A ‘Hard-Boiled Order’: The Reeducation of Disabled WWI Veterans in New York City

As a group, the disabled veterans of the First World War made unique demands upon the United States government. Veterans and policymakers alike believed that wounded soldiers were especially entitled to public assistance and, for the first time in United States history, expected those disabled by the war to contribute their labor power to the postwar economy. While veterans and public officials agreed that disabled soldiers could become economically self-sufficient after completing courses in vocational reeducation, federal policy was vague about whether veterans would be allowed to select their path of vocational rehabilitation. Using the New York City district of the Federal Board for Vocational Education (FBVE) as a case study, this article analyzes discrepancies between veteran and official visions of educational entitlement. In the process, the article illuminates the nation's conflicting commitments to democracy and social efficiency in the Progressive era. While the disabled veterans of WWI were often disappointed by the manner in which the U.S. government responded to their demands, their postwar activism foreshadowed the platform of the modern disability rights movement and contributed to the development of the GI Bill.