A Living Legacy:

The Evolution of the GI Bill

The 1944 GI Bill established a tradition of veterans' benefits enduring to this day. Korea and Vietnam veterans used less generous versions of the GI Bill to attend community colleges in the 1950s and 1960s. The rapid growth of four-year and graduate programs during this era enabled thousands of others to attain bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional degrees.

With the end of the military draft in 1973, the GI Bill became less of a reward for service and more of an incentive for enlistment. In the all-volunteer military, the GI Bill has operated in a way similar to civilian retirement programs: service personnel contribute part of their pay, which is matched several times over by the government. The fifth version of the law, known as the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), introduced further modifications in the 1980s. After September 11, 2001, Congress approved a large increase in MGIB payments. Today, those benefits represent the most generous college financial aid awarded by the federal government.

From the perspective of six decades, the legacy of the GI Bill transcends specific issues of veterans benefits–encompassing two general principles about the relationship between citizens and government in a democratic society. The first is that it is in the nation's interest to assist deserving individuals in attaining the good and necessary things in life. The second is that the choice of the precise means by which to achieve such goals should be left in the hands of the individual beneficiary. Today, millions of Americans live richer, fuller lives as a result.

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Credit: Special Collections Research Center, NCSU Libraries.

NC State classroom, 1954.

In 1952 Public Law 550 extended educational benefits to veterans of the Korean War. Consequently, the number of veterans at NC State remained high through the early 1960s, averaging 2,000 students a year.

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Credit: Special Collections Research Center, NCSU Libraries.

NC State classroom, 1950s.

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Credit: Allan Robinson for NC State.

Laboratory work at the Gaston Technical Institute, 1954.

The Gaston Technical Institute became the primary site for NC State's extension programs in industrial training. In this 1954 photo, three radio and television engineering students repair a TV set as part of their laboratory work. Left to right: Johnny Stafford, Tom Robertson, and Carl Lineberger.

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Credit: Agromeck, 1955.

Veterans Association, 1955.

In 1953, the final year of U.S. combat activity in Korea, the NC State Veterans Association was reactivated. In its peak year of 1957, the group counted more than 800 members. During this era, the Veterans Association sponsored social events, volunteered at local orphanages, assisted students during registration, and conducted joint projects with other campus organizations.

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Credit: Agromeck, 1971.

Veterans Association, 1971.

The Veterans Association remained active throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1965 the organization circulated a petition proclaiming support for the government's policy in Southeast Asia. It was signed by 1,300 NC State students and faculty and sent to General Westmoreland, Commander of the U.S. forces in Vietnam. Renamed in 1975, the NCSU Veterans Club disbanded in June 1979 because of "a lack of qualified active members."

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Credit: Agromeck, 1972.

Unidentified [NC State?] student in uniform shirt, 1972.

 

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Credit: G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery Collection, Congressional and Political Research Center, Mississippi State University Libraries.

Montgomery and President Ronald Reagan.

Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery, a Mississippi Democrat and veteran of WWII and Korea, led the effort to make GI Bill benefits permanent while serving as the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. President Ronald Reagan signed the proposal into law on June 1, 1987. It came to be known as "the Montgomery GI Bill."

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Credit: Special Collections Research Center, NCSU Libraries.

Chart showing the evolution of GI Bill benefits. It includes the 1944 GI Bill of Rights, the Korean War GI Bill, the Post-Korean Vietnam Era GI Bill, the Post-Vietnam Era Educational Assistance Program, and the Montgomery GI Bill.

Estimates are that some 450,000 engineers, 240,000 accountants, 238,000 teachers, and 91,000 scientists advanced their education under the first GI Bill, as did thousands of lawyers, doctors, dentists, journalists, members of the clergy, corporate executives, skilled crafts workers and technical specialists. Because these professionals had higher earning capacities, they paid higher income taxes. Economists claim that for every dollar spent on GI Bill education benefits, the nation received as much as eight dollars in taxes–an impressive investment yield.

 

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