***Following the war, my FIL went to college on the GI bill and graduated as an accountant, but nobody would hire him in Los Angeles. ***
War is HELL! Whatever gave you the idea it isn't?
I can match your story from another perspective. My brother-in-law was in the air force in WWII. When his plane was shot down, he was taken prisoner by the Germans. He was also on a forced death march. He survived and, when he returned to this country, he went to school on the GI plan and became an eye doctor. He WAS NOT ALLOWED to take the qualifying exam in his own state of NY because he had studied at the University of Pennsylvania (one of the best in the country), and was unemployed for several years except for pick-up jobs.
Finally, NY State allowed him and other veterans to take the exam.
As I said, WAR IS HELL, and some innocent people suffer because of it. But I never once heard my brother-in-law complain about as you do.
Also, be thankful that you got to know your brother-in-law. My uncle came home from Germany in a box.