Military Airspace/Bonus Army

Military Airspace: The US Navy and Marine Corps are asking for 900 square miles of airspace over eastern North Carolina. The request is being challenged by environmental groups. Host Melinda Penkava speaks with Wade Rawlins, reporter with the Raleigh News and Observer, about the current court case. (9:00)

Bonus Army: In the summer of 1932, thousands of WWI veterans marched to Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of a cash bonus the government had promised them. The veterans group, known as the Bonus Army, was racially integrated, and they stayed in camps around the city. In late July, fearing the veterans were getting unruly, Gen. Douglas MacArthur ordered regular Army troops to disperse the camps and forcefully expel the veterans from Washington. The veterans’ demands for a bonus were not fully met until Congress passed the GI Bill in 1944. Host Melinda Penkava talks with Thomas B. Allen, co-author of “The Bonus Army: An American Epic” (Walker & Company/2005), about the Bonus Army veterans and their legacy. Listener Call-In. (59:00)

Listen Here

Comments are closed.