Huntington Civillian Defense

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The United States civilian defense was a non-military movement to protect and prepare Americans for a military attack on the U.S. The movement began in earnest during World War I when it focused on anti-sabotage activities when the U.S. mainland was never in serious danger of an attack. It was also a supporter of bond drives to raise funds for the war effort. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the threat to homeland U.S. was taken much more seriously. The Civil Defense organizations had 10 million volunteers trained in fire fighting, chemical weapons decontamination, and first aid. They also used civilian aircraft and pilots to help in search and rescue efforts and aircraft spotting. In 1952, the U.S. Air Force called to increase the number of civilian volunteers in West Virginia, local to this button, to spot aircraft as they worried their radar systems were not quick or reliable enough to spot foreign aircraft.