G.I. Bill

The first G.I. Bill, called the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944, was introduced to help World War II veterans with stuff like education costs, unemployment assistance, and getting home loans. This was super helpful in America’s post-war economy, and is partially credited with keeping the middle class strong during turbulent economic times. That middle class remained intact until the Post-Bush 1 era began, with its assault on the middle class from a tax and resource allocation perspective.

The actual G.I. benefits have changed over time as the needs of those serving in the military have changed; today, when we talk about the G.I. Bill, we’re mostly talking about educational assistance. But even though the details have changed, the basic premise is the same: the G.I. Bill is a collection of programs designed to help active military personnel, veterans, and in some cases their dependents, improve their life circumstances as a reward for their service.

And no, this has nothing to do with intestinal tract infections. That's a whole other brand of politics.