[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 80 (Wednesday, June 22, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
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]

 
             THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GI BILL OF RIGHTS

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 50th 
anniversary of the passage of the GI bill of rights.
  Fifty years ago today, on June 22, 1944, President Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt signed the GI bill of rights, saying:

       With the signing of this bill, a well-rounded program of 
     special veterans' benefits is nearly complete. It gives 
     emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that 
     the American people do not intend to let them down.

  The purpose of the GI bill of rights, which provided education, home 
loan, and unemployment benefits was to reward our veterans, to prevent 
stagnation, to improve the economy, and to provide for our Nation's 
long-term growth.
  Fifty years later, the GI bill is credited with helping create a 
strong American middle class. It made college and home ownership 
possible for millions of Americans who otherwise would not have been 
able to afford it.
  It has successfully helped soldiers make the transition to civilian 
life, and restored the human resources lost or stifled by the war. More 
than 20 million veterans have been educated, and more than 14 million 
veterans purchased homes through this landmark legislation.
  Today, we have a voluntary Armed Forces, meaning that the need for 
good veterans' benefits is even greater than it was 50 years ago. 
Simply stated, our Nation, as the world's only superpower, must have 
strong incentives to encourage young people to join the military 
service.
  In fact, if it had not been for the GI bill, I might not have gone to 
college. After serving in the Korean war, I went to San Jose State in 
California and received $100 a month to go to school. This money was 
sorely needed for tuition, fees, books, and other college expenses. 
That was not very much, and indeed it is not very much now. It is about 
$400 a month now. But it certainly is a big help. Before the GI bill 
was signed into law, only about 10 percent of high school graduates 
went to college. After it was signed into law, that number increased to 
about 50 percent who attended college. That should be testimony to a 
profound social and economic impact on America.
  I hope that as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the GI bill of 
rights, we remember the great sacrifices of our veterans, and the 
accomplishments of veterans under this bill. I hope we express 
commitment to providing health care, education, job training, income 
assistance, and even burial benefits for our veterans' and their 
families.
  Most importantly, I hope we remember we have a continual obligation 
to veterans--the heroes we can never truly repay.

                          ____________________