Thesis Statement: The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 helped World War II veterans adjust back into civilian life and prevent another depression.
The government has always tried to help but hasn’t always been successful in helping war veterans. As far back as 1639 the english colonies gave disabled soldiers pensions. In 1776 the Continental Congress created a bill to pay disabled Revolutionary war vets, but they had no authority so most vets never saw their pensions. By 1818 the Service Pension law expanded benefits to all military veterans. After the civil war the number of eligible veterans went from 80,000 to 1.7 million. The General Pension act of 1862 gave disabled vets benefits, which included those injured during peacetime. Many bills went back and forth on including just disabled vets or all veterans. The bill passed during World War I expanded benefits again. It provided rehabilitation and training for the disabled, provided life insurance, pensions and expanded hospitals and medical care. Even though,
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Hundreds of disabled vets were returning home from war with no money to live on and no training to get jobs. Thousands of vets had their papers destroyed in battle and couldn’t get benefits when they returned. The government agencies were unorganized and it took a long time for soldiers to get their benefits. The federal government decided that they needed to do something. They passed a piece of legislation called the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944. It is also known at the GI (government issue) bill. The bill finally gave war veterans a full benefits package. It gave all veterans money for tuition, books and living expenses to attend 2 or 4 year colleges. It also provided unemployment for up to 1 year. The bill also gave them low interest loans for homes, businesses or farms. The government had finally come up with a plan to help soldiers adjust back into civilian
This brought about the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act -- the G.I. Bill of Rights". The programs were meant to not only educate and train the returning soldiers, but also help them obtain low interest mortgages and business loans. These loans are backed by the Veterans Administration and guaranteed by the government. Most of the suburbs were built as small communities with strip malls. This meant that all families had to have at least one car, if not two, for a second job.
A healthy postwar economy would depend on providing soldiers money and a place to live once they were home. So the US Government came up with the GI Bill witch was passed 50-0. On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights. The law made possible the loan of billions of dollars to purchase homes for millions of veterans, and helped transform the majority of Americans from renters to homeowners. Though the bill sounded so great many in Congress and educators at Colleges and Universities had serious doubts. Some felt the GI Bill was too expensive, others feared veterans would lower standards in education. Many saw a postwar America faced with the loss of millions of jobs, creating unprecedented unemployment. A federal survey indicated that 56% of the nation's soldiers anticipated a widespread economic depression after the war.
In order to properly introduce the beginnings of the GI Bill, the timeline will begin in the years during the Great Depression. At this point in history, many Veterans found it difficult to make a living. The United States Congress tried to intervene by passing the World War Adjusted Act of 1924, commonly known as the Bonus Act. This law would provide a bonus based on the number of days served. This law was a failed attempt to help because the catch was that most Veterans wouldn’t see a dime for 20 years. In the summer of 1932, a group of Veterans marched in Washington, D.C. to demand full payment of their bo...
I can only stress the importance of this topic so much. I can keep going on about how important it is to do something, but that won’t get us the change we need. We need society, the government, and especially the Department of Veteran affairs to work together. This will be an issue that will be going and going for years to come. But I do believe that there is something that can be done to improve this issue.
Prior to war and the passage of the GI Bill the average American could only dream about college and owning a home. Designed to be used for college, technical or vocational courses, apprenticeship/on-the-job ship/on-the-job training, certificate programs, flight training and correspondence courses and home loan guaranty, the GI Bill has been credited with establishing the foundation of today’s middle class. By 1984, when the GI Bill was revamped, 7.8 World War II Veterans had participated in education or vocational training programs. The updated program became known as the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), after former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery. His goal was to continue education programs and the VA home loan guaranty for the latest as well as, future generations ...
“Factors Affecting Health Care” (50-55) Demonstrates the sacrifices and how difficult it is for veterans to receive healthcare from the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Are veterans being taken care of medically, mentally, and financially? According to Steve Buyer, a member of the House of Representatives from Indiana's fourth district, "Because all of us believe and understand in the fabric of the common bond of why we call ourselves American is to care for the men and women who wear the uniform; and when they take off the uniform, we care for them when they are veterans." After men or women finish their time serving our country and take off their uniform, they still hold the title of Veteran. They are the brave ones who fought and served for America. The care for the veterans of America is a crucial part of giving back to those who risked their lives for our country.
