To the editor: The GI Bill not only widened the wealth gap for African American war veterans. It also affected Mexican-American soldiers. (“How the GI Bill Widened the Black-White Wealth Gap,” Opinion, June 23)
My mom told me the story of when she tried to buy a new house after World War II. She went to the open house and the sales office, she said that she was interested in buying a house and that she was purchasing through the GI Bill. The sellers told my mother that the houses were not available for people in her class.
The next day, my dad came in to talk to the salesman. He was a light-skinned Mexican-American. During World War II, he learned German, so he went into the office and talked to the man who had a German accent and used some German words.
The salesman quickly handed dad the purchase papers. The next day, mom and dad arrived with the required documents.
Think of all the dark-skinned Mexican-American soldiers who were denied the opportunity to buy a home.
Bill Bermudez, South Whittier
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To the editor: Thank you for posting Ebony Reed's wonderful op-ed on the extent to which black veterans were denied the GI Bill.
As a historian whose doctoral dissertation addressed the impact of the Great Depression in San Jose, I am acutely aware of how often federal legislation had discriminatory consequences for blacks.
White families like mine have been able to use generational wealth in ways impossible for most black families. This story should be better known.
Glenna Matthews, Laguna Beach
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To the editor: I was recruited in November 1955 after graduating from USC with no redeemable skills other than a liberal arts degree and aspirations to be a journalist. Luckily, I was inducted into the US Navy and assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, where I served as a contract soldier and took most of the watch from midnight to 4 am.
Although it was terribly inconvenient time-wise, serving in the Navy was a good maturing experience for me, as the military is not a voting society.
After my two years of enlistment was over, I was discharged. I bought a house with a Federal Housing Administration loan and borrowed the $1,000 down payment with a cash advance on a credit card. I was not eligible for a loan from the Department of Veterans Affairs, even though I am a veteran.
I was hired by Union Oil Co. as a credit analyst, where I shared my genius with clients for two years before accepting a different position at another company. I worked for 50 years in a series of challenging assignments before finally retiring in 2006.
I am white and never received special offers. He was just willing to work hard and he was smart.
Donald Vernon, Beautiful Beach
