Credit: Courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Archives
During World War II, some 12,000 men served in 80 Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps across the nation. In 1944, close to 800 served in CPS camps in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania led the nation in number of COs with more than 1,000. The largest group of Pennsylvania COs were Mennonites, many of them craftsmen-farmers, whose farming expertise was especially welcome in many states' soil conservation programs.
