The War on STDs

During World War II the battle at the front wasn’t the only battle raging. Behind closed doors, militaries were having to fight the spread of STDs (otherwise known as Venereal Diseases at the time) among their ranks. The American military in particular was finding this effort to be very difficult because, at the time, prophylactics were still seen as an encouragement to engage in immorality, so the war was waged largely in secret.

Venereal diseases were such a problem for the military because, if a soldier contracted one, they would have to be taken out of commission to seek treatment, which meant less men on the battlefield. So, begrudgingly, the military began distributing Prophylactic Kits or Pro-Kits that were meant to be used after sex as well as condoms. They also started a large propaganda campaign from pamphlets to matchbooks.

Based off of this, I have created some items that would have been used (or not, depending on the responsibility of the soldier) to prevent the spread of STDs: a package of condoms, a pro-kit, and a sex hygiene pamphlet.