“The Boy Scouts got it right when they settled on a motto: “Be prepared” is just about the best advice anyone could ever hear.

 

In Congress, there are a lot of opportunities to apply that precious bit of wisdom.  Our military and homeland security must be prepared for a terrorist attack.  We have to ensure that Southern Missouri is prepared to respond to an major earthquake event.  It is crucial that our systems of health care and Social Security prepare for the challenges of an aging Baby Boom population. 

 

There is another issue on which we must be flexible and adapt to changing times, and that issue is our veterans.  We must be prepared to offer them the benefits they have earned and deserve.

 

In particular, more members of the National Guard and Reserves are being called to active duty than ever before.  These brave men and women put their lives on the line for our country, and they place their lives at home on hold.  For some of them, this means leaving a job they love.  For others, it requires them to put their plans for education on hold.  For all of them, it means being apart from their families for long, stressful periods of time.

 

Yet active duty members of the National Guard and Reserves do not qualify for the Montgomery GI Bill, a key pillar in our country’s support for those who defend her.

 

Whether they need continuing education to brush up on their marketable skills or simply wish to continue with their course of study, the GI Bill offers an important opportunity for veterans.  And the veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are young people who are especially interested in self-improvement and community service.  We owe it to ourselves to support the contributions they have made, and to enable them to continue to do so. 

 

In 1944, when the GI Bill was signed into law, our National Guard and Reserves were primarily stay-at-home, readiness forces.  This, as we all know, is no longer the case.  The National Guard is not a weekend warrior’s commitment – it involves serious, dangerous service, often overseas.  For many, it means leaving a job for an extended period of time.  Sometimes, the job does not even exist when they return home.

 

America should treat these men and women like the soldiers they are.  If they can fight for our country abroad, they should qualify for the GI Bill at home.  These soldiers have earned more than our unending gratitude – they have earned our assistance in their pursuit of higher education.

 

Fortunately, many of my colleagues share my concern on this issue.

 

I will soon be introducing legislation to extend the full benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill to veterans who return home from significant active duty service with the National Guard and Reserves.  As long as that soldier is honorably discharged and meets basic education requirements, the scholarships made possible through the GI Bill should be open to them.

 

Today, the GI Bill is used by over 400,000 servicemen and servicewomen.  It has a profound impact on the general level of education in American communities, and that level of education pays dividends for all of us.  And our military men and women are a great investment – they have shown us they can lead through their action in uniform.  They do not stop being leaders or role models or heroes once they exchange the uniform for the role of the student.

 

Neither does our obligation to veterans end when we are finished with the “Welcome Home” celebration.  In fact, our responsibility begins that day, and it continues for the rest of their lives.  As our Southern Missouri members of the National Guard and Reserves return to us from distant shores, we should be prepared to show our appreciation, with signs and streamers and joyful parades – as well as with textbooks and classrooms and diplomas.”