A Learning Disability

It is the soldier not the poet not the preacher not the teacher not the reporter not the politician or the protestor that gives us our freedoms. We live in the greatest nation ever because of our military because of the sacrifices they where willing to make and far too many did make. They did it not for a sense of entitlement but because they truly loved their country and to not give them the ability to go to college without putting them into debt is a horrible thing. These men and women deserve so much more.

I think it is absurd that the government will not make a sacrifice for the men and women who give us the very freedoms we possess. For it is the soldier not the poet who gives us freedom of speech, it is the soldier not the preacher who gives us the freedom of religion, it is the soldier not the journalist who gives us the freedom of press. It is the soldier not the protestor who gives us the freedom to demonstrate. Above all it is Americas military that keeps us as the greatest nation in the world and that has and is still providing us with the very freedom we take for granted.

time for a new gi bill? only when we win! why encourage gi's to earn a millon and a half more lifetime? to fight for lost souls without hope. to work for corporate intereest? lets wait for the draft to come back. lets put all kinds of donut holes in the bill. why give chidren a chance. to learn earn and return a little. jtv

14 months in Vietnam, two Purple Hearts, Silver Star. Medevacked and discharged. GI Bill paid me $155/month for the 9 months/year that college classes were in session. I worked in an animal hospital cleaning up dog crap for 3 years in exchange for rent. My father, who went across the bridge at Remagen hand-to-hand in 1945 came home to full tuition and a living allowance. The GI Bill is long overdue for an upgrade.

I agree with RollingTrip's comment. The Montgomery GI Bill Is tuition assistance. Not pay for everything to include room, board, and stipends.
I have spent 6 years Active duty and have done several deployments and i would never assume the government should now pay for my room and board and complete education expenses for Four years. If you want free room and board you should just stay in and finish your degree on Active Duty. Which is very possible these days with online classes.

George bush's main thoughts are for more funding for his Iraq disaster, any other spending is out of context for this Pres.
To hell with America just give me the funding for Iraq !!!!

Interesting facts but very skewd and weak analysis.

As a veteran who has used the GI bill, along with many of my buddies/employees, I think that these service members need to quit their whining. I graduated last year using the same benefits they get and didn't pay a dime for my Bachelors. My expirience was that the GI Bill payments continued to go up over time as there are many people who do not use the benefit and the remaining funds are reallocated. As for reservists getting less...WHO CARES. They do less. If you join for 4 yrs and work 24/7 you should get more than someone who works one weekend a month and two weeks a year. These guys can cite all the numbers and unique situations that they want. I employee 30 service members (with easily thousands at the organization) who use the benefits ... The only complaints I have EVER heard are the lag times to start the benefit (sometimes up to 3 months) and the customer service (which is mostly alleviated now that they can confirm enrollment online).

Tuition assistance for active members is just that...assistance. If you are provided with a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear...why would they pay you more than just TA? Look at it this way...you are being given a chance to learn so that you can come work for me and make more money. When you get out of the military my company will give you TA so you can ask me for a raise when you get your next degree. Still a good deal? YES!

My opinion... suck it up! Grandpa landed on Normandy... reservists: most of you sit in an office or march to the chow hall on the weekend. For those of you who do go to Iraq: You know what you signed up for and come home safe.

Cheers!

In a time where America is suffering financially due to piss poor spending should we really double a benefit that already works?

this draft dodger president has always shortchanged vets. not only college, but health care. wants to disenroll vets getting health care at va who make over 31k. they pay a fee now, but he wants to kick them out all together

His remark about the bonus marchers did not mention that they were fired upon or that they were trying to collect the bonuses before the date promised when the U. S. Treasury was nearly empty during the Depression.

