Picture courtesy of Bunkhistory
Context
Video clip courtesy of World War I Museum and Memorial
World War I took place between 1914 and 1918. It was a difficult war with many casualties.
Picture courtesy of the Journal Gazette (Matoon, Illinois)
"Sec. 201. The amount of adjusted service credit shall be computed by allowing the following sums for each day of active service, in excess of sixty days, in the military or naval forces of the United States after April 5, 1917, and before July 1, 1919, ... : $1.25 for each day of oversea service, and $1 for each day of home service... (payable) to the veteran twenty years after the date of the certificate."
~An Act to provide adjusted compensation for veterans of the World War (Bonus Act), April 10, 1924
Picture courtesy of U.S. Capital Visitor Center
1924 Bonus Promise
The government promised each soldier compensation in the form of money. The amount was tied to the length of the soldier’s service. The bonus would be paid in 1945. This became known as the Tombstone Bonus.
Picture courtesy of TheBalance
The Great Depression
In 1929, the stock market crashed. It was the beginning of the Great Depression, a worldwide severe economic downturn. It caused shortages of food, employment, and housing.
Picture courtesy of University of Illinois
Gathering in Portland
Four hundred veterans gathered in Portland, Oregon, on May 17, 1932 to create a movement and go to the capital. Walter Waters (pictured above) led the group. They traveled by freight train and hitched rides or walked to Washington DC.
