<P> The Bonus Army were the 43,000 marchers -- 17,000 U.S. World War I veterans , their families , and affiliated groups -- who gathered in Washington , D.C. in the summer of 1932 to demand cash - payment redemption of their service certificates . Organizers called the demonstrators the `` Bonus Expeditionary Force '' , to echo the name of World War I 's American Expeditionary Forces , while the media referred to them as the `` Bonus Army '' or `` Bonus Marchers '' . The contingent was led by Walter W. Waters , a former sergeant . </P>
<P> The Bonus Army were the 43,000 marchers -- 17,000 U.S. World War I veterans , their families , and affiliated groups -- who gathered in Washington , D.C. in the summer of 1932 to demand cash - payment redemption of their service certificates . Organizers called the demonstrators the `` Bonus Expeditionary Force '' , to echo the name of World War I 's American Expeditionary Forces , while the media referred to them as the `` Bonus Army '' or `` Bonus Marchers '' . The contingent was led by Walter W. Waters , a former sergeant . </P>
who made the bonus army that marched on washington
who made the bonus army that marched on washington
17,000 U.S. World War I veterans , their families , and affiliated groups
17,000 U.S. World War I veterans , their families , and affiliated groups