I grew up in a home financed by the original G.I. Bill. My daddy (hello, I’m southern!) was in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
I didn’t realize until today that this means my family has something in common with former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford; former Vice President Al Gore; and entertainers Ed McMahon, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Cash and Paul Newman. They also took advantage of the G.I. Bill.
After Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (AKA as the G.I. Bill of Rights), President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) signed the measure on 22 June 1944.
The G.I. Bill became one of the major forces that drove an economic expansion in America that lasted 30 years after World War II. Only 20 percent of the money set aside for unemployment compensation under the bill was given out, as most veterans found jobs or pursued higher education.
That’s happy talk.
As you can probably guess, those benefits were distributed differently depending on skin color.
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com