The Bonus Army

[WiseOwl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army

I have never heard about this instance until tonight. It is unreal that this happened.....do you think something like this could happen again if TSHTF and our gov't ordered the military to go against the "resistance" being citizens and soldiers siding with them?

Scary thought now that weapon tech has advanced 10 fold....

Any of you historians and/or military folks care to comment?

Wise Owl

[rice paddy daddy]

Indeed, a shameful incident. I'd like to think that this would not happen today, but then I'm reminded of Waco, where Gen Wesley Clark, commander of Ft Hood at the time, authorized US Army troops and equipment to be used against civilians.
I love my country, but I don't trust my government.
Not in the least.

[Deep Operator]

The disgust of many with "ole dugout dug" began here.

Honestly, my grandfather began his army career a few years before this disaster and was disgusted with government's violent treatment of WWI veterans. I also, a few years ago had interviewed for research paper a neighbor and friend of mine who was actually one of the soldiers who was in D.C at the time ordered to break up the veterans, needless to say there was some serious guilt.

But underhanded dealings by the powers that be is nothing new, like illegally sending war goods to Britain aboard a civilian passenger liner in 1915 while still a "Neutral nation" and wondering why in sunk so fast... Terrible.

Keep in mind that even those many of the WWI veterans had been exposed to chemical weapons, had shell shock (PTSD on steroids), limbs missing, etc they still had the courage and "iron" to organize and demand their payments. There was no prozac, valium, or Cable t.v then either. Not sure if it is possible today with amount of "sedated lemmings" but if there was an organized resistance in the military or some other sector, the PTB are capable of anything.

[Rmplstlskn]

Somewhere I had read about the REAL story of the Bonus Marchers... Maybe in Unintended Consequences? Or maybe an issue of The Resister...

Anyways, some believe it to have been stirred up and instigated by COMMUNISTS with foreign connections, to possibly begin a coup or overthrow... The main agitators were shown to be confessed communists... They were turning DC upside down and eventually Hoover, the AG, and the Army had had enough a drove them out, to basically quash a threat to the USA.

Since I wasn't there, and FACTS are conflicting, I am still holding that MacArthur and Patton were doing the right thing...

I'll try to dig up my facts...

UPDATE: Here are some links of interest...
http://www.historynet.com/the-bonus-...overs-view.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...onus-march.htm

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarth...ndeAMEX89.html

[ANVIL]

This is a real black page of American History and to thing Black Jack Pershing MacArthur and Patton were all a part of this has always botherd me. I do not think we will ever know enough about this sad event to know the truth.