The GI Bill, Then and Now

Anchor and author Tom Brokaw dubbed them the Greatest Generation. And the Americans who came of age in World War II surely proved their grit in the foxholes and battles of that war.

But just as surely, they were boosted to glory by the GI Bill.

Fifteen million service men and women came as veterans out of World War II. Only 23 percent had a high school education.

By the time the GI Bill kicked fully in, America’s universities were jammed with vets and a new middle class was being born.

This hour, On Point: What this country did for its vets – and itself — then, and what it’s doing now.

You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, and on Facebook.Guests:

Joining us from Ithaca, New York, is Glenn Altschuler. He is professor of American Studies at Cornell University and co-author of "The GI Bill: A New Deal for Veterans."

With us from Alexandria, Virginia, is Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, he served as assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan. His new book out this August is “Serving America’s Veterans.”

And from Capitol Hill we're joined by Rick Maze, Congressional Editor at the Army Times.