Flashback Friday: The Comic-Strip Hero Who Told the Exchange Story, and the Military Supporter Who Drew Him

In October 1961, the Exchange began a collaboration with the National Cartoonists Society in which well-known cartoonists paid tribute to the Exchange and told its story via posters that were displayed in PXs and BXs worldwide.

The poster that kicked off the series, shown above. may look familiar, especially if you have a copy of “One Hundred Years of Service: A History of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service,” which has a replica of the poster on its back cover. It features Steve Canyon, a long-running comic-strip character created by Milton Caniff.

Caniff, who had been drawing newspaper cartoons even before he started his first successful syndicated strip, “Terry and the Pirates,” in 1934, was a longtime military supporter. He wanted to enlist, but suffered from phlebitis, an inflammation of a vein, usually in the leg, that can lead to a blood clot.

Caniff showed his military support in his strips. When World War II broke out, Terry, the lead character of “Terry and the Pirates,” joined the Army Air Forces. Caniff also created a WWII-era “Terry” spinoff published only in military newspapers called “Male Call,” featuring Miss Lace, a woman who lived near a military installation and dated enlisted men—including wounded Soldiers. He donated all proceeds from the strip to the Armed Forces.

He ended “Miss Lace” in March 1946 and stopped working on “Terry” later that year, although the strip carried on under other artists for decades. In 1946, he began work on “Steve Canyon,” which debuted Jan. 13, 1947. It was the first time he had full legal control of his work. Canyon began as a World War II Veteran pilot who ran a civilian airplane service that flew dangerous missions. During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, he re-enlisted in the Air Force.

Caniff, so known for his detailed artwork that he was called the “Rembrandt of the Comics,” received the Air Force Exceptional Service Award, the service’s highest civilian honor. He drew “Steve Canyon” until his death in 1988.

For a deeper dive on Milton Caniff and his relationship to the military, especially the Air Force, read this excellent appreciation from Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Caniff wasn’t the only well-known cartoonist who created posters for the Exchange. For a look at others in the series, click here.

Sources: Exchange Post archives, Air & Space Forces Magazine, Wright Memorial Public Library, The Washington Post, The Associated Press