Forensic Research Archive of Manipulation and Exploitation
Soldiers' Life: Make the Regular Army your career, 1941 US poster: A smiling soldier in a steel helmet and olive uniform

Soldiers' Life: Make the Regular Army your career

A smiling soldier in a steel helmet and olive uniform marches with a rifle over his shoulder against a blue field, under the headline 'Soldiers' Life' and the line 'Make the Regular Army your career'. The tell is glittering-generalities: a cheerful face and the word 'career' stand in for any concrete terms of service.

Propaganda techniques used in this poster

Glittering generalitiesPlain folks
Date
1941
Period
Second World War
Made by
U.S. Army recruiting (issuer not printed); artist Tom Woodburn
Region
North America
Country
United States
Medium
Poster
Issuer type
Military
Regime
Roosevelt Administration
Leader
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Audience
Domestic public
Purpose
Recruit
Theme
War and the military
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. Army (Tom B. Woodburn, artist). National Archives and Records Administration, RG 44, 44-PA-1773 (NAID 515446).

Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

Soldiers' Life

Make the REGULAR ARMY your CAREER

[signature:] Tom Woodburn

Copyright 1941, Tom B. Woodburn
P-30—RPB—4-15-41—25M

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