Over 57 million men and women have served, sacrificed, and fought in our country’s Military forces from 1775 through 2016.
In 1775, 241 years ago, our “War of Independence” began.
The Revolutionary War liberated our 13 original colonies from the British monarchy. The men and women who lived and died in the 13 colonies were known as patriots. The patriots fought with Gen. George Washington in the Revolutionary War and they became our country’s first Military Veterans.
Over 57 million men and women have served, sacrificed, and fought in our country’s Military forces from 1775 through 2016.
In 1775, 241 years ago, our “War of Independence” began.
The Revolutionary War liberated our 13 original colonies from the British monarchy. The men and women who lived and died in the 13 colonies were known as patriots. The patriots fought with Gen. George Washington in the Revolutionary War and they became our country’s first Military Veterans.
Our new nation eventually grew from the 13 colonies to become the United States of America.
Our wonderful country has always had our civilian people, and our Military Veterans, to give us freedom and liberty.
World War I started in Europe in 1914. It was named, “The Great War” as it was supposed to be the war to end all wars.
America stayed neutral until 1917, then America was thrust into World War I.
My Dad and Uncle Tom came to the USA from Greece in 1914. In 1916, they were recruited into the American Army.
They served in the 85th Infantry Division. It became known as the Polar Bears Division. They served in Northern Russia, 60 miles south of the arctic circle, in temperatures that reached down to 30 degrees below zero. Many of those soldiers suffered from frostbite, frozen hands and feet.
Fortunately, my Dad and Uncle Tom returned without any wounds.
Mostly, due to the poor communications systems in those days, the Polar Bears Division kept fighting up to eight months after the Armistice was signed.
In World War I, 16 million Americans were involved in that bloody, horrendous, and costly war. In total, the number of casualties from all armies in WWI sits at about 10 million. Another 20 million soldiers were wounded with poison gas, lost body parts, impaired health, and everlasting scars.
Happily, WWI ended on November 11, 1918. That day was known as “Armistice Day.” In 1954, the name was changed to “Veterans Day.”
Great celebrations, and long parades of marching men and women occurred everywhere
But the WWI Veterans expected some type of compensation, and they received nothing.
Hundreds of Veterans from all parts of America formed “The Bonus Army” and began their “March on Washington” to plead for their rights. Those Veterans had no money for hotel rooms, and no other place to stay.
So they picked up whatever boxes, scraps of wood and metals they could find, and built small, makeshift shacks to live in. They called their shanty residences “Hooverville.”
President Herbert Hoover resented the Veterans’ presence in Washington, D.C. so he ordered Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. MacArthur to send American soldiers to tear down all “Hooverville huts.”
Also, Hoover ordered the generals to tell their troops to fix bayonets to their rifles, and chase all the veterans out of Washington. D.C.
That’s how many of our WWI Veterans were treated.
Fortunately, there was some good news through the 1920’s. Many wonderful events became memorable with the passage of Women’s Rights, the rise of radio and television, “The Roaring 20’s,”and my birth in 1923.
I’ll be 93 tomorrow.
Unfortunately, millions of people suffered through the 1929 Wall Street Crash, which brought on the “Great Depression.” Also, millions of Americans endured the miserable 1930’s Dust Bowl.
After WW I ended in 1918, the Allies dictated the drastic terms and conditions of the Peace Treaty which created smoldering resentment in Germany. Adolf Hitler came into power in 1923. He ultimately became Chancellor of Germany, and by invading Poland, he started World War II in 1939,which involved most of Europe.
The United States stayed neutral, but we supplied war material to the Allies. Thousands of our factories had converted from their usual manufacturing production into producing all kinds of war materiel; rifles, pistols, bullets, artillery shells, bombs, tanks, jeeps, fighter planes, bombers, ships, etc.
All manufactured by our country’s Home Front, included millions of women. They made a decisive contribution to the war effort. America became known as the arsenal of democracy. In August, 1940, I was employed at General Motors, and became quite proficient as a riveter. i trained 30 women who became known as Rosie, the Riveters.
On Sunday December 7, 1941, The Imperial Japanese Military Forces launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. With the agreement of Congress, President Roosevelt declared War on Japan.
