Veterans' education benefits led the way to Federal financial assistance for higher education. And out of that vision grew a revolution in the housing finance industry that has made low or no down payment mortgages widely available and transformed America into a nation of homeowners. Not all veterans' benefits have become universal. At one time, the idea of a guaranteed minimum income as a social safety net enjoyed some currency in discussions of public policy. Government provided medical coverage is a perennial entrant on the stage of public policy discussion.
Every revolution contains the seeds of a counter-revolution.
In the case of post World War II veterans' benefits, the counter revolution has not taken the form of opposition. Rather it has takes the form of imitation. Today, both private sector and government programs open the door to home ownership on easy terms. The veterans' benefit is no longer unique. When government assistance for higher education was unknown, veterans had a real advantage in their pursuit of the education that would help them establish civilian careers and help them catch up with their non-veteran peers who went to school or started their careers rather than going into the service.