Courage After Fire for Parents of Service Members

Download Courage After Fire for Parents of Service Members PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : New Harbinger Publications
ISBN 13 : 1608827178
Total Pages : 189 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (88 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Courage After Fire for Parents of Service Members by : Paula Domenici

Download or read book Courage After Fire for Parents of Service Members written by Paula Domenici and published by New Harbinger Publications. This book was released on 2013-07-01 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parents of returning service members may sometimes feel that their voices are not heard. The media is saturated with stories about troops returning from deployment with mental health problems like post-traumatic stress, depression, and substance abuse. Some also return home with physical problems including traumatic brain injury, physical pain or more severe injuries like amputations. Almost all returning service members experience reintegration challenges such as readjusting to family and community, finding employment or attending school. But rarely do we hear how parents are taking on the role of supporting their sons and daughters who have served our country. In countless ways these parents provide help—and when their military child suffers significant physical or psychological injuries, they may once again become their primary caretaker. For mothers and fathers and others in a parenting role, it can be overwhelming at times, and resources are limited. Courage after Fire for Parents of Service Members provides a compassionate and accessible guide for the parents or guardians of returning troops. This groundbreaking book acknowledges the significant contribution and sacrifice parents have made for their military children, provides strategies and resources that will assist them in understanding and supporting their son or daughter, and will validate their own personal experiences. Recommendations for helping them care for their returning service member are woven throughout the book, as well as education about the importance of taking care of themselves to help prevent caregiver burnout. Vignettes and reflections from parents who have had a child deploy offer a sense of hope and community. Even in the best of circumstances, parents play an instrumental role in helping their sons and daughters successfully reintegrate after deployment. This book is a valuable resource for any parent who is seeking to better understand and support a returning military child while caring for themselves.

Military Veteran Psychological Health and Social Care

Download Military Veteran Psychological Health and Social Care PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1351763083
Total Pages : 233 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (517 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Military Veteran Psychological Health and Social Care by : Jamie Hacker Hughes

Download or read book Military Veteran Psychological Health and Social Care written by Jamie Hacker Hughes and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-05-12 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When servicewomen and men leave the armed forces, their care transfers to the statutory and third sector where the quality and provision of services can vary enormously. This edited book, encompassing a range of perspectives, from service user to professional, provides a comprehensive overview of services available. Each chapter, in turn, examines the policy underpinnings of systems and services covering the psychological health and social care of military veterans and then focuses on the needs of a discrete number of types of military veterans including early service leavers, veterans in the criminal justice system, older veterans and reservists, together with the needs of the children of veterans’ families. This is the first UK book to examine the whole spectrum of contemporary approaches to the psychological health and social care of military veterans both in the United Kingdom and overseas. The book is edited by Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes, a former head of healthcare psychology within the UK Ministry of Defence and all contributors are experts in policy, service provision and academic research in this area. It will be of special interest to those designing and planning, commissioning, managing and delivering mental health and social care to military veterans and their families

Serving Military Families

Download Serving Military Families PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317554701
Total Pages : 436 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (175 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Serving Military Families by : Karen Rose Blaisure

