93crawler

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For all those that have served, or are still serving in the military I solute you, and thank you for your service. The majority of my Mom's side of the family has either served in the military, or is still serving. My Grandpa, who has recently passed away, was a World War II vet, and awarded a Purple Heart for his efforts. I actually thought of joining the military at one point, when I was 20 I think, but decided against it. I just don't like being told what to do that much.

That being said, today was the first time that current members of the military will have a big thank you, from the nation in the form of the GI Bill. This bill was spearheaded by Jim Webb, the freshman Senator from Virginia, a Democrat--and was overwhelmingly supported by both sides. I believe it passed in the Senate by 83 votes, and the House by over 300. However, it should be stated that although they are now saying they supported the bill all along, both President Bush, and McBush-er McCain were against it all along. Their rationale behind being against it was that it would diminish the time that recruits put in, but in fact it didn't decrease anything at all. It can also be stated that Obama, and Hillary were always for this bill from the beginning. I can't really think of any other better way of supporting our troops than by voting for this bill. Also, I think that McBush skipped this bill all together, which tells you just how much he actually supports the troops. Here is an article about the bill, and the facts leading up to it. The article, by the way, was written by a former veteran of Iraq.


This morning, President Bush signed the new GI Bill into law. With that signature, college became affordable for the 1.7 million troops we sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a promise we made to the veterans of World War II: that those who defend our country should be able to take advantage of America's opportunity. This legislation again fulfills that promise, and will do nothing less than change the course of an entire generation.

There were many different forces that worked together to produce the new GI Bill -- it's a history that deserves its own book. Sadly, President Bush mentioned only two of the four leading sponsors in the Senate, and then thanked the three Senators who had joined the administration in vigorously opposing the GI Bill legislation. That kind of logic is nothing new for this White House, but it's an ungracious ending to what could have been a positive piece of this administration's legacy.

I'd like to take the opportunity to correct the record. Here are a few of the people we worked with at IAVA to make the new GI Bill possible:

• The bipartisan coalition of combat veterans in the Senate -- Webb, Warner, Hagel, Lautenberg, and Akaka -- was the backbone of the fight to get this bill passed. They were joined by Representatives Mitchell, Scott, King, and Brown-Waite in the House.

• The Senate and House leadership deserve real credit for making this a priority. And special thanks to the folks who write the checks -- in particular Representatives Murtha, Edwards and Obey on the Appropriations Committee -- who understood that supporting our veterans is a cost of war.

• Thanks to the vast majority of Congress who rallied behind the GI Bill. In the end, the legislation had 58 cosponsors in the Senate and 303 cosponsors in the House. That kind of support is generally limited to resolutions honoring Mother's Day. (You can personally thank your Senator or Representative here.)

• None of this would have been possible without the united front of the Veterans Service Organizations. Veterans of all generations stood together to ensure that those coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan would get the educational benefits they deserved. Without the dedication and unity of purpose of the VFW, the American Legion, the Student Veterans of America, the Military Officers Association of America and others, this bill could not have been written, much less passed.

Of course, the real force behind the movement for a new GI Bill was Iraq and Afghanistan veterans themselves, advocating in their communities across the country, and the patriotic citizens who joined them in asking their representatives to do the right thing. For all those who contributed time, energy, and effort to help us accomplish this feat, we owe our gratitude. As our nation comes together to celebrate this 4th of July, we can all be extremely proud of this victory.

fmb

I'm glad to see this bill passed! To me, the amount spent to send these men and women through college and various training programs is a drop in the bucket compared to what the veterans and their families have contributed. Also, it was good to see this many of our elected officials vote "yes" and pass this legislation.

I can see why there were some thinking this would not encourage many of our service men and women to stay beyond the minimum time commitment; however, I do not think the good for the greater number of veterans should be minimized because of the "possibility" an extremely minor number "might" take advantage of the offer.

I did not support Bush when he came out against it.

CD

When I heard about this bill, I was all for it. I'm glad to see that it has passed.

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FattyJJ

I've got a lot of buddies that will love to get this. I never got deployed, so I dont think I get anything.

I also think that we should give anyone that is critically wounded in a war free medical for the rest of their life. Most of the time after they get discharged from the VA hospital, and then discharged from the military, they only get compesated for anything that is wrong at that time. Not any future, unknown issues that may come up years down the road. In a perfect world, we would treat our men and women that fight without a choice better than anyone else, but that will never happen.

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fmb

FattyJJ, I'm not sure on the details, but I thought if you enlisted and were part of our armed services you were eligible. It may be worth checking into.

Also, since the Coast Guard is now part of the Department of Homeland Security, are they eligible for this? Personally, I think they should be.

Anyone know?

zpr

Once a vet is rated at 50% or more disability, they receive 100% medical coverage. I'm 30% and am covered for anything service related.

FattyJJ

Do you/they have to use doctors recommended by the military? Can you only go to a VA hospital?

I need to get in touch with a VA rep about my back, but I've been out for about 3 years and think it might be a tough sell. About 6 months after I got out it went out on me so bad I had to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital because I couldnt move. I was only picking up a 5lb trashcan when it happened.

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Bonecrusher

I couldn't be more happy that this bill passed.

So many young men and women signed up to serve their country in hopes of preparing themselves for a better future, providing for their family, paying for college when there was no other assistance.

They didn't know nor could they expect to have been thrown into this war. Whether or not it is an unjust war will be argued for decades. However, many of these people who have served over the last few years, signed up in a time of peace. They'd established a comfortable life, settled in with their families, began careers not involved with the military.

and then in a blink of an eye...their lives, their families, uprooted.

Our soldiers deserve more than we could ever give them. At least this is a start at repaying them for what they've given us.

joerockhead

Sorry, could not resist.
I am not sure you will get anything from the VA. They have have seen something while you were in.

I have not reviews the Bill, and I cannot comment on why President Bush and Senator McCain did not support it, other then the looks of Cost - $$

Obama was all for it, as it will help him push for "College for Everyone", paid for by taxpayers.
But that doesn't really matter, it will be of great benefit to the men and women of the armed forces, finally getting some back from what the Clinton administration stole (Medical Mainly) in the 90's.

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zpr

They want you to go to a VA hospital, but I've gotten away with not using them. I don't have any problem with VA other than the amount of time I have to wait for an appt. My regular doc has billed VA for my copay when it is service related and VA has paid it. My guess is that it depends of the case load in your area to what you can get away with.

If you have proof of the injury starting when you were on active duty, you should be able to claim it.

zpr

I did notice that the medical benefits weren't as good when I was a sponsor vs. when I was a dependent. When I was an Army brat, it was full medical, dental and vision. I only needed the medical part, but my sisters both had glasses and braces. When I joined the Army, there were no vision benefits and I had to pay for not so good dental. I stopped being a dependent in '94 and became a sponsor in '97. I don't know when it changed, but it made it harder to raise a family on a soldiers pay.

Washington used to lock in tuition rates for the war that a veteran served in (example: a Vietnam Vet would pay the tuition rate that was active during the Vietnam War). They ended up changing that in the last few years to give all veterans 50% tuition. Some vets got screwed, but most got a better deal.

FattyJJ

According to the story on military.com, anyone who served for atleast 90 consecutive days after Sept 11 2001 is elegible, so looks like I get some more college money. It also said they will give you $1000 for books and up to $1000 a month for lodging.

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FattyJJ

Yes, I am not proud of it, but it is sort of funny.

As someone said it, stop the war for 10 minutes and you could fund all military college costs for 10 years. So I dont buy the cost excuse, it may be the one they are using, but its complete bullshit to pay that much to private contractors and not give our military jack shit.

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