New Letter Contest for Servicemen
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Hallicrafters was a premier manufacturer of radios for commercial, hobby, and military use before World War II broke out. Once the United States was drawn in by the Imperial Japanese Navy's December 7, 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, no time was wasted converting the majority of production for electronics, transportation, and other realms into almost exclusively war production. Hallicrafters was, of course, onboard. Life took a sudden turn for many Americans as fathers, husbands, cousins, uncles, and brothers went off to fight battles in foreign lands. Communications to and from loved ones back home were difficult as priority was assigned to military channels, but that didn't discourage thousands of servicemen from writing letters during moments of discouragement or following victories. Many were penned from inside fox holes and bunkers, or even while riding in a C-47 on the way to being air dropped into a fire zone. It was nothing like today's always-connected world with ubiquitous Internet and cellphone service. Can you believe that it was as recent as the first Iraq war that GPS became widely accessible to the general public? Parents were mailing Garmin units to their sons doing service in the desert, where the lack of ground references and dust storms could make disorientation very likely. Hallicrafters gave servicemen an opportunity to earn some cash by writing about their font line experiences using radio equipment built by Hallicrafters. The $100 top prize in 1944 is the equivalent of $1,705 in 2023 money (per the BLS Inflation Calculator) - not chump change in any year. New Letter Contest for Servicemen
Yes sir, guys, the hundreds of letters received were so swell that double first prize winners had to be awarded each of the first four months and there were triple first prize winners the fifth and last month ... So - Here We Go Again! Get in on this new letter contest - write and tell us your first hand experiences with all types of Radio Communications equipment built by Hallicrafters including the famous SCR-299! Rules for the Contest Hallicrafters will give $100.00 for the best letter received during each of the five months of April, May, June, July and August. (Deadline: Received by midnight, the last day of each month.) ... For every serious letter received Hallicrafters will send $1.00 so even if you do not win a big prize your time will not be in vain. ... Your letter will become the property of Hallicrafters and they will have the right to reproduce it in a Hallicrafters advertisement. Write as many letters as you wish. V-mail letters will do .... Military regulations prohibit the publication of winners' names and photos at present ... monthly winners will be notified immediately upon judging. Buy A War Bond Today! Hallicrafters Radio The Hallicrafters Co., Manufacturers Of Radio And Electronic Equipment, Chicago 16, U. S. A. Radio-Craft for August 1944
Posted June 9, 2023 |
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