Download or read book Serving Military Families written by Karen Rose Blaisure and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-11 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text introduces readers to the unique culture of military families, their resilience, and the challenges of military life. Personal stories from nearly 70 active duty, reservists, veterans, and their families from all branches and ranks of the military bring their experiences to life. A review of the latest research, theories, policies, and programs better prepares readers for understanding and working with military families. Objectives, key terms, tables, figures, summaries, and exercises, including web based exercises, serve as a chapter review. The book concludes with a glossary. Readers learn about diverse careers within which they can make important differences for families. Engaging vignettes are featured throughout: Voices from the Frontline offer personal accounts of issues faced by actual program leaders, practitioners, researchers, policy makers, service members, veterans, and their families. Spotlight on Research highlights the latest studies on dealing with combat related issues. Best Practices review the optimal strategies used in the field. Tips from the Frontline offer suggestions from experienced personnel. Updated throughout including the latest demographic data, the new edition also features: -New chapter (9) on women service members that addresses the accomplishments and challenges faced by this population including sexual bias and assault, and combat-related psychological disorders. - New chapter (10) on veterans and families looks at veterans by era (e.g.WW2), each era’s signature issues and how those impact programs and policies, and challenges veterans may face such as employment, education, and mental and physical health issues. -Two new more comprehensive and cohesive chapters (11 & 12) review military and civilian programs, policies, and organizations that support military and veteran families. -Additional information on TBI and PTSD, the deployment cycle, stress and resilience, the possible negative effects of military life on families, same-sex couples and their children, and the recent increase in suicides in the military. -More applied cases and exercises that focus on providing services to military families. Intended as a text for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses on military families or as a supplement for courses on the family, marriage and family, stress and coping, or family systems taught in family science, human development, clinical or counseling psychology, sociology, social work, and nursing, this book also appeals to helping professionals who work with military and veteran families.

Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services

Download Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309466601
Total Pages : 467 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-03-29 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.

Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans

Download Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190695137
Total Pages : 297 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans by : Jack Tsai

Download or read book Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans written by Jack Tsai and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The challenges facing military veterans who return to civilian life in the United States are persistent and well documented. But for all the political outcry and attempts to improve military members' readjustments, veterans of all service eras face formidable obstacles related to mental health, substance abuse, employment, and — most damningly — homelessness. Homelessness Among U.S. Veterans synthesizes the new glut of research on veteran homelessness — geographic trends, root causes, effective and ineffective interventions to mitigate it — in a format that provides a needed reference as this public health fight continues to be fought. Codifying the data and research from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) campaign to end veteran homelessness, psychologist Jack Tsai links disparate lines of research to produce an advanced and elegant resource on a defining social issue of our time.

What’s Next for Student Veterans?

Download What’s Next for Student Veterans? PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience
ISBN 13 : 1942072163
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (42 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis What’s Next for Student Veterans? by : David DiRamio

Download or read book What’s Next for Student Veterans? written by David DiRamio and published by The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience. This book was released on 2017-12-21 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008, more than 1.4 million service members and their families became eligible for higher education benefits, and veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan enrolled in colleges and universities in record numbers. The first wave of research about these new student veterans focused primarily on describing their characteristics and the transition from military service to civilian life and the college campus. This new edited collection presents findings from the second wave of research about student veterans, with a focus on data-driven evidence of academic success factors, including persistence, retention, degree completion, and employment after college. An invaluable resource for educators poised to enter the next phase of supporting military-connected college students.

Grateful Nation

Download Grateful Nation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Duke University Press
ISBN 13 : 0822372762
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (223 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Grateful Nation by : Ellen Moore

Download or read book Grateful Nation written by Ellen Moore and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2017-10-26 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today's volunteer military many recruits enlist for the educational benefits, yet a significant number of veterans struggle in the classroom, and many drop out. The difficulties faced by student veterans have been attributed to various factors: poor academic preparation, PTSD and other postwar ailments, and allegedly antimilitary sentiments on college campuses. In Grateful Nation Ellen Moore challenges these narratives by tracing the experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans at two California college campuses. Drawing on interviews with dozens of veterans, classroom observations, and assessments of the work of veteran support organizations, Moore finds that veterans' academic struggles result from their military training and combat experience, which complicate their ability to function in civilian schools. While there is little evidence of antimilitary bias on college campuses, Moore demonstrates the ways in which college programs that conflate support for veterans with support for the institutional military lead to suppression of campus debate about the wars, discourage antiwar activism, and encourage a growing militarization.

