Forgotten Posters of World War II

During the war, and since, the five Sullivan brothers from Iowa have been known for giving one’s all. All five were killed off the Solomon Islands when their ship, the USS Juneau (CL-52), exploded and sank.

Using a photo of the brothers in happier times, the government observed: "THEY did their part." Who could disagree with the magnitude of that sacrifice? And who could "let down" the other fighting Americans?

Posters asked that question, in various ways:

• Don’t let me down. YOU are still free to work
  
  
• Don’t let me down. Nations fall when workers stall
  
  
• He [a gas-masked soldier] CAN’T lay off
  
  
• Don’t let him [a gunner] down

The world was at war. A way of life was at stake. And the United States government used these now-forgotten posters to remind ALL its citizens to give the war effort EVERYTHING.