“Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service.” -USA.gov
“KEEP FIT for VICTORY” Poster-1942
At the personal level, and after studying PE history for decades, I do not know if anything is more disturbing than the waste of humanity through senseless wars. My purpose is to help us preserve peace through strength and by advancing the global culture as we ALL improve the human condition. However, many of my countrymen and women have died in battle, so as my way to honor Memorial Day and those who have paid the ultimate price for my freedom to write this post, I’m sharing some history about PE @ WAR and how conflict impacted the profession of physical education and the American culture.
War is hell for a multitude of reasons. The obvious is that thousands of lives have been lost through the millennia over power struggles–many innocent lives as well as military–both young and old, rich and poor, educated elite and ignorant. What I have learned to understand from my historical studies in just the last year is equally as disturbing about war–culture does not truly advance during war. Why? Nations are directing resources at securing borders and diverting labor to building war machines. The resources required for actually advancing culture are not there during times of war. We stagnate as people culturally no matter what nation or religion we represent during war.
This being said, when a nation is at war, how does it change physical education? PE @ WAR is an interesting topic of study.
“No nation can be successful in war while its functions are frustrated by a people not physically fit to man capably all arms of the service…at home and on the fighting fronts.” -L.B. Icely, President, Wilson Sporting Goods Company
Let’s start off with the WWII generation in America. I could write a whole book on PE during WWII, but I think it’s best on this post to keep the words to a minimum and share some graphical evidence from corporate and industrial American companies and the American people during the 1940s.
WWII was the last time Americans were truly “All for one and one for ALL.” There was a major effort across the board to be: “ALL IN” for the war effort including in PE. How did the war impact physical education and corporate America? Here you go. Visually inspect the advertisements below and then ask yourself if an American…is there one single corporation or small company in America today that would be this supportive to American freedom through fitness and/or civic action? Think about it. We should not wait for a war to pull together as a nation. We can do it NOW. All for ONE and one for ALL. Here’s history speaking to us and guiding the way.
Historical Context Clues: There was a SERIOUS rationing effort during WWII for multiple commodities. These shortages were due to our efforts to send supplies overseas to our fighting forces. The shortage of rubber and metal directly impacted physical education programs. There was a problem getting shoes, balls, and other PE equipment. The graphic advertisements below speak to this “ALL IN” effort as ONE nation “united” in support of the war effort which left tens of thousands of our men and women dead in battle…in honor of their service…corporate America speaks:
Bell Telephone System-1942
Bell Telephone System-1942
Bell Telephone System-1942
The telephone system was severely constrained during WWII. Copper was in great demand and services had to be significantly limited. Many older Americans commented that the phone ringing at night was a bad sign of a death or emergency because people did not call “just to chat” during the war so the lines could remain open for those reaching out to family in the service overseas.
Wilson Sports Equipment-1942
Wilson Sports Equipment Company put out this advertisement directly from their president L.B. Icely put out one of the most direct and forceful PE @ WAR messages I have seen…no apologies. Wilson was ALL IN.
MEDART Equipment Manufacturing Company-1944
MEDART Equipment Manufacturing Company-1944
The Fred Medart Equipment Company was “THE” fitness and physical education equipment company in America for decades. They supplied all sorts of equipment from gymnastics to sports to strength and beyond. The advertisements above are wonderful proof of the depth of patriotism demonstrated by American companies and industry during the second world war.
We came close to not making it in WWII. The US was running low on supplies and money for the war efforts. Germany already had formalized occupation plans for how to run America on our own soil. They planned to completely take us over and rule with the iron fist.
When American PE went to war–we were ALL IN…for Victory–in public, private, and military service.
In my next post on PE @ WAR post for Memorial Day 2018, I will discuss curriculum changes in physical education during WWII due to the immediate threat of survival and how this also went from school into the homes and communities outside of educational settings because PE was not just “for kids at school” during WWII.
To learn more about the values of the “Classical PE” I recommend and teach, see our documentary film “The Motivation Factor.” I was the PE historian and archivist for the film. If you want the real stuff-watch our film.
–Ron Jones, MS, Historical Kinesiologist, Physical Educator
