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Kevin Kuzma's feature writing, essays and short
stories have appeared in The Kansas City Star,
Urban Times, Review, Ink Magazine and Present
Magazine.
KEVIN KUZMA
CONSULTING EDITOR
Vets immediately utilized their educational
opportunity and began climbing the
socioeconomic ladder. With the aid of the G.I. Bill
and guaranteed government loans, they graduated
from colleges, bought homes, and started
businesses. e demand for quality education
increased, as did the private career sector's role
in providing educational options. e job market
began to expand and so did the demand for new
study programs, up-to-date equipment, and
facilities.
World War II was not the first time career colleges
stepped in to support soldiers returning from
conflict. Aer World War I ended, thousands of
disabled soldiers returned from the conflict, unfit
for the type of employment to which they had
been accustomed. e United States government
decided to give these veterans the opportunity to
return to the workforce by facilitating retraining
within the range of their physical limitations.
Many of these veterans chose to be trained for
office work or other business-related activity.
Although actual figures are unavailable, it is
known that many World War I veterans received
their training in the National Association of
Accredited Commercial Schools (NAACS)
member schools as part of this joint rehabilitation
effort. NAACS was the association supporting
career training-oriented institutions at that time.
While the G.I. Bill program ended in 1989,
there are similar government programs to help
today's military personnel pay for educational
expenses and buy a home. Neither America, nor
our nation's career colleges, have forgotten the
commitment to those who serve.
