On July 19, 1932, Marine Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler addressed the Bonus Army in Washington, D.C, and launched into a fiery tirade.

The Bonus Army. As World War I drew to a close in 1918, millions of American veterans returned home to the promise of a cash bonus — compensation for their overseas service.

The Bonus Army protests of 1932 led to the GI Bill more than a decade later. Vietnam veterans not only protested the war in Southeast Asia, but two veterans—Sens. John McCain and John Kerry ...