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December 1940. Starke, Florida. "Construction workers drinking beer in Soldiers Joy Cafe near Camp Blanding." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
"Soldier's Joy" is also the name of an excellent banjo tune.
Oh, I see! It's the name of the café. I thought the source of the soldier's joy was
... oh, never mind.
By the look of their garments, it appears they weren't quite able to walk between the raindrops on their way to the entrance.
This same month, John Vachon was in Radford, Virginia, on a similar assignment, photographing workers who were building facilities in anticipation of America's entry into World War II.
Vachon would see Camp Blanding in a different role: he did his training there after being drafted in 1945. (Soldiers Joy would have been off-limits, at least until he finished basic.)
The woman and man on the right are both wearing jodhpurs.
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