Common Joe

About the Book

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill) was “widely considered to be one of the most successful public policies ever adopted in the United States” (Serow, 2004, p. 482). It had both social and political effects some historians believed went far beyond those originally envisioned. Given the popular name “G.I. Bill of Rights” it had six provisions or titles. The various titles addressed the broad concerns and recommendations from two presidential committees. Title II, the education and training provision of the bill, provided monetary assistance to veterans enrolled in postsecondary institutions. Title II was the first large-scale direct student financial aid initiative every undertaken in the United States (Angrist, 1993). The Title II G.I. Bill entitlement had unexpected and profound effects on American higher education, the American economy, and on the American society in general. With that provision, veterans of World War II were asked, in essence, if they wished to attend college for free. The effects Title II had on postsecondary institutions, student populations, and on veterans has been studied extensively. What has been missing however was the retrospective recollections of WW II veterans and how they interpreted that historic piece of legislation. Most importantly, we now have a full life-course history of the first participants of that first-large scale student financial aid initiative from which to draw conclusions. Only now is it possible to look back over many years at that historic initiative. Determining its effects seems appropriate. Questions such as: was the G.I. Bill perceived as useful? If not, now was it perceived? Did it accomplish what it was designed for? Did those who used it do so for the purposes envisioned? Answers to such questions are important for contemporary policy makers when contemplating future financial aid initiatives. Seven World War II veterans were interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to explore the effects the Title II provision of the 1944 G.I. Bill legislation had on the life-course of those veterans. The interviews were guided by the following questions: 1. Thinking retrospectively what were the veterans’ perception of the G.I. Bill? 2. What factors influenced their decision to use / not use Title II? 3. How do the veterans believe their use / non-use of the education provision affected their life-course? 4. Were life-course trajectory changes manifested in a veteran’s post-war family, career, or occupational choices? Interview sessions were focused on three periods of a veteran’s life: pre-war family, military experience, and post-war life. How the G.I. Bill was perceived is woven into the conclusions. Analysis of the interviews was done using the author’s notes, prepared transcripts, recordings of the interviews, and the Leximancer computer software package for academic research. The author’s analysis consisted of Within Case and Cross Case comparisons. The Leximancer analysis revealed two major themes: Time and School. Those themes had not been identified by the author and needed to be interpreted. The blending of these two analysis techniques enabled a truer picture to be drawn of the G.I. Bill and its effects on the veterans interviewed. This book also captures the history of the G.I. Bill from its inception in 1939 to implementation in 1944. Included are historical records of the discussions which preceded its passage. The surprising impacts this legislation had on the American college is discussed. Findings, recommendations for further inquiry, and a conclusion are also included.

About the Author

Marvin Castagna spent twenty-six years working within U.S. Military communities. He was a Red Cross Director in Vietnam, an active duty soldiers in Europe, and an Education Services Officer in the Middle East. Mr. Castagna returned to college in 2002. At first he meandered through the catalog taking a myriad of unrelated by “of interest” classes. In 2004 he began to focus his academic interests. Mr. Castagna received a Ph.D. degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2009. This book is an off-shoot of his dissertation research.