A small minority of citizens today volunteer to serve our nation in the U.S. military, often putting their lives on the line. Where would any of us be today without these defenders of freedom throughout our history?
A very important and long-overdue piece of legislation has been introduced in Congress that seeks to eliminate the catch in the educational benefits afforded veterans in the GI Bill, the most important "thank you" provided to those who have served.
I encourage you to follow the link below to learn more and to take advantage of the easy online mechanism there to let your elected representatives know how you feel about this bill.
http://www.military.com/veterans-report/congress-seeks-to-eliminate-gi-bill-time-limit?ESRC=vr.nl
Get Ready, Seriously ... www.safecastleroyal.com
I don't know how I feel about this.
ReplyDeleteI probably would not have gone to school yet if the GI Bill did not have a deadline.
With a deadline I had a reason to rearrange my priorities and go back to school even though I had a full-time job, a wife, and 3 kids.
I graduated 2 years ago, and still have 1 year of GI Bill left, so this would allow me to use this to pursue a Master's degree easier (Mine expires in 2009).
I'd be happier with a extension of the deadline, to say 15 years, then a wholesale removal of the deadline.
Us veterans already do as well or better then the public as a whole. This kind of seems like a cash giveaway in advance of the 2008 election season to buy some military votes.
Hi Dan. I understand your perspective.
ReplyDeleteI'd also point out that a significant portion of the vets out there come off active duty without having the wherewithal to immediately adjust and assimilate and get into a career flow.
I think that is particularly the case with many combat vets and/or with many individuals who do not have families started already to ground them and help get them back on track.
I believe it is something on the order of 30% of those who do get around to trying to take advantage of the GI Bill, do so too late to fully utilize it.
We are talking maybe 2-3% of the population out there who would benefit from this. I don't see it as a handout ... vets deserve more than they get today for their service ... and insofar as helping these folks who do their civic duty, if we help them achieve their educational goals, then all of society benefits.