In 1932, during the Great Depression, tens of thousands of World War I veterans marched on Washington DC demanding early payments of their army bonuses which weren't promised to arrive until 1945.

In this clip, ret. Marine Major General Smedley Butler addresses the veterans, and praises their cause, determination, and patriotism. That summer, the U.S. government called in the military to remove the veterans from the capital. Congress would eventually grant their demand for early bonuses in 1936.

Clip taken from the Moving Image Research Collections at the University of South Carolina. To learn more, visit http://BringOurTroopsHome.US