Veterans Week 2007: We Sent Them to War, Why Can't We Send Them to College?

In 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act," better known as the GI Bill. With that one signature, the President ensured that eight million combat veterans coming home from Germany and Japan would be able to afford an education. The World War Two GI Bill was the Cadillac of scholarships; it covered tuition, fees, and books, and gave veterans a living stipend while they were in school.

And it was worth every penny. A 1988 Congressional study proved that every dollar spent under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue. Before I served in Iraq, I worked on Wall Street. We used to talk about ROI - "return on investment." By any standard, the GI Bill was a good buy.

But today, we are not investing in our troops like we did after World War Two. After contributing up to $1,800 from their first military paychecks, today's troops can receive about $45,000 towards their education. That covers only 60-70% of the average cost of four years at a public college or university, or less than two years at a typical private college. The process to get these limited benefits is complicated. Troops have to front the money to their college, and then get paid back by the government in monthly installments. No wonder only 8% of troops even use their whole GI Bill benefit.

We can do better. This year, Congress is taking action on a new GI Bill. The new bipartisan bill, originally introduced by Senator Jim Webb of Virginia, would make a college education affordable to every service member returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Webb is a decorated Vietnam veteran who knows firsthand the struggles combat veterans face to rebuild their lives once they come home. He's committed to helping those veterans - and so far, 100 Senators and Representatives have signed on to his legislation.

President Roosevelt said that the original GI Bill gave "emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down."

We have an opportunity to show the same support for a new Greatest Generation. Instead of hearing about a flood of homeless Iraq veterans, we could be building a generation of leaders. This Veterans Day, you can do more for the troops than just go to a parade. Go to www.IAVAaction.org and tell your representatives to make a new GI Bill their priority in 2008.

Washington politicians say they support the troops. Signing on to support a new GI Bill gives them a chance to put their money where their mouths are.

Comments

[Vajara]

Right again, Paul. Keep up the great work you do in support of our soldiers and bringing sanity to the discussion of Iraq and other war mongering activities of this administration. You are the best!!!

[Kirby]

And in the State of Maryland if a retired military person, who is drawing a military pension for twenty years of service, happens to be a teacher, that individual is prohibited from using three of those years for credit service in the State Teachers' Retirement System, while at the same time a veteran with three years of military service is allowed to use all three years for credit in the State Teachers' Retirement System, thus increasing retirement pay. Discrimination at its rankest, I'd say! I laud the GI Bill, and I praise all the states which encourage vets to teach upon return from the service, but I wonder what it takes to change the system in Maryland to further favor all former military personnel to enter the teaching field, not just a select few.

[maxiemom]

Kasa5400 and his type are so typical of the right, Bush, Cheney are their demented followers. To them, our soldiers are props, talking points, numbers on a chart, facts and figures. They don't represent real people. Sure, they get themselves killed for our country; it shouldn't matter whether they volunteer or not. Our dictatorial leader has exorted young Americans to take the war to them so they won't come here to get us. Our government even recruits in our nation's high schools! How much pressure do you think that puts on our young minds? Our troops deserve the best we can give them. They volunteer, kasa5400, so YOUR CHILDREN DON'T HAVE TO BE DRAFTED!!!!!! Your attitude is also reflected by Bush's vetoeing of the budged Congress sent him today, which allotted more money for our troops once they returned home. The president's response? Those provisions, just like the rest of it, involving education, health, labor issues, and veterans affairs, all domestic affairs ignored by Bush and the last Republican Congress: PORK, of course! In the meantime, he sent another massive $400 billion + bill for Pentagon spending NOT related to either the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq. Let's see.... $600 billion for health, education, labor, veterans: in other words, US! $400 billion for the Pentagon not related to a war when we are already overspent on a war and that's necessary? That is exactly what is wrong with Bush, Cheney, kasa5400, and the right: their priorities involve killing despite what they like to call "the culture of life". They look at our soldiers as cannon fodder: once signed up, they serve no purpose when they come back, because they cease to be the cannon fodder which they 'volunteered' to be. Never mind that they did so to serve our country, which is also kasa5400's country. He, or she, should be glad there is no draft, so his or her children can feel safe and protected in a soft comfy at night. Frankly, I don't know how people like that even sleep at night, much less live with their own consciences.

[jcc173]

I was fortunate I suppose. I came back from Vietnam Disabled so the VA paid my full tuition, books etc and gave me a monthly stipend based on the number of dependants I had. This benefit Vocational Rehabilitation a benefit today specifically for disabled Veterans is basically the same as the regular GI Bill was for the WWII Vets.

I am now 100% Disabled due to my war disabilities. Try sending your kids to College on 2600 per Month disability. Yes the VA gives them approx 860 Per Month (pro rated by the amount of days they attend of course) But see how far that goes in a State University in New Jersey where the Yearly costs exceed 20K. My Kids have to take out student loans for 15K a year which by the time they are out of college and have to pay them back will have expanded with interest to almost 45K Times 4 years. So even after the price I paid for serving my country, my 4 kids will end up almost 200 Grand each in debt to get an education which I could not provide for them because of my disabilities from serving my "Grateful" Nation.
Thanks for nothing America.

