Support veterans

May 18, 2008 05:47 am

— The GI Bill, signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt, was hailed as the greatest piece of legislation ever passed. A generation of WWII vets took advantage of that bill and, without doubt, turned our nation into a great nation. My father was one of the fortunate.
The GI Bill has become a shadow of its former self -- failing to keep up with the cost of college -- so that the average GI Bill benefit doesn't even cover half the cost of a public college for an in-state student.
Unfortunately, John McCain has introduced legislation that would undercut the bipartisan effort to update the GI Bill. McCain's bill would reduce the college benefit that veterans would get, leaving far too many veterans without a path to a college education.
Most provisions of Senate Bill 22 have long been on a list of GI Bill features sought by the Military Officers Association of America and other advocates, and supported by an alliance of military, veterans and education groups.
President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003, though guerrilla resistance in Iraq has continued to claim lives and headlines almost daily. Close to 30,000 soldiers have been wounded in action, and according to a recent Rand report, "Invisible Wounds of War," some 300,000 U.S. troops are suffering from major depression or post-traumatic stress from serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all the fancy rhetoric, I want to see what George W. Bush is going to do after his presidency. I can only imagine his support of our returning troops will be similar to the Rand report -- "invisible."
Shame on you America. Write to support Senate Bill 22.
Robert Shabanowitz,
Lewisburg