He was the Communications Officer for the 2nd Battalion 158th Infantry RCT Bushmaster's and poontang wasn't part of the plan . Killing Japanese and clearing out the enemy was.

Best wishes on your book.

If you should ever decide to write about how the Greatest Regimental Combat Team "The Bushmaster's " Opened up a can of whoopazz on Tojo's Tiger Gorillas or how they bailed out the 112th Cavalries Bacon and did what no other fighting unit ever did in history.....Look me up. I'll be glad to share my fathers diary with you.

The Price of Freedom is always written with Guts & Blood

"Cuidado"

 

My grandpa Antonio "Tony" Alamillo was in the 158th ... I have a few pics with him. One with 3-4 other guys in the jungle.