The American Armed Forces began to fight in World War II.
On February 8, 1943, my two closest friends and I, all nineteen-year-olds, enlisted in the Army. We had hoped that the three of us would all serve in the same unit.
• Bud Martin was assigned to the infantry. He survived the D-Day landing on June 6th 1944, but he died at the “Battle of the Bulge” in Belgium, in December 1944.
• Bill Perry served in the Air Transport Command in the Pacific area. He received horrible facial wounds; took to heavy drinking, and died of liver failure.
• I was assigned to a field artillery battalion. I served as a telephone wireman, and as an artillery forward observer.
Our units made our first amphibious landing on the Anzio Beachhead, in Italy, in January 1944, and another landing in Southern France on August 15, 1944.
We fought in Italy, France, Germany, and Austria. Of my nearly three years in the Army, 565 days were in combat. 70 years later, I was awarded a Purple Heart for my facial wound.
My brother Jim served with the Navy Seabees in the Pacific. My brother, Babe served in the Army, as an operational planning officer in Europe.
World War II ended in September 1945. 16 million American men and women had served;
Less than 2 million WWII Veterans are alive today.
When World War 2 ended America had a new dilemma.
Due to the tremendous requirements of war equipment and supplies production, millions of women had become gainfully employed. They became one of our country’s greatest assets.
Most of the women wanted to continue their employment,
However, their employment negated job opportunities to the returning military Veterans.
Fortunately, to alleviate the Veterans unemployment situation, President Roosevelt with the powerful voices of several Veterans’ organizations, primarily the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars helped Congress pass the “The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. ”
This “GI Bill of Rights” provided a wide range of educational and future employment assistance to military Veterans, and their dependents. At first, many colleges and universities refused to accept Veterans as new students. But, many millions of male and female Veterans became the best students in numerous colleges and trades-schools to increase their future employment opportunities,
These highly-educated and trained Veterans became teachers, nurses, doctors, accountants, lawyers, bankers, secretaries, retail store employees, managers, plumbers, mechanics, engineers, carpenters, painters, etc. Thousands of Veterans became farmers and ranchers.
All these new employers and employees led to our great national prosperity.
With the assistance of the G I Bill, millions of new businesses, factories, and office buildings were constructed. Millions of vehicle were manufactured. Millions of people married, and many others also needed housing. Millions of new houses and apartment buildings were built, and new furniture and home furnishings were manufactured.
The G.I. Bill was one of the greatest government assistance programs ever devised.
Was it expensive? According to Congress’ joint economic committee’s detailed cost-analysis report in 1988,” figuring in 2006 dollars.
In educational benefits alone, of the $51 billion spent by Congress created $260 billion of increased national productivity, and a return investment of sales and income tax dollars of $93 billion, which amounted to a gross profit of $353 billion.
That figures out to $7 returned for each dollar spent.
Not only have the Military veterans contributed their physical bodies, sacrificed their limbs and minds to protect and save our super-great nation, but they have added immensely to the economic growth and prosperity of these great United States of America.
Tom Brokaw’s book, “The Greatest Generation” described THAT generation of people who grew up in the United States, during the deprivation of the Great Depression, then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity in the war’s Home Front who made a decisive, material contribution to the war effort.
We all hope to live in everlasting peace, but I believe there will always be a war raging somewhere due to someone’s hungry ego, greed, and their thirst for power.
Fighting for our freedom has changed in these modern times, to different kinds of sneaky, digital warfare. Our current younger military service people are answering the patriotic call to fight terrorism.
A list of our local communities’ departed veterans who have reported to a higher command would be an endless list.
On this end of the Seal Beach Pier is a 36 x 32 inch bronze plaque in commemoration of all the military veterans of the U.S.A.
That’s the story of our 57 million Military Veterans over the past 241 years.
I’m glad we’ve all taken a bit of our time to acknowledge and commemorate our military veterans for all their sacrifices on Veterans Day November 11, 2016.
Bill Thomas of Rossmoor is a Veteran of World War II, and Past Commander of VFW Post 4048, and American Legion Post 857. Contact Bill at vvbthomasvets@gmail.com.