John Kerry: “the original GI Bill of 1944 was intended to help veterans readjust to civilian life, and to recognize the service they…”

“the original GI Bill of 1944 was intended to help veterans readjust to civilian life, and to recognize the service they provided to their country. Subsequent GI Bills, including the one in force today, have been important tools to recruit the world's best troops. The GI Bill is meant ``to help meet, in part, the expenses of such individual's subsistence, tuition, fees, supplies, books, equipment, and other educational costs.'' At certain points historically the payment has met over 100 percent of these costs. Yet, today's troops, performing with such distinction in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world, are returning home to a GI Bill that covers only 63 percent of the average price of a public four-year secondary education. Veterans are struggling to make up the difference in the price of their education. We have heard of a 28-year-old Navy veteran who served two deployments in the Persian Gulf between 1996 and 2002. When he went to school he had to supplement his GI Bill benefits by working part-time as a bartender and taking out tens of thousands of dollars in emergency loans. We've heard of a veteran who served 4 years in the airborne infantry prior to enrolling in a local community college in California under the GI Bill.…”