US: Leaving combat for the classroom

The war spending bill President Bush signed into law recently includes one of the most dramatic bumps in troop benefits to come along in decades: a new military funding measure that roughly doubles the money troops would be eligible to get for college once they have completed at least three years in the military, reports Newsweek.

Under the bill, veterans can attend the most expensive public university in their home state for four years with tuition fully covered - or they can apply the amount to tuition at a private university. They will also get $1,000 a month for housing and living expenses and more money for books and tutoring.

The Pentagon opposed the bill, fearing fewer GIs would re-enlist as a result, but Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb, the bill's sponsor, believes it will actually lead to higher recruitment numbers. Webb modelled the legislation after Franklin Roosevelt's World War II GI bill, legislation that made academia accessible to a much larger swath of the population and changed American society almost overnight.

For perspective on how the new bill affect troops and universities, Newsweek spokee to Dartmouth College President James Wright, who helped draft the legislation.
Full report on the Newsweek site