Support our veterans
Letter
Ben DeMarzo
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Opinions
I recently had the honor of meeting William Dennis Brown Jr., a true American hero who served in combat as a Navy Seal. After completing his military service, William chose to pursue his education. He applied for and received an academic scholarship at Rutgers-Camden where he is studying political science and criminal justice. Now, Brown and his dedicated friends have taken up a new challenge by founding Veterans for Education, a Rutgers organization devoted to advocating for our heroes once they return home.
The Veterans for Education are leading the fight to pass A-2518/S-1555 in the New Jersey Legislature, an updated version of the G.I. Bill with broad bi-partisan support. The bill would allow Veterans or the spouses of Veterans who served in Operations "Enduring Freedom" or "Iraqi Freedom" to attend public universities and pay only $50 per credit, which would increase opportunities for thousands of Veterans in New Jersey.
The original G.I. Bill was largely responsible for creating the American Middle Class in the 1950s. The bill gave Veterans returning home from the battlefields of World War II a chance to receive an education and begin a career. Unfortunately, the escalating cost of college tuition has made the American Dream less attainable for our soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The unemployment rate among soldiers returning home has skyrocketed, and we have failed to adequately help those who proudly sacrificed for us.
While I am well aware of New Jersey's fiscal crisis, I believe that our Veterans should not be shortchanged because of the rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state government in the past decade. It is not the fault of our Veterans that while they bravely put their lives at risk, our state politicians were selfishly squandering public funds.
Please support our brave heroes in their fight for an updated G.I. Bill. These Veterans defended our nation by fighting al-Qaida in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have earned the right to come home to a society that will help them fulfill their dreams.
Please make a simple phone call to Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts at (856) 742-7600 and urge him to support the new G.I. Bill.
Ben DeMarzo is a Rutgers College sophomore majoring in political science and public policy.
The Veterans for Education are leading the fight to pass A-2518/S-1555 in the New Jersey Legislature, an updated version of the G.I. Bill with broad bi-partisan support. The bill would allow Veterans or the spouses of Veterans who served in Operations "Enduring Freedom" or "Iraqi Freedom" to attend public universities and pay only $50 per credit, which would increase opportunities for thousands of Veterans in New Jersey.
The original G.I. Bill was largely responsible for creating the American Middle Class in the 1950s. The bill gave Veterans returning home from the battlefields of World War II a chance to receive an education and begin a career. Unfortunately, the escalating cost of college tuition has made the American Dream less attainable for our soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The unemployment rate among soldiers returning home has skyrocketed, and we have failed to adequately help those who proudly sacrificed for us.
While I am well aware of New Jersey's fiscal crisis, I believe that our Veterans should not be shortchanged because of the rampant corruption and mismanagement of the state government in the past decade. It is not the fault of our Veterans that while they bravely put their lives at risk, our state politicians were selfishly squandering public funds.
Please support our brave heroes in their fight for an updated G.I. Bill. These Veterans defended our nation by fighting al-Qaida in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have earned the right to come home to a society that will help them fulfill their dreams.
Please make a simple phone call to Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts at (856) 742-7600 and urge him to support the new G.I. Bill.
Ben DeMarzo is a Rutgers College sophomore majoring in political science and public policy.