In January 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the War Production Board to transition the U.S. economy to a wartime footing. The WPB successfully converted peacetime factories into manufacturers of military equipment and managed the rationing of essential materials, a monumental effort that stimulated the economy and lifted the nation out of the Great Depression.
Within this context of massive industrial mobilization, a more specific initiative unfolded within the Army Air Forces. Unhappy with the standard-issue (gilt brass, and in times of shortage, gilt plastic) discharge button, AAF Commanding General Henry "Hap" Arnold sought to create a distinctive discharge pin to boost the morale of his veterans and ensure their lasting support for the Air Forces post-war. The plan, conceived in April 1945, faced initial disapproval from the War Department but was eventually greenlit. However, the project was plagued by significant production and logistical challenges, including procurement issues with contractors and communication breakdowns between military commands responsible for distribution.
Despite eventually reaching a production rate of 35,000 pins per day, the program was abruptly canceled in March 1946 after the pin was seen by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The AAF was ordered to cease all manufacturing and distribution, and the pin was declared to have no official status.
This narrative juxtaposes the immense scale of the nation's industrial war effort with the detailed, complex, and ultimately unsuccessful history of this single, small artifact.
Full narrative: Army Air Forces Discharge Pin