This year, the United States is set to end over a decade of continuous combat operations in Afghanistan as well as reduce the size of the military in an effort to restrain the growing deficit of the federal government. While some welcome these actions, they will have a significant effect on the men and women of the armed forces. Since the military is now focused on returning to a peacetime posture and cutting personnel, more veterans will be entering the civilian market. These men and women, who come from all walks of American life, will have had vastly different experiences than their civilian counterparts. These veterans will have spent their formative years in a wartime military and while they have so much to offer society, often, their service and they as individuals are stereotyped with unflattering characteristics by civilian managers, which has a negative impact during their post-military search for employment. Some civilians see them as uneducated and suffering from a host of mental problems related to their service. This problem is not only relevant for recent veterans but for all of those who have volunteered to serve in the military. Veteran unemployment is a serious problem for the United States. Those who choose to serve in the military should not be negatively impacted in the civilian marketplace as a result of their sacrifice.
Veterans are viewed as the strongest people in the United States. They constantly deal with daily struggles such as disability and unemployment after their services. After serving in a branch of the United States military, many veterans have trouble finding work. While there are, at times, things that need to be overcome for veterans to be able to work, they are often skilled workers and deserve the opportunity to succeed in the civilian workplace.
Citizens, especially those who could not enlisted in the Military for medical or other reasons, took immense pride and care in providing for the physical and social welfare of servicemen and women overseas and at home. While Americans were anxious to give of their time and resources the American government had not instituted effective channels to reap the benefits of civilian wartime aid. Some members of the American legislative body completely ignored this human resource. Beyond making donations, purchasing war bonds and stamps and practicing conservation little was expected of the average citizen. The local media and Hollywood constantly encouraged the public of their financial duties, bombarding them with such slogans as “we are in this together”. The American government had become efficient in extracting monetary support from the nation however, they neglected to tap into the workforce that was ready and willing to be employed for wartime
Veterans who have long services and are influenced by the military’s training have struggles with their civilian life after separating the military. They have to start from the beginning with their stressful, impatient, and painful. On the other hand, our Congress have mandated some benefits for all veterans to share their endurance. However, there are some reasons that many veterans cannot get any benefits from the government like some homeless veterans can’t afford themselves and their family, which is telling our society need to care more about them. For the reason that, our society should take more action to help veterans because of their services and scarified
Veterans had a hard time finding employment after the war. Employers considered a veteran’s service in the Vietnam War as evidence of drug addiction, and refused to hire them. The rejections only made the soldier’s struggles adjusting back to normal life even harder and encouraged their drinking and drug use. These harmful habits were their way of coping with the hate and rejection from society while still helping them forget their experiences in Vietnam. Veterans from the Vietnam War were the victims of an unprepared government.
Soldiers, both men and women, risk their lives fighting for our country and when they come home they receive far fewer benefits than would be expected. Throughout history the support for veterans has lessened. The amount of money that is provided to veterans for healthcare and housing after returning to the states has severely decreased since WWI.
One of the most serious problems facing all veterans today is the lack of proper healthcare. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are leaving active duty without having proper healthcare to cover their physical or mental injuries. The department responsible for veteran’s healthcare is the Department of Veterans Affairs. (VA) According to The department of Veterans Affairs website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is responsible for administering programs of veterans’ benefits for veterans, their families, and survivors. The benefits provided include disability compensation, pension, education, home loans, life insurance, vocational rehabilitation, survivors’ benefits, medical benefits and burial benefits. It is administered by the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.” The VA, who was formerly called the Veterans Administration, was established 21 July 1930, to consolidate and coordinate government activities affecting war veterans. The VA encompassed the functions of the former U.S. Veterans' Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. On 25 October 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a new federal Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs to replace the Veterans Administration effective 15 March 1989 (V.A.)
In 1636 the “Pilgrims passed a law which stated that disabled soliders would be supported by the colony.” (VA History) This paved the way for veterans’ benefits and healthcare. It wasn’t until 1811 that the federal government authorized the first medical and domiciliary facilities along with benefits and pensions for the veterans and their families. When the United States entered World War 1 in 1917, Congress created a new system for veterans’ benefits such as disability compensation, insurance, vocational rehabilitation. These benefits were directed by three different agencies in the Federal Government, these branches were the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Ten years later congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans”; this action united the three component agencies into bureaus under the veterans’ administration. In the following six decades there were vast increases in the veteran population, and new benefits enacted by congress for veterans following Wo...