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The modern Service Corps programs are one of the little recognized facets of the CCC legacy. CCC enrollees strongly identify with the benefit they received from their CCC stint and state "The CCC saved my life." Since the 1950s, enrollees and supporters have been instrumental in giving life to the modern Service Corps concept in an effort to help pass their legacy to future generations. FDR's Pre World War II 'Peace" Army Legacy CCC Enrollee Bud Wilbur and his wife, Marion, helped establish Urban Corps of San Diego Brief history of the post-CCC service corps programs Not all modern Corps come under the Corps Network umbrella, if you have information about Corps activities in your community that you would like to share on this webpage please send your comments to ccc@ccclegacy.org The Wilbur family of San Diego, CA put their belief in the CCC and the Corps concept to work by founding the Urban Corps of San Diego. It's a life mission. FDR's Pre World War II 'Peace' Army Legacy The Civilian Conservation Corps 1933-1942 by Marion Wilbur The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC 1933-1942) legacy, remembered as the most popular and productive of President Frank D. Roosevelt's New Deal Programs, now reflected upon as the 'domestic' Peace Corps of the last century. From 1933 to 1942, more than three million "CCC Boys" improved the nation's lands. while receiving food, shelter, health care, job training, education, and a stipend of $30.00 a month with $25.00 of it automatically being sent home. As a governmental volunteer youth conservation and service program the CCC share typical military barracks quarters, worked, played and dined together under the Department of Defense command. Work conservation supervision was under the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, on federal, state and public lands that included preservation and restoration of our nation's historical sites and natural resources. More than four thousand camps were in existence during the 1933-1942 years. The U.S. Department of Forestry had the most significant number of camps. Depending on the distance from the railheads, camps became part o the community with local LEM's (local employed men) as needed for specialty job training for corps members; supplies when practical were purchased from the community. Corps members attended the local school evening classes when distance allowed, and or optional classes held at the CCC camps 'charter schools', where many learned to read and write with high school dropouts earning their diplomas. Doctors and dentists made scheduled calls to each camp, as did military camp inspectors. The Spirit of the CCC 'can-do' camaraderie that existed in the camps continued when World War II became imminent. This unique patriotic group of young men after restoring renewed life to our nations depleted natural resources, were among the first to answer the patriotic call to serve as needed in the military and made a significant contribution to the outcome of the war. As mature adults having been through the great depression, war, and raising their families, the combination of values learned in conservation and patriotic endeavors faced a new generation of economic woes, vandalism, graffiti and drugs it became clear to these valiant CCC Veterans it was time to revisit the CCC program. The CCC alumni became the national voice for youth Service and Conservation Corps development with states and cities across the country. National AmeriCorps became a reality. Now drastic funding cuts, administration changes, volunteer conservation and service corps now a mere skeleton of what was anticipated face a new chapter in their efforts for continued youth programs. 2004 statistics state "nearly one third of America's 17 million youth aged 16-24 are without a diploma or a job; 2,400,000 of these are poor and 360,000 are in prison." A new proposal asking for a small percentage of the prison budget is being circulated with hope that realization of the need for more youth corps challenging jobs and educational opportunities is greater than ever. An increased budget would offer intervention programs before these struggling young adults become incarcerated. The average age of the CCC Veteran still with us is eighty eight, they look to the new generations to perpetuate the CCC legacy for it historical significance in hopes it will give the present and future generation of young adults the same opportunities as they were given that gave them the confidence, education, respect and values of the importance of sharing responsibilities of caring for our land and each other. |
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