During the 1930s, as the Depression slowly strangled the nation and by 1933 left nearly 13 million people unemployed, newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded in March by creating the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide work for needy young men while promoting conservation of America’s resources. Within a few months, over 250,000 men enrolled, and between 1933 and the program’s termination in 1942, over 3 million young men served in the CCC. Recruiting became the responsibility of the Department of Labor, and the promise of earning 30 dollars a month drew many into Roosevelt’s peace-time army, with 25 dollars required to be sent home so that the program aided both the men and their families. The CCC also offered job skills such as truck driving, construction, and forest management, and many later looked back on their time in the C’s as a turning point in their lives. Young men who met the requirements first spent 2 to 3 weeks in special conditioning and training camps run by the Army, where they underwent physical exams and conditioning, received clothing and equipment, trained in conservation and forestry practices, and enjoyed three square meals a day.