2006 VFW Magazine - Veterans of Foreign Wars

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Student Veterans Battle Financial Hurdles A GI Bill for the 21st Century An education benefit commensurate with the service being rendered by today’s wartime veterans is the only fair and equitable approach. This is especially so regarding National Guard and Reserve veterans. “ The GI Bill doesn’t pay enough to many of the people who deserve it,” explains Joe Darling, a Marine reservist and sophomore at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Conn. “I’ve served a lot of active duty time: I’ve been to Iraq twice, just short of a year each time.” Yet program rules disadvantage reservists like Darling who have done multiple stints on active duty. “All I get from the GI Bill is $297 per month. It is never enough.” And although Darling will finally be assured of more time for his studies once his military service ends next fall, at that point, unlike regular active-duty veterans, he will lose his benefits. WWII Bill ‘Magnanimous’ That’s not how it was under the first GI Bill, created in 1944 for WWII veterans. Beneficiaries still remember the law’s education and training provisions with gratitude. Richard Colosimo, who served in the Army’s 89th Division, called it “magnanimous.” He explained,“I’m a child of the Depression. We had a very poor life.” It was the GI Bill that made it possible for him to attend the American Television Institute in Chicago, and then to go to college, earning his degree at the University of Pittsburgh even while already married. Besides covering his tuition, the Bill offered subsistence by Suzanne Mettler allowances that helped Colosimo and his wife afford their apartment. Sam Marchesi dropped out of school after 8th grade so that he could work and help support his younger siblings. After serving in the Army in the Pacific, he used the benefits for vocational and on-the-job training, becoming a successful custom builder. “We had to face the world. We had to make a living,” he commented. “Thank God the government had the doors open for us.” A Turning Point in Life The original GI Bill has long been revered as landmark legislation, and new research verifies its powerful impact. I surveyed more than 1,500 members of the WWII generation, conducted indepth interviews with 30 veterans nationwide and analyzed many historical documents. My findings confirmed that the education and training benefits fully deserve their hallowed reputation for expanding upward mobility. They also revealed that the Bill inspired beneficiaries to become more active citizens. Beneficiaries joined civic organizations and took part in political activities at rates that helped make the postwar era one in which democracy thrived. Veterans praised the Bill for the generosity of its terms, the inclusivity of its coverage and the efficiency and fairness of its implementation. These hallmark characteristics gave beneficiaries a positive experience of government that many remembered, even decades later, as a turning point in their lives. Over the years, the nation has refashioned the GI Bill’s provisions for each new generation of veterans. In 1984, led by Mississippi Rep. G.V. Sonny Montgomery, policymakers created a new version to enhance recruitment and retention in the all-volunteer armed forces and readjustment to civilian life afterward. Overall, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB), as it is known, has worked well. Giacomo Mordente, director of veterans affairs at Southern Connecticut State University, says, “My general experience with veterans, the Guard, and Reservists, is that they appreciate their benefits.” Time for Change Yet during these past two decades, both higher education and the military have changed. Now the GI Bill must be altered once again if it is to embody the spirit of the original law. Whereas WWII vets had their tuition covered at any approved institution of higher learning in the country—public or private—and were provided subsistence allowances on top of that, today’s GI Bill is not as generous. Those who enlist for three years of active duty are required to contribute $1,200 if they wish to qualify for GI Bill coverage later on. Such pay reductions, taken out of the first year’s salary, are burdensome for young entrants. Non-veteran college students can obtain student loans or Pell Grants without performing any form of civic duty. And they are not asked to contribute to these programs financially. Why should those who volunteer for military service have to help finance the GI Bill The cost of higher education has 14 • WWW.VFW.ORG • © 2006 VFW Magazine
ROBERT WIDENER / VFW University of Kansas veteran-students Charlie House, Justin Montgomery, Marla Keown and Josh Monteiro are attending college on the GI Bill. Monteiro is using his education benefits to attend the university’s law school. All four are veterans of the Iraq war. increased more quickly than inflation. The GI Bill has not kept pace, even though monthly stipends were boosted substantially between 2001 and 2003. According to VA, 92% of MGIB users pursue a higher education today. Yet the maximum monthly MGIB payment, now $1,034 per month, covers only 75% of the cost of tuition, fees, and room and board at the average two-year community college, 59% at the average four-year public university and 34% at the average four-year private university. Obviously, veterans must shoulder a significant amount of the costs themselves. Jason Forth, a Marine veteran who is now a senior at Syracuse University—a private institution—says the GI Bill is still a good deal. “I’ll come away with $17,000 in loans. If I had come here to school without the GI Bill, I’d finish with $40,000-$50,000 in debt.” Hurdles for Citizen-Soldiers For many others, though, the financial hurdles hinder degree completion. And although most veterans are married once they leave the service, the MGIB offers no extra payments to those with families. Not surprisingly, married veterans are less likely to use the benefits. Perhaps the biggest problem is that today’s GI Bill is neither as inclusive nor as fair as the original. In 1984, National Guard and Reserve forces were included under different terms than activeduty troops. This was a decision that seemed reasonable at the time given that they served in such a different role. However, since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Guard and Reserve troops increasingly serve long stints on active duty. They make up 40% of the troops in Iraq today, and suffer casualty rates comparable to those among active-duty forces. Nevertheless, when they come home, their GI Bill benefits are, on average, only half as much. Monthly rates of payment range from 40% of the active-duty MGIB rates for those who have served more than 90 days but less than one year Continued on page 18 ➲ © 2006 VFW Magazine • WWW.VFW.ORG • 15
Page 2 and 3: contents SPECIAL ISSUE All the majo
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Page 10 and 11: ‘Just Don’t Forget Me’ Societ
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Page 16 and 17: Caring for the Wounded in the Long
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2006 VFW Magazine - Veterans of Foreign Wars

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