The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-15
''Waterbury Bureau of Veteran
 Restitution"?

Restitution?
 This is an advocation for the abandon ment of the ward Rehabilitation" as the overall descriptive title of Waterbury's proposed program for meeting the many diversified needs of its returning service men as well as the problems which will confront its displaced war workers.
 We feel better choice of word might be restitution" as 1t might be applied in this instance, Selective of more compre- henSive choice for the general purposes of the program. Webster defines the word restitution as follows: tact of re- storing; restoration of anything to its rightful owners, act of making good or giving the equivalent for loss, damage, etc., suffered by the individual; restora- tion of persons to a former position or status; return, recompense, or compen- sation"
 In contrast the word rehabilitation" is defined: ito invest or clothe again with some right, authority or dignity; specifically to restore a disabled soldier to the status of independence of earning power"
 We feel that the word, restitution, as defined here, is synonomouS with the many duties we will be morally bound-to as regards these returning veterans. Restoration of anything to its rightful owner, ar an act of making good or giv- ing the equivalent for loss, damage, etc., suffered by the individual". That phrase covers a great many of these obligations. In the case of the average returning vet eran, primarily we will be called upon to restore every free phase, possible to re- store, of the peacetime life enjoyed by the average soldier. If we cannot return these things, or make them available, exactly as he knew them before he willingly part ed with them to go to war, then we must, as the second half of that definitiVe phrase expresses 1t, perform an "act of making good or giving the equivalent for loss, damage, etc., suffered by the lndl- vidual."
 "A return, a recompense or compensa- ton" the definition continues. These are all integral parts of such a proposed program. We are not giving anything new to these men that return, nothing that should resemble gratuitieS; we are merely returning to them those rights and priVi- leges or facsimilies of them, that they enjoyed before they left such things in our care and went off to defend them.
 Again in contrast, the word "rehabili- tation" is synonimous today with its spe- cific meaningf of restoring a disabled soldier to the status of independence in earning poWer". This Is too singularly definitive to be suitable as a cognomen for the general duties of such program. Such needs ase the restoration of dis abled soldiers will be gerat but they will be among the exceptions rather than the rule. Most of these returning veterans will not be disabled and will not have problems of readjustment; more, their TuiU AIl Wh W to offer them by way of direction, guid- ance and pertient information, quickly and adequately. Many will have justifi- able grievances which must be abolished when brought to light; others will be perfectly capable of readjusting them- selves and will naturally resent any preferred help along such lines, yet who wtll require access to this program for seasons of their own.
 Many detailed matters will confront RDcal authorities. Matters pertaining to discharges, mastering out pay, compen- sation claims, unemployment and others. There will be the many cases of individ- ualS aspiring to higher grade Of work than that in which they participated be- fore entering the service; there will be the cases of former employees of now de- funct business-houses who became vlc- LIl1S OI Wdr-ClIHe PIcSSuISJ CLlSIC WILL w family and personal problems; none or which in fairness to these men can right . fully be classified as problems Of rehabili- tation.
 Let us adopt a broader, more compre- sensive and dignified choice of title There will result, we fear, many instances of resentment on the part of veterans result ing from their misconception of the word rehabilitation; there will be many regret table instances of their prideful refusal to make l.se of this program for this req sons. If we are going to do this thing right let us start at the beginning with fitting name, something that denotes our duties and obligations toward these men relative to handing back those rights they left behind in our safekeeping, such as the Waterbury Bureau of Civilian Restitution.