Common Joe²

Congress passed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, widely known as the G.I. Bill, and few laws of its era have had a greater effect on American life. This book takes a close look at the act through the people it was meant to help. Its core is a set of interviews with seven World War II veterans, the first men and women eligible for the program.

In their own words, the veterans describe the families they came from before the war, their time in uniform, and the years that followed their return. They also explain how the G.I. Bill's education benefits shaped the course of their lives.