Fortunately Illinois paid all tuition if you went to an Illinois state school. Great benefit and incentive to serve. I would like to see that benefit extended to all states. The GI Bill only paid my basic room and board at a state school, but it was definitely helpful. I don't sympathize with people going to private school - anything over the state school tuition should be on your dime. I'm former USMC, so they didn't give me anything as an incentive to join - like they did for the Army and Navy. (this was 1989)

Yeah, well you need to accept that you didn't sign up for active, and you don't get the same benefits. You knew the risk and the costs versus the benefits. Also, you need to move into an efficiency and get a damn room mate, and stop whining. Further, you might have to accept the reality that not everyone can go BUCKNELL. Find a cheaper U, or pay the cost. I'm using the MGIB chapter 30 as an Army Veteran, and I was active duty, didn't make BIG MONEY in Iraq, where you have no business spending all that loot with large, tax free, market competitive wages and room and board paid for. I'm a junior now, and I'm going to get my degree with straight A's, without whining, I'm getting the job done. I'm cutting corners where I have to, but hey, I didn't get sent off to a war with hazard pay and tax free pay, for one. He was there for what, one or two years? What did you spend your loot on? Iraqi hunting safaris?

My boyfriends in the Army Reserves and signed away 8 years of his life to help pay off and finish college, all they are doing is paying back $10,000 of his loan and covering about 1/4 the cost of any classes he takes to finish his degree, i think that's terrible that he signs away 8 years and is going to walk away with $70,000 in school loans instead of $80,000. We don't treat our troops with the respect they deserve. I don't necessarily think that his education should be paid in full but $10,000 for 8 years hardly covers a semester at an average college and does NOTHING for a computer science major attending Virginia Tech.

My boyfriends in the Army Reserves and signed away 8 years of his life to help pay off and finish college, all they are doing is paying back $10,000 of his loan and covering about 1/4 the cost of any classes he takes to finish his degree, i think that's terrible that he signs away 8 years and is going to walk away with $70,000 in school loans instead of $80,000. We don't treat our troops with the respect they deserve. I don't necessarily think that his education should be paid in full but $10,000 for 8 years hardly covers a semester at an average college and does NOTHING for a computer science major attending Virginia Tech.

I got out of the Army in 1996 and it paid for my entire BS and MS degrees since I already had My AA. It was a very good program for me. It paid me around $1200 a month for 36 month to go to school. I also worked full time, but the thing that helped make it work was the Army College fund that I received on top of the GI bill. I remember when looking at the money aspect of it, the GI Bill would not have been enough alone. Thank God for the Army college fund.
Odis Franklin
Veteran, US Army

When I joined the Army infantry in 1982, the post-Vietnam Veterans Education Assistance Program was in effect (VEAP). Although not as good as either the original or current GI Bill, it was enough for me to get a good education at an in state public college. We no longer live in the post-WW2 boomer generation of our grandfathers. This is an era that we may count ourselves fortunate to still have veteran???s benefits. In addition, most of us will not have the retirement pensions, and arguably, the Social Security benefits of previous generations. The global economy has radically altered the realities of American life. This country is now challenged to find its way out of this situation via innovation. We need to manufacture more than burgers and pizza if we want to revive the grand aspirations of our American Dreams. Let's not ask what our country can do for us, but rather what we can do!

The government tells our young men and women of age to join the armed forces that the contribute to a college education, that they will be given x amount of money to be used for a college education. I have never heard that that our men and women in the military are told that they will have their college education paid for completely. If the government said, yes go ahead get your college education and we will pay for it, what's to keep someone from making a career out of going to college, because all I've got to do is maintain a good grade average (at or above a 3.0) and I've got my career and the government is going to pay me. For not only have you got your GI Bill, you've got many other grants that give money directly to the student, plus student loans that don't have to be paid back until you finish college. I went to state colleges and got a good education.

God forbit he go to a state school like the rest of the unwashed masses. It goes to show: if you give a Marine a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk (or fine brandy in this case).

This article has a few short comings, A few Bloggers here are ignorant to them too. To begin with reservists as long as they are still in the guard or reserves get Tuition assistance of 100% of college costs. If they get out, they get less because they didn't serve full time. They should know that when they enlist. I was active from 98 till 02 in the Navy, I paid $1,600 and received $1,030 a month for 10 SEMESTERS = 5 years. In fact with map and pell, I had enough to pay school, RENT, CAR, FOOD. I got a part time job just because I wanted one. I lived FAT on the HOG for it, now going to work is hard. I also used Tuition assistance to be a Sophomore in college before I even left the military. So any vet that says "Woe is me, I can't go to school" needs to look at the real reason. Furthermore, some MOS/Rates get toppers of up to $1,000 a month MGIB.