Significant felt tip pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the ‘Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966’ (S. 9). The official 'bill signer' Eversharp pen measures 5.25″ long and features a navy-blue plastic barrel bearing a gold facsimile signature with presidential seal and a silver-tone cap section. Accompanied by the original presentation box with presidential seal and facsimile signature of President Johnson, as well as a typed caption: “One of the pens used by the President, March 3, 1966, signing S. 9, an Act to provide readjustment assistance to veterans who serve in the Armed Forces during the induction period.’ In fine condition, with notations to top cover of box.
The withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam coincided with an economic recession at home and, as a result, large numbers of veteran unemployment. Among programs created to assist in veterans finding work, Congress passed the Veterans’ Readjustment Benefits Act, called the Vietnam GI Bill, which restored educational benefits to veterans. Under this act, veterans who had been on active duty for more than 180 consecutive days were entitled to one month of educational assistance for each month of service, which was later increased to one and one-half months for each month of service. The education program for Vietnam veterans was highly successful, with about 76 percent of those eligible participating, compared to 50.5 percent of World War II veterans and 43.4 percent of Korean Conflict veterans. By 1980, the Veterans’ Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966 had trained 5.5 million veterans.
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