Introduction
In reference to Spaulding (2000), the formation of the GI Bill dates back to June 22, 1944. It was initially referred to as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, and it was created with the aim of promoting the economic, social, and cultural challenges facing veterans in America. Will (1997) notes that the act was later referred to as the GI Bill of Rights, and it enhanced the quality of life of the Second World War veterans. The benefits offered by the bill included; education, business opportunities, and compensation for unemployment. The law stipulated that the benefits had to be given to those veterans that were inactive duty during the Second World War (Suberman, 2012). Spaulding (2000) indicates that President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation in support of the GI Bill. Additionally, veteran and educational institutions endorsed the bill acknowledging its immense value.
Keillor (2009) explains that the bill had four main sections: Health, housing, education, and unemployment. These components were crucial in restructuring the economy and reintegrating the servicemen back into the community (Huffman, 2015). However, the education component produced more benefits in comparison to the other sections, and it became the major focus of the GI bill. Three major benefits resulted from the introduction of the GI Bill.
First, about 2.3 million Second World War servicemen were enrolled in colleges and other training institutions. Second, the federal government channeled 15 million dollars to American higher learning institutions. Lastly, the servicemen reimbursed ten dollars for every two dollars invested in the program and hence promoting its existence. The aim of the current research is to assess the development of the GI bill. The paper focuses on its history, changes made over time, and the Yellow Ribbon Program, which is a component of the bill.
History of the GI Bill
Prior to the introduction of the bill, most of the veterans could barely make a living, and their conditions were aggravated by the great depression (Jolly, 2013). In this respect, the Congress intervened and established the Bonus Act in 1924, which provided payments for the days worked in the forces. However, these payments were only received after 20 years of military service. As a result, there were demonstrations across the country with the veterans demanding for the immediate release of the payments. This caused a major standoff between the troops and the government and led to unrests all over Washington, DC. Later, the return of the veterans after the Second World War gave Congress another opportunity to discuss their fate. Spaulding (2000) notes that the period during the creation of the GI Bill had far greater complications as Congress was accused of worsening the already looming social and economic situation. Moreover, some of the elites were worried that the bill would result in another depression.
Nonetheless, Harry Colmery, who was the chairperson of the Republican Party (Lebduska, 2014), created the first draft of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. The Senate members had disagreements on their own versions of the bill. Thus, it was almost eliminated after they failed to reach a consensus with regard to some of its components. After much deliberation, the house agreed on the education and housing loan articles. However, there were disagreements regarding the unemployment benefits. Jolly (2013) notes that the unemployment benefits clause of the bill was later amended, resulting in its enactment into law in 1944.
Turner and Bound (2003) indicate that the main reason for the enactment of the GI Bill was to help the servicemen of the Second World War. It was created in 1944 and initially referred to as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. Jolly (2013) notes that the act was signed into law during President Franklin Roosevelt’s tenure. The bill improved the lives of the veterans as it introduced affordable hospitals services, housing, and had provisions for the enhancement of education (Steele, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010). In specific, the veterans received stipends that covered most of their expenses and fees in educational facilities.
Jolly (2013) notes that the federal government released about four billion dollars to the servicemen in the period between 1944 and 1949 as part of the unemployment benefits clause of the bill. In addition, the education and training clauses of the bill supported the veterans until 1956 (Mettler, 2005). The servicemen were able to obtain affordable loans until 1962. Turner and Bound (2003) report that the Readjustment Benefits Act was beneficial to all the servicemen of the armed forces who had served in times of peace and war.
The outcomes of the act were spectacular as the servicemen could easily access quality health and education. However, Turner and Bound (2003) argue that the outcomes were more evident among the Whites than the Black Americans, and hence, it did not seem to promote racial equality among the veterans. This was contrary to the bill, whose foundation was to eliminate racial segregation among the servicemen. Additionally, it is not clear whether the economically disadvantaged veterans benefited fully from all the components of the initial bill (Will, 1997). Despite such reports, the lives of the servicemen after World War II were much better as they were able to achieve the dreams that were previously deemed impossible (“A brief history of The GI Bill,” 2005, p.25).
Spaulding (2000) notes that millions of veterans got education opportunities, and they accounted for about half of the total college admissions. Furthermore, the home loan guaranty clause gave them an opportunity to get decent housing. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act ended in 1956, and 7.8 million servicemen had benefited from the different provisions of the bill. The bill has been referred to as the most significant legislation throughout the history of the United States as it had an enormous social, political, and economic impact (Altschuler & Blumin, 2009).
Changes made in the GI Bill over time
McEnaney (2011) acknowledges the significant role played by the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act in promoting the quality of lives of the veterans. The original GI Bill has undergone several modifications to become what it is today. One of the earlier versions of the bill is the Korean War GI Bill. According to Steele et al. (2010), the Veteran’s Readjustment Act or the Korean War GI Bill was the second version, and it was created in 1952. The main objective of its establishment was to assist the servicemen of the Korean War. Similar to the original bill, the Korean War GI Bill encompassed an educational section and offered business loans to the veterans.
