Talked to WWII veteran, Bob Hille, yesterday and he brought up the phrase, "No Boats - No Votes". I must admit that I had not heard that one before. He was surprised I was unfamiliar with it and explained that the vets still stuck in the Philippines, etc, were getting very disgruntled and told their congressman and senators, that if they weren't back on home soil soon...
So looked it up today and found this little tidbit of history.
12 million men and women “home alive in ‘45” – American troops in Guam and Manila protested “no boats, no votes” to get home fast. GI’s in Paris and Frankfurt protested, “service yes, serfdom no” – By 1948, military totaled 1.5 million.
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter 'Monday' Poniedzialek
540th Combat Engineer - H&S Company