The Surprising History of Military College Benefits

For decades, politicians have struggled to balance rewarding service against the expense of generosity

June 17, 2008 RSS Feed Print

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That growing gap is one reason many veterans' groups are pushing so hard for a new law that would guarantee veterans a benefit that would at least keep pace with the cost of their local public university. And the implication for the federal budget is one reason some influential veterans, including President Bush and Sen. John McCain, have opposed the new GI Bill plan proposed by Sen. Jim Webb, a Vietnam veteran.

Boulton says he sees historical parallels to McCain's opposition to a dramatic increase in education benefits. He compares McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, with Eisenhower, the commanding general of Allied forces in World War II: "Perhaps it is just a strict adherence to fiscal conservatism, but I wonder if their positions as decorated and revered warriors imbued them with an antipathy for soldiers or veterans that might only be serving in the military for the promise of future benefits and rewards," Boulton says.

Cornell's Mettler worries, however, that focusing too much on history may blind Americans to today's reality. People—including herself before she started her research on the GI Bill—"just assume we must be taking care of our veterans.... But when I learned what the current benefits were, I was incredulous."

Tags:: benefits,; continuing education,; veterans,; history,; financial aid,; national security terrorism and the military,; military

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As someone who experienced this first hand back in the 80's I can tell you what a joke it was.
I was in college in 1981 after graduating high school on grants and a work study program. The Govt. pulled money from that program and shifted it to the military. So I quit college and joined the Army (for the college money). From 83 to 86 I did my time and participated in the 2 to 1 matching program. Max benefit, a measly 8k or so (including the money I put in). After my honorable discharge I went to the VA and told them I had picked out a college that I wanted to attend. The guy there actually laughed in my face. He said, oh, your mistaken, we don't pay for anything. You have to pay for everything FIRST then bring us your grades each year once your done, THEN we'll reimburse you IF you grades are high enough. What a crock of sh#t. If I had the money to go to school in the first place, I wouldn't have joined. It was a really rotten thing they did. I cashed out and told them to go screw themselves. That little thank you program only lasted for a few years. Thanks Uncle Sam. By the way, I've been a defense contractor for 3 decades since then and have served in many wars and war zones. Still get ZERO benefits from Uncle Sam.

asdfr of AZ 1:59PM December 01, 2011

The government saves money by offering different coverage for veterans based on where and when they served. Two guys could have identical knee injuries from parachuting- one in combat, one in Texas- different coverage for each.
People don't control the assignments they have- the benefits should be equal across the board.

Alex of WA 6:20PM February 03, 2009

Thank You Submariners Post!
I served onboard an Aircraft Carrier that was involved in Lebonese Civil War, The Iran-Iraq war, and The Libyan Crisis, yet our biggest challenge every single day was The Soviet Threat. 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365/366 days a year. But since my service was not sensationalized on the evening news, I have essentially ZERO dollars NONE ZILCH nada "No Money whatsoever" available to fund an increase in my EARNING POWER, all because my service was during that most neglected of all eras in funding - I served from 1979-1985. Pace University just announced a vile and repugnant discount - one in which millions of veterans are ignored - yet PACE is bragging about their commitment in shameless advertizing. They only offer this discount to those who have earned 1 of 3 expeditionary medals, effectively shaming all the veterans who have sacrificed so much, personally and economically, but failed to be sent to the 3 places where these medals are given just for showing up. I am appalled they are even legally allowed to call this a "VETERANS" benefit, because the massive majority of people who are VETERANS are not remotely eligible to save a single penny at PACE University. They should be sued in class action by veterans groups everywhere and assessed damages and penalties for false advertizing.

James of NY 3:02PM December 20, 2008