A GOC post was overseen by a supervisor. The post supervisor was assisted by the chief observer and the assistant chief observer. For the new post supervisor, The Post Supervisors Manual outlined everything a new supervisor needed to know to successfully recruit, train, staff, and fund-raise for their new post. At only 14 pages, it … Continue reading Who Watches the Watchmen?
Month: May 2019
All Along the Watchtower
Once a community stood up a Ground Observation Corps post, they needed an observation tower. Observation sites were ideally spaced 8 miles from each other. Obviously, this didn't happen so neatly in real life for a number of reasons, mainly there are limits to how many volunteers could build and staff observation posts. While the … Continue reading All Along the Watchtower
“The Air Force Man”
The Ground Observer Corps (GOC) was under the direction of the United States Air Force (USAF). With the call for over a million civilian observers and observing posts placed 8 miles apart over thousands of miles, the USAF had to hit the pavement and go into local communities. They not only tried to recruit people … Continue reading “The Air Force Man”
The Ground Observer’s Guide
Say you've answered the call to be a Ground Observer. After signing up either at your local Civil Defense office or with your local GOC post, you would probably be handed a copy of the Ground Observer's Guide and told to read up.
Introduction to the GOC
While I'm getting my photos in order to start blogging properly, the Indiana Historical Blog has a great introduction to the Ground Observer Corps (GOC). To summarize, after WWII, the United States was in full nuclear mode, testing bigger and better bombs. The threat shifted from Nazis to Soviets, who could potentially exploit the holes … Continue reading Introduction to the GOC
Join us for Skywatch!
Wake Up! Sign Up! Look Up!This is the tag line for the Ground Observer Corps (GOC), civilian plane spotters who searched the skies for enemy aircraft from 1951-1959. In 1953, the Air Force launched Operation Skywatch to expand the program and get more recruits. An integral part of civil defense, the GOC comprised of an … Continue reading Join us for Skywatch!
