Return of the Ruptured Duck

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Return of the Ruptured Duck - Man alive... Here I go once again. Revealing my age (but not my wisdom, right?) Some of you young puppies will have heard of stuff from earlier times, such as bomb shelters, mixing color into your margarine spreads, letter "A" gasoline windshield stickers, and the "52-20 Club," whereas these may be new to you. But believe me, they are o-l-d. Back at the end of World War II ( 1945 ) there was a mass exodus of discharged soldiers and sailors from the U.S.A. military - millions of men and women received their military discharges and returned to civil life once again. They were somewhat aided in this transition by way of their entry into what many referred to as "The 52-20 Club" which offered 52 weeks of $20 payments in order to assist their transition. In addition to that was the issuance of a little lapel pin (see above) that signified the returnee to have been honorably discharged from the military. For one reason or another, the lapel pin came to be called "The Ruptured Duck,' (As strange as it may seem, you can source the origin of that "duck" name to a then-famous movie actress, "Hedy Lamarr." ). Its purpose was to be worn on civilian clothing so as to alert others that the wearer of the lapel pin had served in the armed forces during the recent conflict. Not too long thereafter the U.S. government established what became known as the "GI Bill," a massive education and job training assistance subsidization program for discharged military. Today, it looks to be that the "Ruptured Duck" may be returning - many years after the most recent "GI Bill" benefits expired. Monetary benefits for veterans ( education, training, housing, etc.) are again being discussed as good possibilities to be made available for those who were once eligible for them but who failed to apply for them on time. Welcome back, Lttle Duckie. Image: Ruptured Duck, a Gus Kilthau-edited Ebay image (PinMart)