The Bonus Army

Ralph Monroe Jackson
March 12, 1894 - November 10, 1949

Back in the summer of 1932, Ralph Monroe Jackson, who went by the name Monroe, asked his brother Wallace Hugh Jackson to drive with him in his Model T to Washington, D.C.  Monroe, who served in WWI, wanted to travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Bonus Army rally. They left their home in Middlesex County, Virginia on roads that were nothing more than dirt.  Two weeks and 18 flat tires later they arrived in DC, and Wallace said he was never happier to arrive late to an event.

So what was the Bonus Army you ask?  

At the end of WWI, veterans were given Adjusted Compensation Certificates or bonuses that were to be paid out to them in 1945.  But because of the hardships brought about by the Great Depression, the veterans wanted their bonuses paid right then.  In the summer of 1932, the Bonus Army, which consisted of  12,000-15,000 veterans and their families, converged on the Capitol to demand their bonuses be paid.  Upon their arrival, they set up a shanty town below the Capital.  When the bonus bill was defeated in Congress, most members of the Bonus Army or Bonus Expeditionary Force as they were also called left.  Approximately 2,000-5,000 members stayed to protest.  The near riots that ensued created a restlessness that had the local authorities asking President Hoover to intervene.  He sent troops led by General Douglas MacArthur and Brigadier General Perry L. Miles used tanks and tear gas to destroy the camps and drive off the members of the Bonus Army.  Several veterans were wounded and one was killed.

In 1933, another Bonus Army traveled to Washington, D.C. and was greeted by the new president's wife Eleanor Roosevelt.  No bonus legislation was passed this time either, but the Civilian Conservation Corps was formed which allowed many veterans to finally find employment.  Later in 1936, Congress passed legislation to disperse $2 Billion in veteran benefits.  This all laid the groundwork for the GI Bill of Rights in 1944.

Ralph Monroe Jackson
with 2 unidentified females

Wallace Jackson
September 1, 1914- January 23, 1999

Definitely one time when it was better to be 2 weeks late showing up.