Gi Bill of 1944
A Building Block for the Future:
The G.I. Bill of 1944
“We’re finally home boys!” shouted one of the young invigorated soldiers as the plane landed on the runway. The young men arriving from the European and Japanese fronts were filled with excitement but among them there resonated a feeling of unknown. World War II had finally come to a conclusion and what the future held for many young men in the middle of the 1940’s was completely unknown. The only feeling of security that the soldiers returning home was the feeling of winning. The feeling of satisfaction persisted among the American soldiers that they had avenged the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. The same feeling of satisfaction existed on the European front as they had helped the other European powers stop the Fascist Nazi’s. Among the men there was a contagious energy in which many had never had the opportunity to experience in many of their lifetimes. These men and women had just accomplished one of the most incredible feats of the twentieth century and it was now time for them to return to America and start the rest of their lives. Most of the soldiers involved in the war grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and had never known anything that resembled a comfortable lifestyle. As soldiers returned home from the Pacific and European fronts many questions arose about what their futures would hold. Among many Americans there was a general fear that the economy would return to its pre-war state in which people were starving and the unemployment rate was at an all-time high. Most believed that the war was responsible for the economic turnaround that had occurred in America due to the influx of money spent by the U.S. government for an arms buildup. This build up of arms provided many jobs to women and non-white races that had not had the opportunity to find a job before the war but the question that persisted was were these men going to return to work and put these people back
The G.I. Bill of 1944
“We’re finally home boys!” shouted one of the young invigorated soldiers as the plane landed on the runway. The young men arriving from the European and Japanese fronts were filled with excitement but among them there resonated a feeling of unknown. World War II had finally come to a conclusion and what the future held for many young men in the middle of the 1940’s was completely unknown. The only feeling of security that the soldiers returning home was the feeling of winning. The feeling of satisfaction persisted among the American soldiers that they had avenged the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. The same feeling of satisfaction existed on the European front as they had helped the other European powers stop the Fascist Nazi’s. Among the men there was a contagious energy in which many had never had the opportunity to experience in many of their lifetimes. These men and women had just accomplished one of the most incredible feats of the twentieth century and it was now time for them to return to America and start the rest of their lives. Most of the soldiers involved in the war grew up during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and had never known anything that resembled a comfortable lifestyle. As soldiers returned home from the Pacific and European fronts many questions arose about what their futures would hold. Among many Americans there was a general fear that the economy would return to its pre-war state in which people were starving and the unemployment rate was at an all-time high. Most believed that the war was responsible for the economic turnaround that had occurred in America due to the influx of money spent by the U.S. government for an arms buildup. This build up of arms provided many jobs to women and non-white races that had not had the opportunity to find a job before the war but the question that persisted was were these men going to return to work and put these people back
Bibliography: Altschuler, Glenn C., and Stuart M. Blumin. 2009. The GI Bill: a new deal for veterans. Oxford: Oxford University Press. P. 66 Dwight Eisenhower quotes out of Snyder, Logan Thomas. 2006. "THE CREATION OF AMERICA 'S INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM." American History 41, no. 2: 32-39. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 19, 2011). E.B. Fred, Report of the President, November 1950 from the book Olson, Keith W. The GI Bill, the Veterans, and the Colleges (University Press: Kentucky 1974) p Education Interests College G.I.s, “School and Society” (Feb. 10, 1945); Mettler, Soldiers to Citizens, 149-150 Hartmann, Home Front and Beyond, 107. Interview of Elizabeth Berckefeldt on March 12th, 2011 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Grandmother of Dustin Gochenour Kiester Jr., Edwin Olson, Keith W. The Gi Bill, the Veterans, and the Colleges (University Press: Kentucky 1974) p. 98 Ross, Preparing for Ulysses, 235-236; “Digest of Minutes,” National Executive Committee Meeting, American Legion, Nov U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Census of Population: 1960. Vol, I Characteristics of the Population. Part 1 United States Summary (Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964 1-106) U.S