The GI Bill

Download The GI Bill PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199720428
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The GI Bill by : Glenn Altschuler

Download or read book The GI Bill written by Glenn Altschuler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-02 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On rare occasions in American history, Congress enacts a measure so astute, so far-reaching, so revolutionary, it enters the language as a metaphor. The Marshall Plan comes to mind, as does the Civil Rights Act. But perhaps none resonates in the American imagination like the G.I. Bill. In a brilliant addition to Oxford's acclaimed Pivotal Moments in American History series, historians Glenn C. Altschuler and Stuart M. Blumin offer a compelling and often surprising account of the G.I. Bill and its sweeping and decisive impact on American life. Formally known as the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, it was far from an obvious, straightforward piece of legislation, but resulted from tense political maneuvering and complex negotiations. As Altschuler and Blumin show, an unlikely coalition emerged to shape and pass the bill, bringing together both New Deal Democrats and conservatives who had vehemently opposed Roosevelt's social-welfare agenda. For the first time in American history returning soldiers were not only supported, but enabled to pursue success--a revolution in America's policy towards its veterans. Once enacted, the G.I. Bill had far-reaching consequences. By providing job training, unemployment compensation, housing loans, and tuition assistance, it allowed millions of Americans to fulfill long-held dreams of social mobility, reshaping the national landscape. The huge influx of veterans and federal money transformed the modern university and the surge in single home ownership vastly expanded America's suburbs. Perhaps most important, as Peter Drucker noted, the G.I. Bill "signaled the shift to the knowledge society." The authors highlight unusual or unexpected features of the law--its color blindness, the frankly sexist thinking behind it, and its consequent influence on race and gender relations. Not least important, Altschuler and Blumin illuminate its role in individual lives whose stories they weave into this thoughtful account. Written with insight and narrative verve by two leading historians, The G.I. Bill makes a major contribution to the scholarship of postwar America.

Preparing Your Campus for Veterans' Success

Download Preparing Your Campus for Veterans' Success PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000974243
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (9 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Preparing Your Campus for Veterans' Success by : Bruce Kelley

Download or read book Preparing Your Campus for Veterans' Success written by Bruce Kelley and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-07-03 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is intended for everyone in higher education – whether in the classroom, student affairs, administration, admissions, health services or faculty development – who is, or expects to be teaching, advising, or serving student veterans. This book is the outcome of a partnership between the Center for Teaching and Learning and the office of Disabilities Services at the University of South Dakota that led to the development of the Fides program whose goal was to establish high-quality, evidence-based development opportunities specifically designed to enable key university constituencies—the faculty, staff, and administration—to understand their role in providing extraordinary learning experiences for veterans. The program was funded through a congressionally directed FIPSE grant. Materials from Fides have been featured by prominent educational organizations, and are being used by the National Center for PTSD, colleges, universities, and boards of regents across the US.This book provides the background and guidelines you need to leverage the strengths that student veterans bring to your institution, to ease the challenges they face in transitioning into higher education, to facilitate their learning, and to ensure their successful graduation.Student veterans bring many strengths to your campus – maturity, significant life experiences, and cross-cultural awareness. They are highly motivated to serve others and value education. Student veterans may however face significant challenges. Student veterans have typically been out of high school for some time, where they may have earned average grades. Many are married with children and more than a few are single parents. They are approximately 20% less likely than non-veterans to attain a bachelor degree and slightly more likely to drop out of higher education without attaining a degree of any sort. Deployments extend their time to degree, and multiple deployments can significantly delay graduation.The challenges associated with transitioning from the military into higher education are heightened when a student has a disability – physical, psychological, or emotional. Common disabilities that are emerging from Iraq and Afghanistan include amputations, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.To enable student veterans to succeed, institutions need to develop holistic initiatives to mediate student veterans’ transition and persistence, and develop appropriate programs and services that recognize their skills, family responsibilities, and distinct needs. This book outlines best practices for student affairs; describes innovative approaches to administrative services and support; suggests streamlining policies and procedures to make the campus “veteran friendly”; proposes ideas for academic programs; looks at the implications for course structure and design; considers the classroom environment; and explores how classroom policies impact student veterans. One chapter examines the issue of student veteran success specifically from the point of view of two-year institutions. The authors stress the importance of collaborative approaches across divisions and functions providing all stakeholders on campus with a comprehensive view of how they can support each to ensure the success of their student veterans.

