My father went to Ohio University on the GI Bill. It changed his life. Even though he never finished the experience gave him a life trajectory and an appreciation for the importance of higher education.

Tom, as I understand it, African Americans were not allowed to take advantage of most of these opportunities. Can your quest address this point?

My father was a peasant in the Ukraine. During WWII he was a POW in a German work camp. Upon release by the US, he was given the options of being returned to Russia or joining the US Army and becoming an American citizen. He chose the latter, and later used the GI Bill to become a draftsman, working for a State government until retirement. The GI Bill made this possible for him.

What if any changes have been made to ensure racial equality in the current GI Bill? One of the often unspoken truths about the origianl GI Bill from 1944 is that it created a racial separation that continues to influence economic, social and educational disparities today.

Tom, please ask your guests, given the number of tours Reservists are having to make, what benefits incur for them? Thanks.

My husband served in the South Pacific beginning at age 17 and was in the Japanese invasion task force when the war ended. After the war, he took advantage of the GI Bill to go to art school, then teacher education and was a professor of art for 32 years. Without the GI Bill, who knows what would have happened to him, one of five boys from a poor family.

In addition, I attended college from 1948 to 1953 where the student body consisted of many veterans taking advantage of the GI Bill. They were a serious, interesting, experienced, focussed bunch of guys. It was a good time to be in college. The GI Bill took my generation into a golden age.

Will spousal benefits be available to same-sex spouses, too? Same sex marriage is legal in several states. Will this important benefit be distributed fairly and legally??

My father was a farm boy from piedmont North Carolina, and was employed in a textile plant before his service in WWII. When he returned home, he went to Elon College and earned a degree in physics. He worked at Western Electric as an engineer for most of his career. He was a brilliant man, but would have been an uneducated one if it were not for the GI Bill. When we were children, we understood that education was SO important to our parents, and I was always extremely proud that both of my parents were college graduates. This GI Bill changed the lives of our parents so they could provide the life and education for their children that they could have only dreamed about before.

Without question, this is the best kind of stimulus the Government could offer. It is an investment in the future of our Nation and will pay dividends for generations to come.

My hat’s off to Sen Webb (former SecNav & US Marine)

My grandfather, Maurice F. Devine, a prominent attorney from Manchester, NH and a leader in the NH/NE branch of the American Legion, was instrumental in drafting and promoting the GI Bill to Congress and the public at large. Having served as an Army Captain in WWI, he was too old to serve in WWII. (One son, J. Murray, joined the Navy’s Pacific fleet, while his younger brother, Shane, trained in the Army, but was not deployed). Back home, Maurice sold War Bonds and helped assemble his American Legion pals to influence the content of, and back with all its strenghth, this bill. I have a brochure, entitled, “The Gateway to Opportunity for Veterans of World War No. 2.” According to this piece, the American Legion conceived, wrote and piloted this bill through Congress, then made its offices available to answer questions and help returning vets obtain their benefits. I’m very proud of my grandfather’s role and wish I had written this book!

I thought I would be able to speak to you about the KOREAN “NON WAR.” There were more casualties in Korea than in Vietnam. We some how are totally ignored–we do not exist. While speaking to one of your aids I was dropped like a rock. OK, I understand program priorities and timely discussion, I also realize as a neophyte that I rambled a bit but there was a message. I would not have been able to offer bright young kids the joy of Faulkner and other stream of consciousness writers (my thing), were it not for the University of Rhode Island, my residence at the time, and their no tuition policy, and my $110 a month gift from the government. Believe it or not, we Korean Veterans were bewildered about the strangeness of our experience. The miscalculations of Korea go unheeded, life in America would change drastically from 1955 to 1960, but we carry that POLICE ACTION with us–I thank America for my gift of schorlaship–800+ veterans graduated URI with great success. The GI bill has many faces. We thank the WWII GI’s for making our lives easier in more ways than can be counted.
I guess I’m still rambling–I’m in a hurry.

Thanks for listening to an old soldier.

Anthony M. Rocchio
Windsor, Vermont

I have contended that the GI bill and the anti-trust laws were the primary causes of American economic ascendancy in the 20th century.

Libertarians and those on the right who decry government involvement in just about anything, neglect that business is perhaps the greatest beneficiary of such government programs and actions (that would also include the national highway system, the space program and the military).

Besides eliminating the prospect of an “army” of angry, unemployed, radicalized returning servicemen, the GI bill provided business with a highly trained work force, and a rising middle class of consumers,
all at government expense.

I agree with previous posts that this was a great accomplishment for establishing peace and prosperity in the country. but minority vets were systematically denied benefits of the program including housing and access to schools of choice. This effect is still felt in the disparity of African American home owners today and plays into the conversation surrounding the housing crisis and credit crisis we are experiencing today.