US Military vs US War Veterans

[u n v kenny]

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[ZYBORG]

That's pretty dark indeed. Had never heard about it.

 

[ssj4sadie]

Got the original? That video is highly edited.

 

[u n v kenny]

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[DaleM]

Is this after WW1, it had to do with VA type benefits for those wounded, injured and served in Combat?

 

[FordGTGuy]

A little background on Patton's involvement.

In July 1932, Patton was executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur. Patton took command of the 600 troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on 28 July, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" with tear gas and bayonets. One of the veterans dispersed by the cavalry was Joe Angelo, who had saved Patton's life in World War I. Patton was dissatisfied with MacArthur's conduct as he recognized the legitimacy of the veterans' complaints and had himself earlier refused to issue the order to employ armed force to disperse the veterans. Patton later stated that, though he found the duty "most distasteful," he also felt that putting the marchers down prevented an insurrection and saved lives and property. He personally led the 3rd Cavalry down Pennsylvania Avenue dispersing the protesters.

President Hoover knew he had to curb the escalating violence. Hoover reluctantly agreed, but only after limiting Major General Douglas MacArthur’s authority. MacArthur’s troops would be unarmed. The mission was to escort the marchers unharmed to camps along the Anacostia River. He gave the order for Army Chief of Staff Gen. Douglas MacArthur to remove the approximately 3,500 veterans, many with their wives and children, who refused to leave. A force of about 600 – cavalrymen and infantrymen with a few tanks – advanced to the scene under the leadership of Chief of Staff MacArthur in person, two other generals, and, among junior officers, two whose names would in due course become much more familiar, Majors Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton, Jr.

MacArthur ignored the president’s orders, taking no prisoners and driving tattered protesters from their encampment. No shots were fired, but many were injured by bricks, clubs and bayonets. After Hoover ordered a halt to the army’s march, MacArthur again took things into his own hands, violently clearing the Anacostia campsite, killing three marchers and wounding many.

One of the first federal officers to arrive in Washington, D.C., was Major George S. Patton. His cavalry troops met up with infantry at the Ellipse, near the White House. Patton and the federal troops, equipped with gas masks, bayonets and sabers, marched up Pennsylvania Avenue, firing gas grenades and charging and subduing the angry crowd. Later that night, Patton and the federal troops cleared out the marchers’ camp in Anacostia, with some tents and shacks catching fire in the process. Although there are conflicting reports on which side started the fires, some of the marchers’ shacks burned down. By the following morning, most marchers had left Washington, but the incident left bitter memories and affected Patton deeply. He called it the “most distasteful form of service” and later wrote several papers on how federal troops could restore order quickly with the least possible bloodshed.

http://gunnyg.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/1932-bonus-march-re-patton-macarthur-eisenhower-etc/

 

[CobraBob]

Thanks for that background info.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

Tough times all the way around for those men and their families.

 

[HEMIHUNTER]

MacArthur always had a problem with listening.

 

[SonicDTR]

Crazy, never heard of that.

I also recently heard a bit of history regarding concentration camps we had during WWII that rounded up all the japanese. George Takei being one of them. Certainly didnt read about that during American History class

 

[charba951]

Crazy to see this. I've heard of it before, but have never seen video of it.

 

[PSUCOBRA96]

you guys must have slept through American History, much like my wife who ignore all history to the point it pisses me off how many times I have to explain the simplest of history lessons.

 

[Robert Francis]

This is the march of the WWI vets upon Washington DC demanding the benefits they'd been promised from their duty in WWI.

Yes, our military on the scene fired on them.