Bob Wallace:
Just visited with the post near Fort Bragg. saw a lot of different soldiers with a lot of different color berets. He got his education under the GI Bill. He returned from Vietnam and went back to work at a local bank. He noticed that his buddies around him were climbing the ladder, and they all had degrees. He went to the VA and the told him he already had a job. He said yes but I don't have a career. He signed up for vocational rehabilitation. He went to Rutgers. graduated. Went back down to the VA and they asked if he was rehabilitated. He said no way. He wanted a graduate degree. He went to an executive MBA program for two years and got his MBA.
The one thing that student vets and Bob have in common is the GI Bill. We owe it to people who served our country. In 1998 VFW tried to get a new GI Bill. Nobody cared. In 2002 a guy named Chris Smith from NJ became the chairman of the house VA committee. He made improvements to the GI Bill his signature issue. VFW maintained their emphasis on getting the GI Bill reformed. When senator Webb submitted the GI Bill for the 21s century he did so without pressure. He understood the need for the bill. The bill went nowhere. Eventually Senator Webb was able to build the bill up to 58 cosponsors. we hope that the bill will pass soon.
The VFW was founded in 1899 for veterans of the spanish american war. In the 50s the VFW began to become more involved with in local communities. In the 60s and 70s veterans were slow to come into the VFW because of the climate in the nation at the time. The VFW has adjusted over time to change itself to adapt to new veterans. Including welcoming women and a younger generation of veterans. Changing itself to be more family oriented, and provide more services for people with families.
If we can't do anything else for you we are going to get you a new GI Bill
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