Army-Navy Screen Magazine #43: G.I. Bill of Rights (1944?)

e [Music] back in 1918 these were pretty exciting pictures the fighting men of America coming home from France down Fifth Avenue they marched with their brass shining and grins a mile wide the crowds cheered and waved Flags the Dough Boys home from chatau TI and Bellow wood planned on picking up their lives just where they'd left them only for a lot of them it didn't work out that way not exactly some of these marching men wanted to go back to school but discovered they didn't have the money others learned the jobs they'd Left Behind were gone or if they were there they didn't want them they wanted something better but for these returning soldiers no legislation had been passed or any program mapped out to give them the break they deserve they got medals but 15 years later some of these men were selling apples on street corners others were known contemptuously as bonus Marchers what about this time ma are these Navy boys going to get the same sort of deal what about this man who's fought the long tough fight up Italy and has been knocked out what's going to happen to him is it going to be the same for these GIS hitting the beach at Taipan or the sigford line or the gothic line or any line that's needed hitting when it's it's all over is it going to be like last time for them no this time it's going to be different yeah what makes you so sure because in Washington there were a group of congressmen with long memories who were in the last war they knew that when a man gets out of the army or navy or Marines he's worried most about a job an education and a home and that's why Congress led by the president passed the law the serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944 better known as the GI Bill of Rights and to make sure it works a Veterans Administration is already busy in Washington with General Frank Hines in charge sounds all right sounds great in fact but I'm from Missouri you got to show me brother happy to let's take a typical example we'll call this Corporal who saw action in Italy Vic Jones here he's signing his name to one of the most important documents of his career his honorable discharge after that he bucks his last GI line to get his mustering out pay everybody get the same pay no the amount depends on the length of a man's service $100 for the man who's only worn a uniform 2 months 200 for the gis who served here in the states more than 60 days and $300 for the soldier who's been overseas like Jones he gets a 100 now another 100 in a month and the last 100 in two months pretty nice huh after all a 100 bucks is a lot of bucks I'm not complaining so far but changing over from a GI to a civilian costs money by the time a guy has bought himself a new outfit and looked around trying to remember his saluting Days Are Over most of his do is pretty well shut what happens then that's where the GI Bill of Rights comes in Jones by law like every discharged Soldier must report back to his draft board there if he wants his old job back he finds out if he's eligible and how to go about it but suppose his ex- boss doesn't want to give him back his old job if necessary the local draft board will get the United States Attorney to go to batford the Corporal at no cost and his ex- boss will have to rehire him for at least a year if not at his old job then one with equivalent seniority status and pay not bad not bad but what about the guy who was unemployed before he entered the Army and what about a guy like Jones here who wants a better job than when he was went in the United States employment service has 1500 officers throughout the country with a special veterans employment representative to assist ex soldiers in fighting the right job but what if the right job doesn't turn up so fast and he's unemployed for a while then like tabber here who's eligible he receives unemployment insurance $20 a week up to a maximum of one year depending on his length of service or take the case of a man like Albert folk who goes into his own business after he's discharged if things are a little slow in getting started and he's earning less than $100 a month then through the GI Bill of Rights he receives a check each month making up the difference you said something about an education what about a man like Sergeant Brown here who's just been let out before the Army got him he was going to school now he'd like to go back Veterans Administration offices have been set up in every state and it's here the ex Soldier goes if he wants to continue his educ under the GI Bill of Rights all he has to do when interviewed is prove that he was not over 25 when he entered the service or show that his education was interrupted you mean he can get any kind of education he wants now you're getting the idea any kind of education and in any part of the country High School trade school College University the ex Sergeant after Consulting the Veterans Administration decides he wants to go to New York University and here he calls on the registar who also serves as a veterans adviser Brown tells the registar what he'd like to do the courses he'd like to study then don't tell me I know the GI Bill of Rights looks after the money end too that's right tuition is taken care of funds are provided for laboratory fees books supplies and equipment are included through the GI Bill of Rights the government pays Sergeant Brown's School up to $500 a year while Brown gets $50 a month for subsistence if he were married he gets 75 for how long depending on the length of service a veteran can go to school from 1 to 4 years if the ex solders already completed college and wants to take a post-graduate course such as law there's nothing to stop him oh yes one more point every Soldier or sailor should remember that refresher and retraining courses are open to everyone regardless of age if a man wants to he can brush up on his training or plan to take new courses nice house isn't it sure it's nice and if I'm lucky after I get out in five or 10 years I'll have one pretty much like it well George Tobin just driving in didn't have to wait any 5 or 10 years as soon as he got out of the Navy he applied to the Director of Finance Veterans Administration in Washington and they were able to help him get a loan by guaranteeing it up to $2,000 of course George like every veteran had to meet certain conditions prove he was a reliable citizen but he was able to do that all right I guess I was all wrong about it being like last time but wait a second what about the beautiful blonde don't tell me the GI Bill of Rights guarantees every returning serviceman one of those too no that's still up to the veteran just as it's up to him to take advantage of the GI Bill of Rights and not expect the government to come after him the GI Bill of Rights is not a reward or a handout or a gravy train but rather an American way to make it easier for each man to take his place once again in the community and get some of those things for which he went to war a job a business an education a [Music] home e