Post-9/11 Gi Bill: Is it

¶ … post-9/11 GI Bill: Is it a success?

The GI Bill that was passed after World War II was designed to give veterans the ability to better themselves in college. Every veteran could receive a free education, so long as he qualified for admission to a college or university. Under the current post-9/11 GI Bill as well, for resident former members of the military attending "a public Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) all tuition & fee payments are reimbursed" ("How much money will I get under the Post-9/11 GI Bill," GI Bill, 2011). All are eligible who serve "90 days active aggregate service (after 9/10/01) or 30 days continuous if discharged for disability" ("Benefits comparison chart," GI Bill, 2011). As well as universities and colleges, apprenticeships, trade schools, and other non-college educational degree programs are funded through the post-9/11 GI Bill. Thus, regardless of whether a veteran aspires to go to college or not, the new bill can enable him or her to seek a foundation in life through formal training.

Re-adjusting to civilian life can be a challenge for returning veterans, and the GI Bill aims to honor the service and sacrifice of contemporary veterans who have volunteered their time, of their own free will, to serve in the U.S. military. The bill was widely supported. The one criticism of the Bill was that it did not allow for distance learning to be fully covered by the stipulations: "Veterans who choose a course of study via online learning are not eligible for housing allowance; this can amount to thousands of dollars in aid per month. Online learning has become far more common with wounded veterans, full-time workers, and those with unique time constraints" (Dakduk 2011). However, for-profit online institutions such as The University of Phoenix have come under increasing scrutiny because of their ability to woo large numbers of students who may not be eligible for college work and achieve degrees of dubious value. The current wording of the Bill encourages veterans to attend programs that will specifically add to their credentials and enable them to gain a better foothold in society.

Many success stories today exist of veterans who have successfully returned from combat and have used their degrees to attain their professional aspirations. Javier Centonzio had never attended college but stated that "once I returned from Iraq in 2006, I started at Park University with no college experience, and now I am in my first year of law school at Stetson University College of Law" ("Javier Centonzio," Today's GI Bill, 2011). Crippling law debt is one of the reasons that many students have ambiguous feelings about law school or who are unwilling to even apply. However, Centonzio states: "The GI Bill reduced the amount of debt that I have to pay back after my education is complete. I am happy to see the new GI Bill in place to address the cost of living expenses and the cost of books. If I had that available to me, my debt would be close to zero" ("Javier Centonzio," Today's GI Bill, 2011).