US #3186i
1999 GI Bill 1944 – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
... more
US #3186i
1999 GI Bill 1944 – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 18, 1999
First Day City: Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.5
Tagging: Block Tagging
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the GI Bill passed in 1944 to help former soldiers get an education.
About the stamp design: Pictures a painting by Howard Koslow of a former soldier at school. Includes the following text on the back: “The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill, helped approximately 2.25 million war veterans attend college. Millions of other GIs received job training; home, business, and farm loans; and unemployment benefits.”
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Dobbins Air Force Base Fuel Cell Hangar in Georgia.
About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.
History the stamp represents: At the end of World War II, American leaders knew factories producing war goods would shut down. They also knew the draft law required employers to give jobs back to returning veterans, even if that meant firing other workers.
Business owners and government authorities feared absorbing about 16 million veterans into the work force would be impossible. As a result, congressional leaders, American Legion members, and William Randolph Hearst united to get the GI Bill of Rights passed in 1944.
An enormous price had been paid for peace, but for the survivors, there were great rewards. The bill provided 7.8 million soldiers with some type of educational or training program, and in 1946, they comprised 48.7 percent of the total college population.
Veterans purchased mass-produced houses in the suburbs with low-interest government loans. Now living in new homes outside the city, they commuted in their new cars on new roads. Many supermarkets, restaurants, and retail stores also relocated. These post-World War II families were the first American middle class.
Above all, the GI Bill – arguably one of America’s most successful series of laws – helped people become independent citizens.
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