Veterans' Policies, Veterans' Politics : New Perspectives on Veterans in the Modern United States

“Provides a much-needed interdisciplinary approach to the study of the important intersection of veteran policies and political arguments that have helped to define the modern American state.”—Robert Saxe, author of “Settling Down”: World War II Veterans’ Challenge to the Postwar Consensus“An outstanding collection of essays that will engage anyone interested in the veteran experience in modern America. It should be read by political leaders and the general public who want to develop better ways to reintegrate veterans of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq back into American society.”—G. Kurt Piehler, author of Remembering the War the American WayThe study of military veterans and politics has been a growing topic of interest, but to date most research on the topic has remained isolated in specific, unconnected fields of inquiry. Veterans’ Policies, Veterans’ Politics is the first multidisciplinary, comprehensive examination of the American veteran experience. Stephen Ortiz has compiled some of the best work on the formation and impact of veterans’ policies, the politics of veterans’ issues, and veterans’ political engagement over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the United States. By examining the U.S. government’s treatment of veterans vis-à-vis such topics as health care, disability, race, the GI Bill, and combat exposure, the contributors reveal how debates regarding veterans’ policies inevitably turn into larger political battles over citizenship and the role of the federal government. With the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq now the longest military operations in U.S. history and the numbers of veterans returning from overseas deployment higher than they’ve been in a generation, this is a timely and necessary book. “Provides a much-needed interdisciplinary approach to the study of the important intersection of veteran policies and political arguments that have helped to define the modern American state.”—Robert Saxe, author of __“Settling Down”: World War II Veterans’ Challenge to the Postwar Consensus__ “An outstanding collection of essays that will engage anyone interested in the veteran experience in modern America. It should be read by political leaders and the general public who want to develop better ways to reintegrate veterans of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq back into American society.”—G. Kurt Piehler, author of __Remembering the War the American Way__ The study of military veterans and politics has been a growing topic of interest, but to date most research on the topic has remained isolated in specific, unconnected fields of inquiry. __Veterans’ Policies, Veterans’ Politics__ is the first multidisciplinary, comprehensive examination of the American veteran experience. Stephen Ortiz has compiled some of the best work on the formation and impact of veterans’ policies, the politics of veterans’ issues, and veterans’ political engagement over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the United States. By examining the U.S. government’s treatment of veterans vis-à-vis such topics as health care, disability, race, the GI Bill, and combat exposure, the contributors reveal how debates regarding veterans’ policies inevitably turn into larger political battles over citizenship and the role of the federal government. With the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq now the longest military operations in U.S. history and the numbers of veterans returning from overseas deployment higher than they’ve been in a generation, this is a timely and necessary book. An Examination Of The Political Issues And Causes Of Veterans Of The U.s. Military. Health Care. 1. Army Sanctuary For Tubercular Veterans: Veterans' Health Care Before The Veterans Bureau -- Carol R. Byerly -- 2. The Invention, Stumbling, And Reinvention Of The Modern U.s. Veterans Health Care System, 1918-1924 / Rosemary A. Stevens -- Part Ii: Disablity. 3. Architecture Of Injury: Disabled Veterans, Federal Policy, And The Built Environment In The Early Twentieth Century / John M. Kinder -- 4. An Emblem Of Distinction: The Politics Of Disability Entitlement, 1940-1950 / Audra Jennings -- Part Iii: The Politics Of Race And Labor. 5. Put Fighting Blood In Your Business: The U.s. War Department And The Reemployment Of World War I Soldiers / Nancy Gentile Ford -- 6. The Long Journey Home: African American World War I Veterans And Veteran Policies / Jennifer Keene -- Part Iv: Bonuses And G.i. Bills. 7. Rethinking The Bonus March: Federal Bonus Policy, Veteran Organizations, And The Origins Of A Protest Movement / Stephen R. Ortiz -- 8. Do Something For The Soldier Boys: Congress, The G.i. Bill Of Rights, And The Contours Of Liberalism / Nancy Beck Young -- 9. A Veteran Does Not Have To Stay A Veteran Forever: Congress And The Korean G.i. Bill / -- Melinda Pash -- 10. A Price On Patriotism: The Politics And Unintended Consequences Of The 1966 G.i. Bill / Mark Boulton -- Part V: Contemporary Veterans' Politics. 11. Conventional And Distinctive Policy Preferences Of Early-twenty-first-century Veterans / -- Jeremy M. Teigen -- 12. Exploring The Effects Of Combat Exposure On American Civic Life / Christopher S. Parker. Edited By Stephen R. Ortiz ; Foreword By Suzanne Mettler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 List of Tables 11 Foreword 12 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction 18 Part I. Health Care 26 1. Army Sanctuary for Tubercular Veterans: Veterans’ Health Care before the Veterans Bureau 28 2. The Invention, Stumbling, and Reinvention of the Modern U.S. Veterans Health Care System, 1918–1924 55 Part II. Disability 80 3. Architecture of Injury: Disabled Veterans, Federal Policy, and the Built Environment in the Early Twentieth Century 82 4. “An Emblem of Distinction”: The Politics of Disability Entitlement, 1940–1950 111 Part III. The Politics of Race and Labor 134 5. “Put Fighting Blood in Your Business”: The U.S. War Department and the Reemployment of World War I Soldiers 136 6. The Long Journey Home: African American World War I Veterans and Veterans’ Policies 163 Part IV. Bonuses and G.I. Bills 188 7. Rethinking the Bonus March: Federal Bonus Policy, Veteran Organizations, and the Origins of a Protest Movement 190 8. “Do Something for the Soldier Boys”: Congress, the G.I. Bill of Rights, and the Contours of Liberalism 216 9. “A Veteran Does Not Have to Stay a Veteran Forever”: Congress and the Korean G.I. Bill 239 10. A Price on Patriotism: The Politics and Unintended Consequences of the 1966 G.I. Bill 258 Part V. Contemporary Veterans’ Politics 278 11. Conventional and Distinctive Policy Preferences of Early-Twenty- First-Century Veterans 280 12. Exploring the Effects of Combat Exposure on American Civic Life 298 List of Contributors 318 Index 320 A 320 B 321 C 322 D 322 E 323 F 323 G 324 H 325 I 325 J 326 K 326 L 326 M 326 N 327 O 328 P 328 R 329 S 330 T 330 U 331 V 333 W 334 Y 335 The study of military veterans and politics has been a growing area of interest, but most research on the topic has remained isolated in specific, unconnected fields of inquiry. This is a multidisciplinary, comprehensive examination of the American veteran experience. The editor has compiled some of the best work on the formation and impact of veterans' policies, the politics of veterans' issues, and veterans' political engagement over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the United States Subject: An examination of the political issues and causes of veterans of the U.S. military