Always on the alert: U.S. Marines
Marine Corps recruiting poster: a Marine in white cap and dress trousers aims an anti-aircraft machine gun up a yellow searchlight beam at four silhouetted aircraft over a city skyline, with 'Always on the alert' and 'At sea, on land, in the air. U.S. Marines'. The aircraft over the city carry the fear-appeal, and the Marine is shown as the defender.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1941
- Period
- Second World War
- Made by
- U.S. Marine Corps (artist Worshner)
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- Military
- Regime
- Roosevelt Administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Recruit
- Themes
- War and the military, Home front
- Event
- World War II
- Regime
- Roosevelt administration
- Leader
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 44, World War II Posters, retrieved October 4, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (U.S. government work)
U.S. Marine Corps. National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-339 (NAID 513786).
Text on the object
ALWAYS ON THE ALERT AT SEA ON LAND IN THE AIR U·S·MARINES [signature:] Worshner [reading uncertain] [imprint:] [illegible]
