The idea of United States Civil (or Civilian) Defense was started in 1916 during the First World War as the Council of National Defense, copying a movement in Great Britain to form a similar organization. This movement was to provide non-military civilians with the organization and preparedness necessary in case of military attack on U.S. soil. However, the Council’s activities were suspended when World War I military conflict ended.

Just prior to During World War II, President Roosevelt reactivated the Council of National Defense and created the Division of State and Local Cooperation to assist the Council. Shortly after in 1941, through an Executive Order, Roosevelt created the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) as a part of the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP). The main purpose of the OCD was to help prepare the US population for local or national emergency.

Similar organizations were also created, including the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and Civil Defense Corps (run by the OCD).  Collectively, these organizations were trained to provide coast and border patrol, search and rescue, fire fighting, chemical weapon decontamination and first aid.

Civil Defense continued into the Cold War and has since been replaced by Comprehensive Emergency Management, FEMA and the Office of Homeland Security.

About the Billboard

This billboard design is most appropriate for a World War II or slightly after WWII time frame. It is based on a design and slogan (America Calling) that was created in 1941 and used throughout the war.

Save and Print the Billboard

To use the image below on your own layout, simply save the image and it them on a color printer.  Typically, to save an image from the Web, right-click your mouse on the image and select “Save As”, “Save Target As” or something similar.  The specific process for saving the image may be slightly different depending on your individual Internet browser and setup.