The bill also provided other benefits that were almost similar to those offered by the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act. However, the Korean War GI Bill stipulated that the payments were to be made directly to the servicemen. During the development phase of the bill, Congress discovered that some universities were engaged in fraudulent activities in relation to the post Second World War GI Bill. As a result, the Korean War Bill did not offer any stipends and expenses that were offered by the original bill. McEnaney (2011) reports that the Korean War GI Bill paid the servicemen a total of 110 dollars a month for three years. Almost half of the benefits related to the bill were directed to the education sector.
Spaulding (2000) explains that the third version of the GI Bill was the Vietnam War Bill. The bill was very different from the previous versions as it allowed the servicemen on active duty to receive benefits. Contrary to the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act and the Korean War GI Bill that required the veterans to have a minimum of 90 days worked to get all the benefits, this bill demanded for 180 days. Similar to the Korean War GI Bill, the Veteran GI Bill gave over 100 dollars in benefits on a monthly basis for about three years. As a result, 8.2 million servicemen were able to attend colleges and training institutes. Although the benefits offered by the Vietnam era GI Bill seemed to be more, there were challenges due to the increase in college fees and living expenses. Steele et al. (2010) indicate that the Korean War and the Vietnam War versions of the GI Bill resulted in the decline of the veterans enrolling in private colleges.
Spaulding (2000) reports that only 25 percent of the Vietnam War veterans were enrolled in private colleges by the end of 1969. Thus, veteran organizations all over the country complained to Congress, indicating that many could not attend college due to the increased fees and living expenses. These organizations recommended the introduction of state-funded tuition programs.
The Montgomery GI Bill was created to deal with the shortcomings of the previous bills (Keillor, 2009). This law targeted the veterans that served before, during, and after the Persian Gulf War. Spaulding (2000) notes that the bill was named after Sonny Montgomery, who made significant contributions in its creation. This was the first bill to deal with the recruiting efforts of the armed forces. Radford and Weko (2011) note that the Montgomery GI Bill required the servicemen to contribute to the various programs offered. It is important to note that this was a huge alteration from the original provision of GI Bill. The bill required the servicemen to serve for a period of two years before they could get any benefits, which was contrary to the previous bills. Based on this bill, the benefits were based on the number of years that the veterans served.
In reference to Stenner (2009), the servicemen were required to contribute 100 dollars toward the program, which was non-refundable. Currently, the program is only available to recruited servicemen and does not enlist officers (Harrah & Bernard, 2012). It also supports educational programs and job training. The benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill are terminated after ten years following retirement from the army.
Post-9/11 GI Bill
Howell (2009) indicates that the Post-9/11 GI Bill was ratified in 2008. It was signed into law by President George Bush and was effective in mid-2009. The main aim of the bill was to focus on the veterans who had served on active duty after 9/11. Similar to the Montgomery Bill, the Post 9/11 GI Bill was also based on the number of days that the servicemen were in active duty (Harrah & Bernard, 2012).
The bill was originally created by Jim Webb in 2007, and it was an attempt to fix the shortcomings of the Montgomery GI Bill, which had been effective since 1984 (Lebduska, 2014). Radford and Weko (2011) note that the Post-9/11 GI Bill increased the amount of money afforded to the veterans with regard to their tuition fees. Prior to the enactment of this law, these service members received 1,321 dollars monthly for their living and education expenditures (Stenner, 2009). Keillor (2009) reports that this bill restored the educational benefits received by the servicemen after World War II Huffman (2015) reports that the Post-9/11 GI Bill has been hugely beneficial to the reservists as it offers their family members the opportunity to pursue higher education. However, the process of applying for the benefits is difficult and rigorous.
The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program
Scherrer et al. (2014) report that the Yellow Ribbon Program is integrated into the current GI Bill. The program affords all institutions of higher learning the opportunity to enter into agreements with the federal government in funding any expenses relating to higher learning. Specifically, these institutions contribute about 50 percent of the funds while the government matches up the remaining amount. However, Scherrer et al. (2014) note that the institutions must commit to providing these benefits in subsequent academic years, contribute to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and clearly state the number of individuals benefiting from the program. The program assists the servicemen who were in active service after 2001. Furthermore, they are required to have served the forces for a period of three years.
Conclusion
Spaulding (2000) notes that the origin of the GI Bill dates back to 1944. It was initially referred to as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, and it was created to improve the quality of life of the Second World War veterans (Jolly, 2013). Its benefits covered various sectors, such as health, education, housing, and unemployment. These components played a critical role in improving the economic and social conditions in the United States. However, the GI Bills developed in later years majorly focused on the education segment. As a result of the creation of the initial GI Bill, 2.3 million veterans were enrolled in educational institutions and training programs.
Over the years, there have been four major forms of the original GI Bill, and they include; Korean War GI Bill, Vietnam War GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill was enacted into law during President George Bush’s administration, and it has influenced positively on the lives of the veterans who served after 9/11 (Keillor, 2009). Lastly, the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program stipulates that the institutions of higher learning be required to contribute financially toward the fees and living expenses of the servicemen (Scherrer et al., 2014). Specifically, they contribute about 50 percent of the finances required to educate the veterans. In summary, the GI Bill has played a critical role in improving the lives of veterans since the end of the Second World War.
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