Susan Collins: “at a time when our men and women in uniform are fighting valiantly to bring peace and opportunity to an oppressed people…”

“at a time when our men and women in uniform are fighting valiantly to bring peace and opportunity to an oppressed people and ensure the security of our homeland, I am pleased to introduce the Selected Reserve Educational Assistance Act of 2003 to extend the opportunity of higher education to many of those very same men and women in uniform. This legislation provides our National Guard and Reserve personnel, hundreds of thousands of whom are currently mobilized, deployed, and fighting around the globe, with educational opportunities as intended by the Montgomery GI bill. I am pleased that my colleagues, Senators Tom Daschle, Tim Johnson, and Bill Nelson, have joined as cosponsors. Through this legislation, we seek to promote both service to country and education in a way that is both logical and fair. Members of our National Guard and Reserve are members of our communities. The skills they learn from military service are reflected in the positions of leadership they assume among us. These citizen-soldiers have demonstrated their commitment to serve and as members of the 'total force' deserve opportunities to further improve themselves through the civilian educational opportunities the Montgomery GI bill promotes. Service and education are prerequisites of a strong, vibrant democracy. This legislation seeks to further this combined effort.”