The Victory Corps was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

program during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

that provided military training to male and female

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students. On September 25, 1942, Commissioner of Education John W. Studebaker, in conjunction with United States Departments of War,

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, and Civil Aeronautics, established the Victory Corps. The program was designed to prepare secondary school students for possible military service and participation in the war effort. Although participation in the program was voluntary, many high schools across the country sought to aid the war effort due to rising patriotic fervor following

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. For example, a survey conducted by the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

in 1943 found that of 232 high schools in

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, 86 schools had established a Victory Corps program and 96 schools planned on implementing the program in the following semester. The

United States Office of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated i ...

aimed that every high school in the country would implement the Victory Corps program. At the start of the 1942–43 school year, the

proposed that the Victory Corps purpose was to fulfill two major objectives: 1. The training of youth for the war service that will come after they leave school; 2. Active participation of youth in the community's war effort while they are yet in school. Two categories of membership were offered. A general membership, one for students who were involved in school war effort activities; and a divisional membership open to students in grades eleven and twelve who had completed two years of general membership. The program focused on skills relevant to the war effort, ranging from physical conditioning to more specialized skills depending on the desired branch of the armed forces, such as

trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies. T ...

for the

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. Broadly, the Corps emphasized "science, mathematics, and physical education". Specifically, the program consisted of eight areas of training to prepare students for war service and war effort participation: * Guidance into Critical Services and Occupations * Wartime Citizenship * Physical Fitness * Basic Training in Mathematics and Science * Pre-flight Aeronautics * Production Training for Critical Occupations * Community Service * Military Drill From these areas, students would choose an occupational path based on their strengths and interests. These paths, or divisions, included the following: air service (for aviation cadets or aircraft repair), sea service (for the

or Merchant Marine), land service (for the

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Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

), production service (for trades and war industries), and community service (for professional positions such as engineering and nursing). Along with the program's curriculum being taught in the classroom, school clubs were also created and modified for war work. For example, at

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, the Home Economics Club made garments for the Red Cross while the World Friend's Club held panels on post-war problems. The ambition of the Victory Corps Program was not always matched with application. The program was only implemented into 52% of schools, and these schools complained of being understaffed, and unsure of how to implement the Victory Corps into their existing curriculum. Criticism of the program came from

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and Brethren churches as they feared that the introduction of the Victory Corps was a step towards

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

in American schools. Parallels were drawn between the militarization of German and Japanese schooling and youth movements. As the war drew to a close in

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and

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, the Corps was gradually phased out starting in June 1944. However, the Victory Corps Program made a significant impact in the United States war effort during WWII. During its two years of existence, the program distributed a substantial amount of knowledge to schools across the country and raised millions of dollars for the war effort. Along with its practical achievements, the Victory Corps program was also groundbreaking for its time because it allowed participation from both white and African-American students, ten years before public schools were desegregated.

References

{{reflist History of education in the United States United States home front during World War II