Seamus Dunne March 26, 2013 Professor Milberger Multimedia Writing & Rhetoric Research Paper Final Draft

The March and Legacy of the Bonus Army

The Bonus Army, a group of around 45,000 World War I veterans, were promised financial compensation for their service through the World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924 (Kusmer 117). The Act stated that the veterans were to be paid in the year 1945, but, because of the hard times brought on through the Great Depression, the veterans wanted their payment sooner. Thus in 1932 these WWI veterans descended on Washington to demand their payment, and, in the process, created the Bonus Army. The United States government initially refused to pay the bonuses in advance, which led to both military violence against the veterans. Instead of presenting a strong front for the people to believe in and rally behind, the government made itself look weak and, in the process, disrespected men who should have been treated like national heroes. The subsequent hardship endured by the Bonus Army was essential to the creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944, and the future treatment of veterans. Because of this, the Bonus Armys true legacy should show them as being the first advocates for veterans rights and as essentially the founders of many of the programs enjoyed by veterans today. The Great Depression hamstrung both Americans and the American economy with twenty-five percent unemployment and extremely little economic growth 1

(Bonnifield 982). Many of the 45,000 members of the Bonus Army were so financially stricken that they had to either walk or cram themselves into boxcars in order to make the voyage to Washington, D.C. (Kusmer 117). Their willingness to trek to D.C. in such trying conditions demonstrated their resolve. Further, these veterans were so poor that they could not even afford decent living conditions upon arriving in the nations capital. Kenneth Kusmer writes that the Bonus Army, constructed a huge shantytown on the banks of the Potomac and began regular protest marches in an attempt to influence Congress to fund the bonus (Kusmer 117). In addition to making their presence known through this shantytown known as Hooverville, the Bonus Army intended to use their dwellings as a way to badger then president Hoover into folding. Clearly these men were absolutely desperate for money and this desperation led to an ensuing struggle. Kusmer reports that the Hoover administration, grew increasingly uneasy about [the Bonus Armys] continuing presence in the nations capital. Finally, on July 28General Douglas MacArthur drove the veterans and their families from the city at bayonet point- sometimes using tear gas- then set fire to their makeshift abodes. (117) Furthermore, John C. Tibbetts writes that, Several veterans were killed and hundreds more injured(Tibbetts, 68). This action by the Hoover administration only further rallied the American people behind the Bonus Army and also strengthened the determination of the marchers to accomplish their goal. Though it was MacArthur who ordered the excessive violence, it was ultimately the decision of

Hoover to do so in the first place. In fact, As a result of the shock effects of this unprecedented rout, Hoovers re-election campaign was fatally damaged (Tibbets 68). Hoover later went on to lose the presidential election of 1932 by 413 electoral votes to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDRs creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs may have resulted because of what he saw happen to his predecessor. By seeing how poorly the American reacted to Hoovers deplorable treatment of veterans, FDR may have sought out to avoid a similar fate by creating both the DVA and the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944. His image as a champion for veterans juxtaposed against Hoovers image as their enemy certainly was a welcome sight to Americans and veterans alike. It is understandable that the government was hesitant to hand out bonuses to the veterans, but does that justify their decision to not do so? One could make a similar argument for the men who had volunteered to defend their country during one of its most uncertain times. These men did not have to sign up for active military duty and enter what was, at the time, the worlds greatest military conflict, but they did. Why then, could the American government not return this act of selflessness? President Coolidge vetoed the Bonuses and justified doing so by saying, patriotism... bought and paid for is not patriotism." Many people contest that doing so would be unfair to the rest of Americans who would not be receiving an influx of cash. Well, not only did those Americans not fight in what was once called The Great War, but they also were not attacked by their own countrys military. Special service, such as the type that the men who composed the Bonus Army partook in, deserves special treatment. The Bonus Army deserved those financial rewards and

the United States government failed its former soldiers by not awarding them properly. Another argument against the payment of the Bonus Army is that handing out such a large sum of money during the countrys weakest economic period would be irresponsible. This argument, like the previous one, also has another side to it. By handing out relatively large financial compensation packages to members of the Bonus Army and their families, the government would be giving out money that would eventually be spent. This, in turn, would stimulate the economy. Since the men of the Bonus Army were going to be given their promised compensation at a later date anyway, why not give it to them then when it can have a great and positive effect on the economy? To give 45,000 people money to spend in a time when no one was really spending at all should absolutely be viewed as a muchneeded economic boost. Through this thought process, the economically irresponsible argument is flawed because giving on money to spend during this time period would only help an economy that needed every thing it could get. The Bonus Army unquestionably represented the worst treatment of veterans by the United States government in Americas history. Because it was such a stain on the governments reputation, they needed to create a bureau of the government whose purpose was to ensure that such a nightmare never occurred again. Not only did the American government not want to have to resort to such a drastic measure, but he American people also did not want to see the administration have to do so. Thus, the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) was created. The DVAs website states its purposed is to, consolidate and coordinate Government

