Edward Palm Analysis

The difficulty of transitioning from military service member to contributing civilian citizen has been acknowledged by the United States government as early as 1924. As wars have come and gone, so too have versions of veteran’s benefits; including that of education aid. The tone and outcome of the wars have impact on the veteran’s education programs that follow. Philip M. Callaghan, of The American Legion Magazine, details the upswing and fall by explaining, “The golden age of college benefits for veterans ended on June 25, 1950, at about 4 a.m., Korean Standard Time.” Before that moment, WWII veterans enjoyed a lucrative version of the bill which afforded them a home loan and education that the average, 1940’s American could not have funded

His timing and title alone invited historical context by releasing the essay only a few months after the Post-9/11 GI Bill was passed. The National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics showed a phenomenal 42% increase in benefit utilization the year following the implementation of the new GI Bill (NCVAS, 2014). As a dean, and prior service member, Palm’s target audience was clearly other educators who may not have had quantifiable experience with veterans and their unique struggles as students. In the opening paragraphs, Palm uses Ethos to establish his authority on the subject of veteran’s needs. He informs the audience that before he pursued higher education, he served in the Marine Corp in Vietnam (Palm, 789). Next, he shifts gears and creates social context by re-establishing himself as a college graduate and educator. He explains what this GI Bill is all about and why it will bring more students. If the reader wasn’t sure yet, this section’s gratuitous use of “we” and “I” sentences firmly informs them of their position “in academe” (Palm, 790). Palm uses Pathos, as he enters into the “advice” portion of his writing, to place the audience in his version of the emotional shoes of a returned combat-veteran. He offers his feelings, such as when a person might thank him for his service and make him feel uncomfortable. He attempts to humanize