The "Separateness" of the Veteran

T HE essential aspect of the separateness of veterans, that is, treating them as though they were a unique class of citizens, is the belief that in return for their greater services to the Nation, they should be given special privileges and advantages. Lurking in the background, however, is the consciousness on the part of the of past injustices and harsh treatment of veterans, the half-concealed belief that veterans merit prolonged disciplinary action, and the unexpressed hope that the social and economic gains made by the stay-at-homes will not be taken from them When Johnny Comes Marching Home. Recent studies of the problem of the returning soldier show that his lot has not always been a happy onein fact that in many cases it has been decidedly unhappy. But the record of our treatment of veterans is an improving one. This time, we hope, the man who risks his life for his country will get not only a square deal but a scientifically sound deal. The belief that the veterans should be viewed as a separate group is based on the fact that when they were members of the armed forces they constituted a separate group. Soldiers are distinguished from the rank and file of citizens, the civilians, primarily by function: the soldier fights in defense of his country, and the civilian carries on with ordinary peacetime pursuits. In modern times, as also in ancient times, the distinction is often obscured by the circumstance that many tasks are of a marginal character. Still, there are always stigmata of identity which distinguish the military man from the civilian

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