023 - Uncle Sam Wants YOU!

At the outbreak of war in the Pacific, the American Armed Forces were greatly outnumbered by Japanese troops. The main reason for this was the conscription requirement for Japanese men.

Under Japan’s Military Service Law of 1927, Japanese men were required to report for examination at age 20, and those selected for duty had to serve for two years. After this initial service they remained eligible to be called to active duty until age 40. Draftees were classified according to height and physical condition. Those in good physical condition were classified as Class A. Those with lesser physical qualities or disabilities were classified B through F - and were assigned to service accordingly.

At the time of the Pacific bombing raids, the Japanese Army and Navy totaled 1,700,000 men while there were only 358,000 men in the American Forces.

 

There were several tactics (called propoganda) to persuade the young American male to enlist and serve for his country.

The American Armed Forces turned to recruiting drives, encouraging men to 'do their duty' and enlist in any of the Armed Forces. Still, other posters used the allure of being handsome and strong to encourage men to enlist.

National recruiting drives, coupled with the rage over the attack on Pearl harbor filled recruiting stations across America.  By the end of 1941, that number quickly jumped to 1.8 million. As the war raged on, the numbers continued to grow as America’s human resources were put to use. In 1942, the number was 3.9 million; in 1943, it was 9.1 million, and by the end of 1944, the number was 11.6 million, almost 30 times the number before the onset of war.