In 1942, the United States War Department dispatched soldiers and sailors into the Coal Region to emphasize the importance of anthracite coal to the American war effort.
That visit was documented by a War Department film that shows the servicemen parading through towns and visiting the mines. At the conclusion, politicians, labor leaders, and others make comments at large public events hosted on high school football fields.
From the end of September until October 1942, the unit passed through Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, and Mount Carmel.
Featured Image: “The sailor and the miner” from the Anthracite Rally photographs (Library of Congress)
Wynning History 