The Supreme Court in Fishgold not only allowed the reemployment of a service person but also held that, with regards to advancement opportunities the service person missed while serving abroad, the service person "step back on at the precise point he would have occupied had he kept his position continuously during the war." The Court further held that the Act be "liberally construed" to aid those who left their occupations to serve their country during a time of great peril. The Court rationalized its holdings by stating that a citizen called to defend the United States should not, upon discharge, be hindered from advancement in their civilian job because of the service-related absence. The Court further noted that the returning veteran was "to gain by his service for his country an advantage which the law withheld from those who stayed behind."