One thought on “MWC Veterans”

1. David,

   I liked your essay about veterans returning home because I believe that you provided a consistent timeline of what took place leading up to the soldier’s return, and included why the United States government thought it best to offer the GI Bill to veterans. I think you made an important point when you brought up the Great Depression following World War One, but I think it had more to do with veterans feeling as if they had lost out on opportunities that other men did not because other men who did not enter the military seemed to be doing better than veterans upon their return after the war.

   While many U.S. citizens thought that the government were only displaying kindness in backing the GI Bill, there was also belief the government pushed the bill through because they were afraid that veterans would lash back with riots and marches. “What happened in the summer of ’32, which was called the Bonus March, now, was a war” (Thomas 5:41). I am sure politicians did not want to repeat another similar event after World War Two.

   I also thought it interesting the attitude that different college administrations had towards veterans. Schools thought “including barbaric ex-GIs would ruin the idea of higher education” (Thomas 39:43), but they were wrong due to the fact that veterans were more serious than younger classmates. They had been through war and were now ready to fulfill their goals, whether it be education, settling down, or working. My question is–why was Mary Washington University more accepting of veterans than other schools? Why did Mary Washington have a better attitude towards veterans than other institutions?

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   May 25, 2016 at 6:50 pm