Demobilized Soldiers in Idaho

First World War veterans returned to parties, celebrations, and hardships. Some Idaho soldiers who served in the conflict returned home to the same houses and jobs that they left, while others returned to daunting prospects of finding work. Some service men were returned forever changed by injuries that robbed them of their previous lives.

Upon the soldiers’ return, they were met with as much celebration and assistance as Pocatello and Idaho could find. Pocatello and surrounding cities gave a loud welcome to the boys returning home. The Idaho Daily Statesman reports on when soldiers returned home on the train. Surrounding areas planned for special celebration in each city as the train carrying soldiers stopped in local towns. When the train reached Pocatello, “every engine whistle in the yards and shops broke loose, cannons were fired, sirens shrieked and the overseas men were made to feel as much at home as possible.”[1] Plans for the returning soldiers were made prior to their return at a successful Red Cross conference held in Pocatello. During the conference, there were lectures and discussions on how to aid returning soldiers “The meeting endorsed vigorous public health service, vocational training for returning soldiers and adequate provisions in Idaho on psychopathic cases of returning soldiers suffering from shell shock.” From this conference, a class was created to teach one hundred home service workers to aid homecoming soldiers at the Idaho Technical Institute. [2]

Upon return to Idaho soldiers could receive small grants of agricultural land. They could also work with the Department of Labor to find work. Although, many soldiers worried if there would be work when they came home, found it quickly after their return. The Idaho Daily Statesman reported “Seventy percent of the soldiers discharged since the armistice have positions awaiting them,”[3] The Idaho Daily Statesman also reported that the biggest difficulty in finding work for these men would be in finding clerical labor, and the lack of interest of able bodied men to take on remedial or farm labor.[4] Although many returning soldiers could find work, some could not. Twin Falls Times reported on Denver’s solution to the deficit in jobs by creating city jobs. Denver’s unemployed World War One veterans were put to work doing street maintenance and repair. The article states “Denver property owners must foot the bill for taking care of returning soldiers who fail to find jobs awaiting their homecoming.”[5] Finding employment could be difficult, some turned to expanding their education.

The Idaho Statesman reports that the Idaho Technical Institute’s enrolment grew by more than one third directly after the ending of the war in 1919. Many of the students bolstering the enrollment of the school were returning soldiers. The school had adapted to aiding these men and even developed night classes for over one hundred and fifty students. [6] Many men returning would need a specialized education to help them learn skills that they could use to support themselves after being disabled in the war. Many newspapers called this vocational re-education[7]

A system had to be planned for how to handle vast amount of wounded and permanently disabled soldiers. An Idaho Statesman article describes the hopes of this new care system for veterans. The goal of the system was to help all the soldiers in hospitals within three hundred miles of their homes. Seventy-five hospitals were turned over for this use to treat 104,231 service men. This allows the men to return to their homes, or at least near them.[8] These hospitals had to be fitted with the best treatments for commonly seen disabilities in soldiers from the first world war. After their initial treatment, these facilities were meant to help with vocational training, to help each patient be able to live and work on their own.

This vocational re-education helped many soldiers who needed assistance. Different government agencies like the, Bureau of War Risk Insurance and the Federal Board, worked to decide who would have vocational re-education paid for, and what services these would include. They preferred to if possible, try to place men back into the work force in the same position they had left when originally leaving for the war.

– Amberlee Salisbury

[1] “Pocatello hails trophy special with big noise,” Idaho statesman, no. 288 (1919): 3.

[2]“Pocatello Holds Big Red Cross Conference,” Idaho Statesman (Published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no.143 (1919):8

[3] “Employment Provided Returning Soldiers” Idaho Statesman (published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no.290 (1919):7

[4] “Employment Provided Returning Soldiers” Idaho Statesman (published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no.290 (1919):7

[5] Twin Falls Times Feb 12, 1919

[6] “Returning Soldiers Seek Education” Idaho Statesman (published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no.26(1919):10

[7] “Government to Aid Returning Soldiers” Idaho Statesman (published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no. 114 (1918):4

[8] “Plan Hospital System For 104,231 Wounded” Idaho Statesman (published the Idaho Daily Statesman), no.113 (1918):4