Time for a new Veterans' Bonus Army?

In 1924, at the end of WWI, veterans were issued bonus certificates, face value of $1000, redeemable in 1945, by a grateful nation. However, the Crash of 1929 wiped out many veterans' savings and jobs. Groups of veterans began to organize and petition the government to pay them their cash bonus immediately. In the spring of 1932, during the worst part of Depression, a group of 300 veterans in Portland, Oregon named itself the 'Bonus Expeditionary Force' or 'Bonus Army,' commandeered a train, and began travelling across the country to Washington to lobby the government personally. By the end of June, they were 20,000 strong.

In June, the Patman Bonus Bill, which proposed immediate payment of the veterans' cash bonuses, was debated in the House of Representatives. There was stiff resistance from Republicans loyal to President Hoover, as the estimated cost of the bill was over $2 billion. The bill passed in the House on June 15, but was defeated in the Senate only two days later.

On July 28, 1932, two veterans were shot and killed by panicked policemen in a riot at the bottom of Capitol Hill. Troops from nearby forts were ordered in to remove the Bonus Army Marchers from the streets by force. Macarthur took personal command of the operation. President Hoover had ordered Macarthur to clear Pennsylvania Avenue only, but Macarthur immediately began to clear all of downtown Washington, herding the Marchers out and torching their huts and tents. Tear gas was used liberally and many bricks were thrown.

That evening Hoover sent orders to Macarthur forbidding him to cross the Anacostia to clear the Marchers' camp, but Macarthur ignored the President's orders. Macarthur crossed the Anacostia, routed the marchers along with 600 of their wives and children out of the camp, and burned it to the ground. Two babies died from gas asphyxiation, and an 11 year old boy was partially blinded by the gas.

The last of the Bonus Army Marchers left Washington by the end of the following day. The forceful eviction of the Bonus Army Marchers helped to tilt public opinion against Hoover and certainly contributed to his defeat. Eventually $2.5 billion was awarded to veterans of World War One (but not until nearly 1940).

Why do I bring up the Bonus Army? Because Undersecretary of Defense David Chu was quoted in the Wall Street Journal on January 25th saying that military pensions, health insurance, and other benefits for widows and retirees "have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation's ability to defend itself."

This is all just par for the course for the Bush administration. Wrap yourself in the flag, make sure you have that "support our troops" ribbon on your car, and send our troops to battle ill-equipped and ill-prepared, for no reason, with few allies and insufficient ammunition. When they return, cut their benefits by over $900 million and their housing programs by $50 million in 2005 alone.

In the last two years, Bush ordered the closing of several VA hospitals in different parts of the country, pushing waiting lists for medical services for veterans as high as six months for about 230,000 vets. These closings followed in the wake of the congressional Republican's concerted drive in 2003 to cut $15 billion from VA spending over the next ten years.

When, oh when, will the people of this country awaken to the hypocrisy and sheer evil of the kind of policy that will create tens of thousands of new veterans and then deny them benefits, all so that the wealthiest 1% of Americans can enjoy tax cuts? When will we see that Welfare for Wall Street does not benefit the American workingman? When will we arise en masse and demand an end to this sick, disgusting waste of the lives of those who defend our liberties?

I'd say a new veterans' Bonus Army is long overdue.