It was originally created by Rockwell in 1942 for the 1944 Brown & Bigelow Boy Scout Calendar.

[1] The model, Bob Hamilton, won a contest to be in the painting and personally delivered a print to the Vice President of the United States at the time, Henry A. Wallace.

[3] The model, Bob Hamilton, won a contest with his local council in Albany, New York, to be depicted in the painting.

Originally, he wore a turtle shell neckerchief slide with his uniform that he had made.

[5] His brown eyes, cleft chin, and idealized face stand out to the viewer.