Existing comment:
A National Organization:
-- "No child can be born into [the USWV], no proclamation of President, edict of King or Czar can command admission... the wealth of a Rockefeller or a Ford cannot purchase the position... With the consummation of peace through victory, its rolls were forever closed." -- USWV encampment program, 1946
Following the Spanish-American and Philippine wars, a new generation of citizen-soldiers entered the ranks of the veterans' community. Veterans of the 1898 to 1902 era shared some of the interests of the Civil War veteran, but they also had unique concerns. Both sought the fraternity of other war veterans. Both encouraged patriotism and "Americanism." But Spanish War veterans were particularly proud that they had all been volunteers, and that their efforts had helped to unify a nation still divided by Civil War animosities.
Spanish War veterans felt profound disappointment with the homecoming they received, however. Their jobs had been taken by civilians, and many were plagued by tropical diseases contract while in the service. Despite the nation's wealth, the public ignored Spanish War vets' problems.
In response, associations of Spanish War veterans sprang up across the United States. In late 1899, the Milwaukee chapter of an organization named the Spanish-American War Veterans became the first such group in Wisconsin. By 1904, the group merged with two other associations to form the United Spanish War Veterans. The USWV modeled itself on the GAR organizationally, addressed issues important to veterans, and limited its membership to veterans of the 1898 to 1902 era. The USWV became a truly national veterans' association, unlike the GAR, with its heritage of Civil War sectionalism. |