[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 22, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        GI BILL 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______


                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 1994

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleagues in commemorating 
the 50th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. 
Commonly known as the GI bill, it, and the GI bills that succeeded it, 
have been stalwarts of the transition between service in our Armed 
Forces and civilian life.
  The lives and exploits of those who answered the call to serve their 
country in the armed services have long challenged our imaginations. 
These last few weeks, during the 50th anniversary of D-day, we have 
been reminded of their courage and valor, and how wars and those who 
fight them can change the world.
  Even so, most of us cannot begin to fathom how difficult it is for 
warriors to come home. In the service of their country, they missed 
educational opportunities, delayed careers, and may have suffered 
disabling injuries that prevented them from pursuing jobs for which 
they were trained. In the earlier chapters of our Nation's history, 
when soldiers returned from battle they were just expected to somehow 
reincorporate themselves into society. Many simply could not. The GI 
bill was the first major legislative attempt to begin to repay our 
soldiers for their sacrifice.
  The GI bill is responsible for helping veterans reenter society in a 
great many ways. When we speak of the GI bill, we generally think only 
of the continuing education aspects of the bill. However, the GI bill 
has also made possible the purchase of over 14 million homes. Each home 
bought, each skill taught, and each college degree earned, is a piece 
of the American dream richly deserved by those who risked life and limb 
in the defense of freedom and democracy.
  Perhaps the most important, and the most overlooked, contribution of 
the GI bill is the part it played in the creation of the American 
middle class. Without the jobs it created, without the skills it 
enhanced, and without the educational base created by the GI bill, 
America would be a far different place today.
  Today, my colleagues, as we remember the valor displayed on D-day and 
every conflict since, from the Korean conflict through the Vietnam war 
to the Persian Gulf war, let us remember once again our obligation to 
those who served.

                          ____________________