activities affecting war veterans. This mission creed is backed by the believe that another one of its responsibilities is to, fulfill President Lincoln's promise To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan by serving and honoring the men and women who are Americas veterans. Stephen R. Ortiz, author of Rethinking the Bonus March, seems to think there were other motives for that concern for veterans, however. He states, many commentators suggested that the renewed interest in veteran affairs, although a typical electionyear concern, could be seen as an attempt to curtail demands for the Bonus (281). Though certain historians disagree with the exact motivation behind the creation of the DVA, its undeniable that without the plight of the Bonus Army, many of the pensions and programs offered to veterans through it may very well not exist today. The DVAs pension benefits represent the affect that the Bonus Army had upon future veterans. They were essentially arguing for a pension program and were thinking years ahead of the United States government. Though there are actually two types of pension programs, a Veterans pension and a Survivors pension, the Bonus Army was most influential on the former. In order to receive a pension, one must, Have at least 90 days of active duty service, with at least one day during a wartime period to qualify for a VA Pension. If you entered active duty after September 7, 1980, generally you must have served at least 24 months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), with at least one day during a wartime period.

These previsions were clearly implemented not only to prevent another event like the Bonus Army from occurring, but also in order to actually aid veterans. Interestingly enough, however, Paul Dickinson and Thomas B. Allen, two Bonus Army scholars, have a different perspective on their legacy: Dickinson and Allen see the passage of the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944 as a legacy of the Bonus March(Piehler, 858). This opinion demonstrates the far-reaching legacy of the Bonus Army during its time period as well as modern times. According to the G.I. Bills website, the crucial piece of legislation was born, from a desire to avoid the missteps following World War I, when discharged veterans got little more than a $60 allowance and a train ticket home. They continue by directly referencing the Bonus Army to as a reason for the G.I. Bill. Furthermore, the website lists the main foci of the bill as, education and training, loan guaranty for homes, farms or businesses, and unemployment pay for veterans. All of the aforementioned foci can be related to the marchers cause for protesting in Washington. Much like the Department of Veterans Affairs, the G.I. Bill was created for the betterment of veterans as a result of the Bonus Armys very public and painful attempt to be properly recognized for their service. Thus, as Dickinson and Allen stated, the G.I Bill represents yet another trace of the Bonus Armys modern day affect on veterans. The Bonus Armys courage and resolve not only played an integral role in changing their own lives during the Great Depression, but also, many years later, changing the lives of future veterans. Their fight against the U.S. government represented, on a deeper level, a fight for the respect that veterans deserve and, for 6

the most part, enjoy today. Their legacy is found in the creation in many programs that have made the lives of todays veterans exponentially easier. Bonus Army historians contend that, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the G.I. Bill of Rights of 1944, and the expansion of pensions were all results of this historic occurrence. The March of the Bonus Army is, for the most part, a forgotten event but the after affects of their work are still seen today. Though some people call the Bonus Army selfish for their actions, they should be lauded for their selflessness and sacrifice for future American war heroes.

Works Cited

Bonnifield, Paul. "The March of the Bonus Army." The Journal of American history 93.3 (2006): 982-3. Print. Daniels, Roger. The Bonus March; an Episode of the Great Depression. Westport, Conn., Greenwood Pub. Co, 1971. Print. Dickson, Paul, and Thomas B. Allen. The Bonus Army : An American Epic. New York : Walker & Co, 2004. Print. Dickson, Paul. "The Legacy of the Bonus Army." Washington history 19 (2007): 8796. Print. Kusmer, Kenneth. "The Bonus Army : An American Epic." Indiana magazine of history 103.1 (2007): 115-8. Print. Lisio, Donald J. The President and Protest : Hoover, MacArthur, and the Bonus Riot . New York : Fordham University Press, 1994. Print. McGoff, Kevin. "The Bonus Army." American history illustrated 13.6 (1978): 28-37. Print. Ortiz, Stephen. "Rethinking the Bonus March: Federal Bonus Policy, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Origins of a Protest Movement." Journal of policy history 18.03 (2006): 275-303. Print. Piehler, G. K. "The Bonus Army : An American Epic." The journal of military history 69.3 (2005): 857-8. Print. Tibbetts, John C. "March of the Bonus Army (2006)." Film & History (03603695) 38.1 (2008): 67-8. Print. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army#Background http://www.benefits.va.gov/pension/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1932 http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/history_timeline/