Tommorrow, we honor those who have served our nation, in both wartime and peace, and it is a day that touches every American household. First known as Armistice Day, this holiday to honor our military personal came to be, on a dark day in 1932.

The story began when Congress voted in 1924 to give veterans a bonus of $1.25 per day of service overseas but it wasn’t payable until 1945. When the Depression hit, 15,000 vets on hard times marched on Washington, D.C., to demand payment immediately. They were known as “The Bonus Army” and created a tent city in the nation’s capital.

When they were denied on July 28, 1932, Washington police fired on the vets, killing two. President Herbert Hoover ordered the U.S. Army to clear out the camp. Douglas MacArthur was in charge with George S. Patton leading the cavalry supported by six tanks. The vets thought it was a parade in their honor until Patton charged using soldiers with fixed bayonets and tear gas hurled into the crowd. Spectators cried “Shame! Shame!” Hoover ordered MacArthur to stop, but he didn’t.

By next morning, 10,000 vets were routed, their camp was in flames, two babies had died and hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties. The event did shame the government to treat veterans according to promises made to them.

The Bonus Army,” Eyewitness to History, eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000)