The Bonus Army: An American Epic

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But, with their readable and exhaustive account, Dickson and Allen have gone a long way toward remedying that situation. Allen, provide an astonishing, and largely forgotten, account of how our veterans, fueled by desperation and determination, anger and honor, overcame political obstacles and tactics as formidable as those they had faced on the battlefield.

This is must reading, not only for today's political leaders, but for all Americans who understand the need to fight for the fair treatment of those we ask to carry the fight for freedom. Exhaustively researched but simply written, it holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. I personally remember the momentous events of the July day in , but before reading this account I had no idea of the drama, the pathos, the confusion, and the lasting importance of the event.

Highly recommended for any reader who seeks a rounded knowledge of America of the twentieth century.

Eisenhower "A tragic yet enormously important chapter in the making of 20th century America, beautifully and brilliantly told by Dickson and Allen. The GI Bill lifted ten million veterans into the middle class through vocational rehabilitation, low-cost home mortgages, college tuition, and living expenses. You cannot fully understand contemporary America unless you understand the Bonus Army. As the nation prepares to welcome home another generation of wartime veterans, it offers a cautionary and instructional tale about the permanent bond that modern military service creates between veterans and the state.

Keene, author of Doughboys, the Great War and the Remaking of America "By a far stretch the best-written account of the BEF and the first scholarly attempt in nearly two decades. The authors, both experienced history writers, debunk many of the old myths and shine new light on this astonishing episode In telling the story of "The Bonus Army," in a gripping style packed with facts, Dickson and Allen do great honor to all veterans -- and remind us that one of our most important battles was fought with blood and fire at the steps of our own government.

Allen have done a fine job of reminding Americans of the almost forgotten fight a relatively few of them made to finally shame the Congress into paying what in effect was a mere pittance in return for the sacrifices they had made during the Great War. The benefits veterans have today express a stronger appreciation of service.

This book is a reminder that they also have another purpose, which is to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. As Dickson and Allen show throughout this empathetic and well-researched volume, the BEF meant different things to a number of groups vying for power in the tumultuous political climate of the early '30s.

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Communist organizers saw the veterans as the shock troops of the emerging "American Soviet Government"; the Hoover administration viewed them as mostly "ex-convicts, persons with criminal records, radicals, and non-servicemen" trying to strong-arm the government; and corporate America saw them as competition for dwindling government aid money. To most Americans, however, they were underdogs fighting the government and the corporate corruption that, in their minds, was responsible for the Depression.

The book moves beyond these broad generalizations to find the personal stories of the march, fleshing out both minor and major players surrounding the BEF. And in describing the use of tanks, bayonets and tear gas to expel the unarmed vets and their families from Washington-as well as the deadly mistreatment of BEF members in government work camps after the march-Dickson and Allen highlight the sacrifices these women and men made on our own soil to win fair treatment for veterans of future wars.

Their important and moving work will appeal to both professional historians and casual readers interested in the history of America's changing attitudes towards its soldiers. In , they had been promised a cash bonus for their service, but it was to be deferred until With the nation mired deep in the Depression, the so-called Bonus Army demanded immediate payment.

For two months, the protestors lived in shantytowns on the outskirts of the city and issued increasingly strident demands. Eventually, troops under the command of Douglas MacArthur dispersed them and destroyed the shantytowns. It was a sad but quickly forgotten episode as the politics of the New Deal and the looming threat of war in Europe and Asia came to dominate national consciousness.

Dickson and Allen, who have written numerous books of American history, assert that the long-range importance of the Bonus Army has been grossly underestimated. In this agreeably written and often moving account, they describe a unique gathering of whites, blacks, and urban and rural poor united by a vision of social justice. This is an important reexamination of a still controversial event.

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The lesson the New Deal government took home: A lively, engaging work of history. Navy and later worked as a reporter for McGraw-Hill Publications. Since , he has been a full-time freelance writer.

He received a University Fellowship for reporters from the American Political Science Association to do his first book, Think Tanks and for his book The Electronic Battlefield , about the impact automatic weapons systems have had on modern warfare, he received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to support his efforts to get certain Pentagon files declassified. His most recent book The Hidden Language of Baseball: Both his first book, Think Tanks , and Sputnik were born of his first love-investigative journalism-and examine the forces that have shaped the way we live in the information age.

He is currently working with Thomas B. Allen on a book about the Bonus Army of World War I veterans who first marched on, occupied and were subseqently driven from Washington in They were protesting the fact that the bonus promised them for their war time service was not scheduled to be paid until The book, to be called The Bonus Army: Dickson is a founding member and former president of Washington Independent Writers and a member of the National Press Club.

He is a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine and a consulting editor at Merriam-Webster, Inc. He is represented by Premier Speakers Bureau, Inc. He currently lives in Garrett Park, Maryland with his wife Nancy who works with him as his first line editor, and financial manager.

The Bonus Army : an American epic

Allen is an author whose writings range from articles for National Geographic Magazine to books on a variety of subjects. Allen's most recent books are George Washington, Spymaster , which tells how espionage helped to win the Revolutionary War, and Spy Book: The Encyclopedia of Espionage. An American Epic, the story of the ill-fated World War I veterans who marched on Washington in and were driven out by Army troops under command of Gen.

The book will be published by Walker and Company in February It is a selection of the History Book Club. The revised edition has more than new entries.

The Bonus Army: An American Epic - Paul Dickson, Thomas B. Allen - Google Книги

Eighth Air Force, and the Battle of Midway. Maine, and the search for Cuba's sunken treasure ships. Allen was Associate Chief of the National Geographic Society's Book Service from until , when he left the Society to freelance as a writer and editor. During his career at the National Geographic Society, Allen worked as an editor and writer on twenty-eight Society books.

Allen was a consultant and on-screen speaker for the Documedia series "Secrets of War" for the History Channel. He has frequently appeared on television as an authority on military and intelligence subjects.

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