[clark56]

The US Government (Army) paid for my undergraduate as well as graduate degree. Granted there were a few hoops to jump through, but most were there to insure I would not be wasting any money and was qualified.

I was proud to serve for over 20 years and believe that my service enables blogs such as this to exist even when they disparage the soldiers that protect them. My daughter also volunteered to serve and recently obtained her graduate degree courtesy of the US taxpayer.

For some reason I think some of the people commenting here might need a bit more education.

[Honest George]

Paul,
I have said it before and I will say it again that wars are very expensive unless you are the one to fight them. Emboldening the enemy, cut and run and not supporting the troops can be interpeted a couple of ways.The way I interpe it brside the obvious is sending a young man or woman into battle when they have to worry about how there families are making out. Rent Food Etc. This is a fact of life. College is very important and should be what a new G.I. Bill is all about. How about paying the troops what they are worth anf looking out for there families. If we did this I believe there would be second thoughts about going to war.With all the expenses of war I don't think paying a G.Is mortgage is out of line. When I left the Navy in 1954 the death benefit was 10,000 dollars. 50 years later it was not a whole lot better. There is now a decent death benefit for a soldiers family (if there could ever be a decent death benefit) but I think the G.I.s have to pay premiums. I am not sure. I also believe that a buck private means as much to his family as a bird colonel does to his. I don't have to E-mail my representatives about anything come hell or high water because my 2 Senators and and Steny always do what is right.

[LoriAnn]

thank you Mr Reickhoff....you continue to serve your fellow veterans by being a badly needed advocate and well spoken representative that our government "leaders" are not. These brave warriors deserve as much as possible to make their lives as full and complete as can be achieved. To accept less is to buy into this rediculous notion that all is being done, its a travesty of all things honest and true!! Thank you for your service and your continued dedication...!!!

[Bob Egan]

This country does not want an educated population!
The reason is simple ~~ job security for those now in office!!
We can't afford having people question the wisdom (or lack of) of our leaders.

I think it's going to take a "Revolution" and from what I've been seeing. we are a long, long way from it.

The motto of this administration should be ~~

"We don't need no stinking Constitution"

[sir ken g]

My dad went to college on the WWII GI Bill. He would not have gone to college without it. Our family's life was much much better as a result of the skilled jobs he had. ROI - you bet. But since the rich kids are not in the army.... sick sick sick - these creapos cannot be expelled from power and jailed too soon.

[Overd0g]

Sorry. We didn't "send them to war", they volunteered. You can give them all solid gold Cadillacs if you want.

[Bob Egan]

About the "Support the Troops" thing. Like everything this administration labels, it does not mean what it says ~~ it really means "support the War" just like the lapel flags. I took mine off!

[Bob Egan]

Many of these fine young people enlist to escape
the poor neighborhoods and crime ridden streets.
Maybe this government just wants them to just move up a little bit, after all, our privileged like to appear to be without prejudices but draw the line at rubbing elbows. If we let these underprivleged
get too uppity they might want to join "Scull and Bones" and that would not be acceptable.

Of course the Recruiting advertisements don't explain the fine print, just as the mortgage people might have misled the lower income borrowers.

The wealthy have trouble getting richer off each other so they legislate ways of getting it from those that can least afford it. Credit cards, payday loans, lotteries etc.

When the price of energy goes up 200%, and your energy bills only account for about 1% of your income, it does not have much of an impact. But when the cost of energy eats up 5 to 10% of your income thats a different story. Has anyone noticed that the cost of food has gone up 30 to 50% under this administration?

When the money tide rolls in, only the yachts rise accordingly!

[realistic2008]

Why? This administration uses the soldiers as instruments to test the newest and most powerful WMDs produce by our heroic arms industry and paradoxically our best scientific minds of egotistic mad scientists.
That said and after a war/conflict the soldiers are of little value to the industry or to the administration; therefore, they become expendable and forgotten; what a shame indeed.

[jwod]

Served in the Cold War Army in Germany. Returned to finish college. The C.W. GI Bill passed while i was finishing up my undergraduate coursework on my dime. GI Bill stipend for 36 months (length of my tour) allowed me to go to law school. It was only $420/month but that was 1966-70.

This Army, seems to want to disentangle itself from its vets, with only minimal post-combat contact except for the visibly injured. But while vets are eligible for college benefits, the mechanism seems to discourage applicants-maybe intentionally.

But considering we spend more money as a nation per prison incarceratee, than we do per student, it's unlikely we'll ever get our priorities in order - I never did understand how conservatism means throwing people's lives (i.e. the future) away to save a buck now.

[ibsteve2u]

You think it is unfair now, wait until the war has been over for three or four years. Trust me, the Republicans far prefer dead heroes to living veterans.

The names and stories of the former can be invoked as propaganda when attempting to stiffen America's backbone for a new war, but the latter are just expensive.