When Mary Ingraham founded the United Service Organizations in 1941 in response to a request from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the aim was to provide entertainment and recreation services to U.S. uniformed servicemen during World War II, to raise morale and to become their “home away from home.” Live performances by comedians, actors, singers, and other performers, both in combat zones and at USO social facilities on US soil, brought joy to the lives of GIs and their families. During World War I, these services had been provided by various civilian organizations operating independently. But Roosevelt had the idea of bringing six such civilian organizations under one umbrella, in the form of the United Service Organizations, or USO, to “handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces.” These organizations were the Salvation Army, YMCA, Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), National Catholic Community Service, National Travelers Aid Association, and the National Jewish Welfare Board.
Within the American Jewish Historical Society’s National Jewish Welfare Board Records (I-337) is a trove of photographs showing the many ways the NJWB as part of the USO provided all sorts of entertainment to military personnel and their families: from live performances by Molly Picon, to pie eating contests and barbecues, to dances and socials, to some very silly competitions and events such as the Father’s Day Frolic.
In the Spartenburg, South Carolina, USO facility, Father’s Day 1945 was commemorated with feats of fatherhood. With one serviceman acting as the father and another as the baby, diapers were changed, and baby food and bottles flowed to great comedic effect. At a time when servicemen may have been feeling particularly homesick, missing their own children or their own fathers, this was a silly way to lighten the mood and bring smiles to everyone’s faces.
View more information about the National Jewish Welfare Board Records I-337.
