Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-03
Postwar Paw
For Service
MeninHouse
Inspiration From Writer
Congressman Says
BY DAMON RUNYON

gresham from the Bronx,
New York, advises me that, in
spired by this column, he has
introduced in the House OF Rep
resentatives bill providing for
continuing the pay of men OF
our armed forces for one year
from the date of honorable dis
charge.
Without having had the OPP
portunity of reading Mr.. Lynch's
bill in detail, l feel sure that in
principle it will strike a re-
sponsive chord among the mil
lions of men in the service or
about TO go in.
| believe il will also be en-
dorsed by the veterans Of our
other wars who will remember
the difficulties they had in get
ting started anew in civil life
after their army and navy serY-
ice.
That is my theory of the pay
continuance-to give the former
soldiers and sailors living wage
while they are endeavorng TO
find their place in civil life.
1t is my opinion that this
would mean freedom from worry
about the immediate future
which always besets man sud-
denly turned out of the service
with only a few dollars in his
rocket TO find the world he
knew completely changed.
OF COURSE many will read
" Just themselves quickly and
easily but there will be millions
of others not as fortunate and
il is of these | am thinking.
I have seen too many former
service men wandering aimlessly
about. broke and discouraged,
after two of our other wars TO
have any confidence in the gov
eminent or society showing any
concern for them.
The promises that many en-
ployers make about holding
Jobs for men going into the
service sounds highly patriotic
and reassuring but they are gen.
orally forgotten before the
echoes of the last gun have died
away. BY that time the Jobs
are filled by fellows who for one
reason and another did not go
to war and the employers mani
fest a strange Discrimination 10
make room for the returned
heroes.
EXPECT to hear the objec-
L ton 10 continuing the pay
that it would be paying men for
doing nothing. an old, familiar
cry against rewarding those who
serve the flag, usually raised by
persons who never know the
hardships of service or the smell
of gunpowder, AZ if Offering
ones life and giving the best
years of ones youth were
nothing.
l expect 10 hear. too, the crlti-
cism that it would be placing a
price on patriotism. as If IL were
better TO let patriotism starve
and become embittered after
war than TO enjoy a full stom-
ach and the feeling that the
republic is not always migrate
full.
These same things were said
when the veterans OF the First
World War were seek ing
adjusted service compensation
generally known as the bonus,
but what il really meant was
compensation 10 make up for
what service men lost in civil
life when they joined up.
1t took them 20 years 10 win
the fight for this adjusted serv-
ice compensation, which will
surely be demanded by the men
in the service today unless they
are rewarded as / suggest.
THE. pay continuance would
Il amount TO immediate pay
ment of the bonus and at a time
when il would be of more bene-
fit TO most of the men than if
il we're long delayed and in
volved another bitter political
struggle.
1t would afford capital TO the
men in renewing business or
farm work.
1t would give those who will
come back from the war broken
in health and spirit the oppor-
tunjty of resting and recuper-
ating.
Probably not all the men
would accept the pay continu-
ance. Those who are able TO
get work at once would likely
waive the govern en- [ re-
enumeration.
II may surprise you to learn
that not all men are disposed 10
greed where the government is
concerned. ! understand that
upward of 175,000 veterans Of
the First World War have failed
to pick up their adjusted serv-
ice compensation to this day.
mainly because they have not
needed il.
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