It's July 14th and you know what that means, right? Bastille Da...no wait, Ground Observer Corps Day! What are you doing to celebrate? Are you having a picnic with your fellow observers? Did you get a nice little ceremony at your observation post with town officials? Is there a nice shout out in the paper … Continue reading Happy Ground Observer Corps Day
recruiting
Shilling for the Corps
Recruit! Recruit! Recruit! There was a huge push in the 1950s to recruit people for the GOC. While the GOC officially started in 1951, Operation Skywatch in 1953 set the goal of having all observation posted manned 24/7 at full capacity. Recruiting volunteers to watch the skies for planes at all hours of the day … Continue reading Shilling for the Corps
Flyers – of the Paper Kind
Edit - I have a whole post on the Advertising Council here. I haven't been able to find out anything about the Advertising Council for the Ground Observers Corps as mentioned in the Supervisor's Guide but you will find copies of the GOC brochure out there. Like the Ground Observer's Guide, the brochures were produced in … Continue reading Flyers – of the Paper Kind
Who Watches the Watchmen?
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?
“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”
Ground Observer Corps - Operation Skywatch 