VIDEO ABOVE: New Shaped Trajectory Excalibur Round Changes Course in Flight, Destroys Tanks Hiding Under Bridges
By Matthew Gault,War Is Boring
This story originally appeared on July 22, 2015.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor changed America forever. The entire population went to war. Millions of men went overseas to fight, families back home grew victory gardens and bought war bonds, Rosie the Riveter took over manufacturing, the mafia protected the ports and more than a million Americans watched the skies.
These millions of men, women, children and even a few dogs were part of the Ground Observer Corps — a volunteer branch of the U.S. Army Air Forces tasked with watching the skies and keeping America safe.
From the outbreak of World War II until the advent of advanced radar and communication technology in 1959, ordinary citizens waited, watched and reported on everything they saw above them. Their numbers waxed and waned over the years — GOC had 1.5 million members at its height and slightly more than 200,000 when it ended — but the citizens always took the job seriously.
Sometimes, too seriously. The GOC was responsible for more false alarms than actual threat detections. But it made ordinary citizens feel part of the war effort and had a surprising impact on popular culture.