How We Learn

Download How We Learn PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134984782
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (349 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis How We Learn by : Knud Illeris

Download or read book How We Learn written by Knud Illeris and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-10-21 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Having published in 11 languages and sold in more than 100,000 copies, this fully revised edition of How We Learn examines what learning actually is and why and how learning and non-learning takes place. Focusing exclusively on learning itself, it provides a comprehensive yet accessible introduction to traditional learning theory and the newest international contributions, while at the same time presenting an innovative and holistic understanding of learning. Comprising insightful and topical discussions covering all learning types, learning situations and environments this edition includes key updates to sections on: School-based learning Reflexivity and biographicity E-learning The basic dimensions and types of learning What happens when intended learning does not take place The connections between learning and personal development Learning in the competition state How We Learn spans from a basic grounding of the fundmental structure and dimensions of learning and different learning types, to a detailed exploration of the differing situations and environments in which learning takes place. These include learning in different life stages, learning in the late modern competition society, and the crucial topic of learning barriers. Transformative learning, identity, the concept of competencies, workplace learning, non-learning and the interaction between learning and the educational approaches of the competition state are also examined. Forming the broadest basic reader on the topic of human learning, this revised edition is integral reading for all those who deal with learning and teaching in practice. Particularly interested will be MA and doctoral students of education as well as university and school based teachers.

Engaged Learning and Innovative Teaching in Higher Education

Download Engaged Learning and Innovative Teaching in Higher Education PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9819721717
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (197 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Engaged Learning and Innovative Teaching in Higher Education by : Will W. K. Ma

Download or read book Engaged Learning and Innovative Teaching in Higher Education written by Will W. K. Ma and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Supporting Veterans in Higher Education

Download Supporting Veterans in Higher Education PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781935871644
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (716 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Supporting Veterans in Higher Education by : Jose E. Coll

Download or read book Supporting Veterans in Higher Education written by Jose E. Coll and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Military Veteran Reintegration

Download Military Veteran Reintegration PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
ISBN 13 : 012815313X
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (281 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Military Veteran Reintegration by : Carl Castro

Download or read book Military Veteran Reintegration written by Carl Castro and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2019-08-21 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military Veteran Reintegration: Approach, Management, and Assessment of Military Veterans Transitioning to Civilian Life offers a toolkit for researchers and practitioners on best practices for easing the reintegration of military veterans returning to civilian society. It lays out how transition occurs, identifies factors that promote or impede transition, and operationalizes outcomes associated with transition success. Bringing together experts from around the world to address the most important aspects of military transition, the book looks at what has been shown to work and what has not, while also offering a roadmap for best-results moving forward. - Contains evidence-based interventions for military veteran-to-civilian transition - Features international experts from North America, Europe and Asia - Includes how to measure transition outcomes - Outlines recovery programs for the injured and sick - Identifies factors that promote or impede successful transition

Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition and Success

Download Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition and Success PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118184785
Total Pages : 115 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (181 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition and Success by : Robert Ackerman

Download or read book Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition and Success written by Robert Ackerman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-10-11 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the United States? wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue, increasing numbers of students who experienced combat will enroll in colleges and universities. There is mounting evidence that these veterans will require support unique to their needs beyond the processing of financial aid paperwork from the Veterans Administration. Obviously, combat frequently inflicts injuries, both physical and mental, that will require attention, but veterans are a unique population in other ways as well. Soldiers experience extraordinary bonding in wartime, and colleges can provide opportunities for that fellowship to be a source of support and connection. Female veterans will bring a new, nontraditional perspective to campus, and student service organizations should pay careful attention. There is also a significant group of students who leave for service and return?under the best of circumstances, they need accommodation to succeed. Institutions of higher education traditionally have responded to the needs of special student populations by developing programs and offering services. This volume contains information about programmatic initiatives that can help create a welcoming environment for veterans, one that encourages serious, creative involvement. The authors bring broad experience and deliberate consideration to bear on questions that are only becoming more important to the entire spectrum of American colleges and universities. This is the 126th volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series New Directions for Student Services, an indispensable resource for vice presidents of student affairs, deans of students, student counselors, and other student services professionals. Each issue of New Directions for Student Services offers guidelines and programs for aiding students in their total development: emotional, social, physical, and intellectual.

Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

Download Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : American Psychiatric Pub
ISBN 13 : 1585625310
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (856 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families by : Stephen J. Cozza

Download or read book Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families written by Stephen J. Cozza and published by American Psychiatric Pub. This book was released on 2014-01-23 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families serves a critical need, which has been highlighted by recent reported rates of combat-related stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, as well as increases in suicide rates among service members and veterans over the past decade and the distress and challenges faced by their children and families. More than 2.5 million Americans currently serve in the U.S. military on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard, and more than 20 million civilians are veterans. Although patients are viewed here in the context of military service, they seek health care in military, veteran, and civilian settings, and their mental health concerns are as diverse as those encountered in the civilian population. This book is designed for clinicians in all care settings and provides thorough coverage of U.S. military structures and cultures across the armed services, as well as detailed material on the particular mental health challenges faced by service members and their families. A full overview of the military lifestyle is provided, including the life cycle of the military (recruitment to retirement), service subcultures (Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, and Reserve and Guard components), challenges of military life for service members and families (moves, deployments, etc.), and military mental health. Material on military culture provides insight for practitioners who may not be familiar with this population. The book focuses on collaborative care, particularly between the military health care system and the Veterans Administration, providing clinicians with strategies to mitigate stigma and other barriers to care through mental health service delivery in primary care settings. The incidence of traumatic brain injury among service members has increased because of the use of improvised explosive devices, and an entire chapter is devoted to diagnosing and treating these injuries as well as educating patients and their families on the condition. The families of service members face significant challenges, and several chapters are devoted to the needs of military children, the families of ill and injured service members and veterans, deployment-related care, and caring for the bereaved. The book's comprehensive review of resources available to military service members, veterans, and families both ensures high-quality care and reduces the workload for treating physicians. Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families is an authoritative and much-needed addition to the mental health literature.

The Montgomery GI Bill--Selected Reserve

Download The Montgomery GI Bill--Selected Reserve PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 28 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (327 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Montgomery GI Bill--Selected Reserve by :

Download or read book The Montgomery GI Bill--Selected Reserve written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Soldiers to Citizens

Download Soldiers to Citizens PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199887098
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Soldiers to Citizens by : Suzanne Mettler

Download or read book Soldiers to Citizens written by Suzanne Mettler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-10 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A hell of a gift, an opportunity." "Magnanimous." "One of the greatest advantages I ever experienced." These are the voices of World War II veterans, lavishing praise on their beloved G.I. Bill. Transcending boundaries of class and race, the Bill enabled a sizable portion of the hallowed "greatest generation" to gain vocational training or to attend college or graduate school at government expense. Its beneficiaries had grown up during the Depression, living in tenements and cold-water flats, on farms and in small towns across the nation, most of them expecting that they would one day work in the same kinds of jobs as their fathers. Then the G.I. Bill came along, and changed everything. They experienced its provisions as inclusive, fair, and tremendously effective in providing the deeply held American value of social opportunity, the chance to improve one's circumstances. They become chefs and custom builders, teachers and electricians, engineers and college professors. But the G.I. Bill fueled not only the development of the middle class: it also revitalized American democracy. Americans who came of age during World War II joined fraternal groups and neighborhood and community organizations and took part in politics at rates that made the postwar era the twentieth century's civic "golden age." Drawing on extensive interviews and surveys with hundreds of members of the "greatest generation," Suzanne Mettler finds that by treating veterans as first-class citizens and in granting advanced education, the Bill inspired them to become the active participants thanks to whom memberships in civic organizations soared and levels of political activity peaked. Mettler probes how this landmark law produced such a civic renaissance. Most fundamentally, she discovers, it communicated to veterans that government was for and about people like them, and they responded in turn. In our current age of rising inequality and declining civic engagement, Soldiers to Citizens offers critical lessons about how public programs can make a difference.