A 70-year milestone for veterans and our nation

June 22, 2014

Dear Friends,

70 years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, or, as you and I know it today, the G.I. Bill.

Passing the G.I. Bill is one of the smartest things Congress has ever done. The legislation sent millions of returning WWII veterans who never dreamed they could afford the costs of higher education to our nation’s colleges and universities, and helped usher in an unprecedented period of continued economic expansion in the 20th Century.

Since 1944, roughly 20 million Americans have taken advantage of the GI Bill’s education and training benefits. I’m proud to count myself as one of them. When I returned home after three tours of duty in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, the G.I. Bill helped me afford the cost of getting my MBA at the University of Delaware.

Today’s service members and veterans returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are now able to take advantage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill.  As with previous generations, this new and improved G.I. Bill is doing a lot of good, helping our military men and women meet their educational and professional goals. However, there’s still room for improvement.

We need make sure that service members and veterans are learning the skills they need to succeed in the civilian workforce and that they’re graduating without incurring unnecessary debt. I’ve held multiple hearings and introduced legislation designed to make sure veterans aren’t targeted by bad actors, and I will continue to make that a priority in this Congress.

Today, the 70-year anniversary, is a milestone for our military men and women and our nation. Let us celebrate what this piece of legislation has done for our military servicemen in the past and present, and continue striving to do better for our veterans and service members in the future.

With my best regards,