Those words might not make sense to you. Let's go back, much further than 1932:
The practice of war-time military bonuses began in 1776, as payment for the difference between what a soldier earned and what he could have earned had he not enlisted. America first did this, as you might expect, in the War of the American Revolution.
In 1783, as the war ended, hundreds of veterans from Pennsylvania marched on the nation's capital, Philadelphia, demanding an increase in their bonuses. They surrounded the State House, soon to be renamed Independence Hall. Congress evacuated, and a few weeks later, the U.S. Army arrived, and kicked them out. Nobody died.
The U.S. entered World War I on April 6, 1917, and made the difference for the Allies, gaining the Armistice on November 11, 1918. In 1924, Congress passed a bill awarding that war's veterans $1.00 per day of domestic service, up to $500; and $1.25 per day of overseas service, up to $625.
Lest you think that Republican Presidents being conservative assholes is a relatively new phenomenon, President Calvin Coolidge vetoed the bill. Congress overrode his veto, and the bill became law. But here's the kicker: This bonus would not be made available to the veterans until 1945. (Which turned out to be the year that World War II ended.)
Then came the stock market crash of 1929, and the Great Depression. President Herbert Hoover did not cause these things, but in 1930 and 1931, he didn't seem to be trying very hard to turn them around. (He never publicly said, "Prosperity is just around the corner," and he knew it wasn't. The)
By early 1932, one out of every four men in the workforce could not find a job. Many of these men were veterans of the war. Some men sold their medals to get money for food, bringing to mind the expression, "What price glory?" The plight of unemployed veterans worked its way into songs, including Bing Crosby's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", although that song was not released until a few weeks after the Bonus Army march.
Not for the first time in human history, and not the last, men asked the question, "I was there when my country needed me, so where is my country now that I need it?" And now, Hoover had to run for re-election.
On March 11, 1932, Oregon veteran Walter W. Waters organized a group of fellow veterans and began leading them East toward Washington. Taking their name from that of American troops in France in World War I, the American Expeditionary Force, he called them the Bonus Expeditionary Force. Most news reports just called them the Bonus Army.
They arrived in Washington 43,000 strong -- 17,000 veterans and their families -- on May 28, and camped in tents to the south of the U.S. Capitol Building, on the Anacostia Flats. Like so many other encampments of the homeless across America, it was quickly labeled a "Hooverville."
They demanded that Congress pass, and Hoover sign, a bill into law paying their 1945-due bonuses immediately. On June 15, the House of Representatives passed such a bill, 211-176. There was hope.
That hope was crushed only 2 days later: The Senate voted it down, and it wasn't even close, 62-18.
There seemed to be very little reason for the Bonus Army army to stay. But they did. Through the 2nd half of June. And almost all the way through July.
Finally, on July 28, Hoover had had enough. He ordered Pelham Glassford, the Superintendent of the District of Columbia Police, to get the Bonus Army out.
The Bonusers refused to leave. The police opened fire, and killed 2 of them: William Hushka, 37, an immigrant from Lithuania who became a butcher in Chicago; and Eric Carlson, 38, of Oakland. Both, as they were legally entitled, were buried across the Potomac River in Arlington National Cemetery.
Finally, Hoover ordered Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley to use the current real Army to get those aggrieved heroes away from Washington. Hurley gave the order to the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff.
This 4-star General sent in cavalry and tanks, and told his troops to do whatever it took to disperse the Bonus Army. Nobody else died, but many were brutally beaten.
Had modern television coverage been available at the time, the outrage throughout the country would have meant that this General would have been forced to resign. Instead, his career continued. His name was Douglas MacArthur.
On November 8, 1932, Hoover was defeated for re-election, losing 42 out of the 48 States then in the Union to the Democratic Party's nominee, the Governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
In 1933, there was a smaller march on Washington demanding the Bonus. FDR responded by offering them federal government jobs. Those who accepted were better off. Those who refused were given transit fare home.
In 1936, with the Depression easing but by no means over, Congress passed a bill awarding the Bonus, now just 9 years ahead of schedule. FDR vetoed it -- something his hagiographers usually don't mention. Congress overrode his veto, and the Bonus was paid.
In 1944, determined not to make the same mistake, FDR asked Congress to pass a G.I. Bill of Rights. It did, and the returning veterans of World War II got immediate benefits far beyond what those who returned from World War I got.
Walter Waters was never prosecuted for anything he may have done with the Bonus Army. He lived until 1959. First MacArthur, then Hoover, died in 1Got.
*
July 28, 1932 was a Thursday. It was the off-season for the NFL and the NHL, and the NBA hadn't been founded yet. But these games were played in Major League Baseball:
* The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-1 at League Park in Cleveland. Babe Ruth hit 2 home runs in support of Red Ruffing.
* The New York Giants got swept in a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds. The Pittsburgh Pirates beat them in the 1st game 10-7, and in the 2nd game 9-1.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers split a doubleheader at Ebbets Field. They beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener, 9-6, before dropping the nightcap, 8-6.
* The Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Braves, 4-1 at Braves Field in Boston.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4 at Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2 at Navin Field in Detroit. (It was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and Tiger Stadium in 1961.)
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox, 2-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.
* And the St. Louis Browns beat the Washington Senators, 6-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.