The GI Bill of Rights, Article Review Example

The article ‘The GI Bill of Rights’ by Michael J. Bennett describes a number of stories that are connected with the GI Bill. This Servicemen’s Readjustments Act provided a possibility to enter colleges and universities for World War II veterans.

Story of Les Faulk tells us about a man who graduated his school in 1944 and was an infantryman in 1945. In 1944, he thought that he would be a golf caddy or even armature winder – professions considered respectable in his town. There were a lot of reasons for him to give up the thought to enter the university: he had Italian name, he had a work, and the possibility to graduate the university was very small. But he decided for himself that he would do it – and he did it. He used the chance that his government gave to him and succeeded.

Chesterfield Smith entered the University of Florida in 1935. He played with his life and studied for one semester from two – he earned money for his study. He neglected everything and avoided responsibility. But after the war his attitude changed radically. He was the other man with other goals. He set himself clear target to achieve financial success – and GI Bill helped him to achieve it. He understood that it was his brilliant opportunity to make something of himself that could be realized with an unprecedented ease.

In Harvard there had always studied the most elite students. The atmosphere of snobbery and dominance prevailed. But GI Bill enabled veterans from different social layers to enter even Harvard. This university was recruiting students from religious and national minorities. Frank O’Hara entered Harvard University after having read about the GI Bill opportunities. He admitted that before the GI Bill of Right declaration he could not afford Harvard fees. But with it he was able to enter it and graduate it successfully.

Henry Kissinger, who became a Secretary of State later, enrolled as a college student in ‘Jewish Harvard’, CCNY. Army service changed him – he felt himself like American. In Boston – Cambridge, a noticeable social stratification took place. But being a veteran he managed all the problems with dignity and wisdom and graduated this university.

Universities administration made it possible for veterans to enter the universities. Members of all racial, ethnic or religious groups were welcome. Courses and innovations such as accelerated courses were introduced.

For Negros entering the university was a problem before the GI Bill. They graduated underfunded, segregated schools. Their level of education was much lower then whites’ level. But for blacks several measures were undertaken to ease their enrollment. And Afro-American students used widely their opportunities. Those who used privileges provided by GI Bill got the opportunity to enter good universities. Robert Eubanks was a black veteran that faced with the problem of racial discrimination when he looked for job. Thanks to GI Bill – he could enter the university and study as any other student of any race. He earned Master’s and then Doctorate degree and later became a professor in University of Illinois.

All these stories illustrated how successful a government program can be. In fact, these stories are not the only examples. Numbers speak themselves – twenty percent of those who entered universities by means of GI Bill could never enter them without it because they just had no opportunity. The best universities were open for everybody – even Harvard that had always been a university for political elites opened its doors and greeted every person from every social layer. Such a wide variety of opportunities available was unprecedented. The GI Bill gave the veterans an opportunity to choose the way they want to go. And it enabled the universities to teach. Resources of the State were used to achieve higher level of educated people. All these veterans were fairly given an extra opportunity to acquire and possess prosperity and for their happiness and safety. For many of them it opened the new horizons for self-realizing. They had an opportunity to train their brains, their most important property, for their prosperity.

In my opinion, it is obvious that vast majority of veterans had no opportunity to enter elite universities without GI Bill. To say more, some of them were worthy of studying, but absolutely deprived of possibilities. Story of Chesterfield Smith shows how a person’s mind was changed by the war. After graduating his school he was a boy, a beardless and reckless boy. After the war he was a man – with strict rules and clearly set targets. A war changes people. For some veterans life in peace would be difficult, for some of them it could be the same to the pre-war life. But the adulthood they had gained during the war would discriminate them from their mates forever.

All of the stories of this article represent mature decisions. For Les Faulk it was a decision to give up his work and enter the university, though he knew that only one of twenty made it to graduation. For Chesterfield Smith it was a change from life wasting to self realization. For Frank O’Hara it was difficult not only to enter the university, but also to study as he faced, though not vehement, racism and snobbery. For Henry Kissinger it was a Germanic accent he had to adopt in order to deal with the snobs. For Robert Eubanks it was a military service he had to undergo in order to get money for studying. I think that there were much more situations when veterans changed their lives to better by means of GI Bill. It just embodied the changes and satisfied the needs of people who gained new level of world perception.

GI Bill of Rights enabled those who struggled for the country to realize themselves. It was a brilliant example of the well-planned government program. It enabled people to help themselves – and opened for them the doors that, probably, could never be opened for them without GI Bill.