IMPORTANT: IF YOU ARE READING THIS POST, I HAVE CORRECTLY EDUCATED MYSELF AND PERFORMED A FLIP-FLOP ON THIS MATTER. PLEASE READ MY UPDATED GI BILL POST FOR THE REAL SCOOP ON THE NEW GI BILL.

There are two G.I. Bills that have been snaking their ways through Congress. Since I’m on the email lists of veterans organizations from Vets For Freedom to Iraq Veterans Against the War, I’ve heard all sides of the story as they fight to get one or the other passed. I’d like to educate you all about what these competing bills provide since they will be used as political capital on both sides of the aisle.

The first bill is one proposed by Senators Graham, Burr, and McCain. The main points of the G.I. Bill here provide for transferability of benefits to children and spouses. It also offers more benefits for those that serve longer. It provides an excellent incentive for making the military a career instead of a one-tour stint. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with only serving 3 or 4 years in the military, so don’t put any words in my mouth. Those of you who would anyway haven’t served a day to begin with!

The other bill was proposed by Virginia Senator Jim Webb. This bill provides expanded benefits to those that have served just one enlistment. It’s not a bad bill as it provides more money for education than we currently have, but it encourages military attrition and doesn’t provide for transferability children or spouses. It also increases the amount of time a servicemember can take to use his benefits from ten years to fifteen. Personally, I don’t think there should be a limit at all, but this is a good thing. Another positive is that it may increase initial military enlistments for those wanting to serve only one term.

Jim Webb thinks that since he can’t get troops out of Iraq, he’ll get them out through the back door. By authoring and submitting this legislation, he has effectively convinced Soldiers to get in, do their 3-4 years, and get out of the military. This will cause a huge strain on military attrition and make fighting the wars difficult as experienced combat veterans leave active service. The military will be required to expend vast amount of money training and retraining more recruits to replace the ones that are leaving to persue a full-time college education. Again, there is nothing wrong with going to college full-time, but we don’t need to be hurting the military while doing it.

Military educational benefits are better than any other commercial sector in the nation. We have more educational opportunities than we know what to do with if we just take the time to seek after them. Classes are offered at virtually every military installation and online for those stationed in remote locations. Tuition assistance pays over $4500 per year to attend courses on active duty WITHOUT even touching the G.I. Bill. There is really no reason why a Soldier should leave the military without some sort of two or four year degree. Even on posts where the schedules are weird, like Fort Irwin, the colleges provide work-arounds. On Fort Irwin, they schedule class to ensure they don’t conflict with rotations. The courses are generally condensed which means you get the same education with less classroom time.

Soldiers have been asking for expanded benefits for years. We’ve plainly laid out what we want: enough to cover the actual cost of tuition and transferability. Both Webb’s and McCain’s bills bring us a step closer, but Webb’s bill ignores the transferability option and encourages attrition. One only has to serve three to 36 months for pete’s sake! McCain’s bill rewards those who remain on active duty for longer periods of time. I think that is smart and rewards the sacrifices of those who remain in service to their country.