A plan to expand veterans' benefits under the GI Bill has many former soldiers at odds with their commander-in-chief and the Republicans' front-running presidential candidate.
The bill, part of a 10-year, $250 billion spending package, includes a $52 billion expansion of the GI Bill to improve educational benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. The bill would cover costs at the most expensive state universities and would encourage schools to provide additional student aid to the veterans.
President Bush opposes it and has threatened to veto it. The White House said it prefers an alternate plan.
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain has lined up with the opposition. McCain, a Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war, criticized the fact that a soldier qualifies after just three years of service. McCain fears it will discourage re-enlistments and "deplete the military," because many will leave the service after just one tour of duty. He proposes tying better benefits to repeated enlistments.
His stand also has led to a war of words with Democratic presidential primary front-runner Sen. Barack Obama.
McCain's position on the issue also puts him at odds with most of Congress — the bill was approved in the Senate earlier this month — as well as with most of the nation's veterans organizations, according to news reports.
Local veterans also seem to favor the Congressional plan, though some have reservations about it.
"I agree with expanding the educational benefits to a point, but I think the more they give some veterans, the more they take away from others," said Korean War veteran Dick Bray.
Bray, a four-times past commander of Mountville VFW, said veterans of earlier wars see their benefits "get cut and cut and cut."
"If they're going to expand those benefits, then do it, but don't take any more away from the rest of us," he said. "Let us at least keep what we have now, which isn't a hell of a lot."
Another Korean War veteran, Cliff Danner, commander of the Lancaster VFW post, said he doesn't want to see any limitations on veterans' benefits.
"There's not enough care for the veterans today as it is," he said.
Ephrata Borough Council president Robert Good retired from the U.S. Marine Corps 11 years ago after serving for 30 years. For part of that time, he was a recruiter. Good said he does not think most potential enlistees give much weight to pay and benefits.
"You have to believe in yourself, the Corps and the mission," he said. "If you are interested in the military and want to make it a career, then I don't think the pay and benefits are foremost in your mind. It's not that cut-and-dried."
Benefits such as the GI Bill are important, Good said, but "are not a selling point."
"You have to want it in your heart," he said.
In the verbal battle between Obama and McCain, the Democrat praised McCain for his service in Vietnam, then said, "I can't understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI Bill. I can't believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans."
McCain fired back, saying, back "I will not accept from Sen. Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did."
Vietnam veteran Dwight Kreitz, Quartermaster for the Columbia VFW post, said length of service should not be a requirement for benefits.
"They've never done that in the past, and I can't agree with that," he said. "The way Congress has it now is the way I would go with it."
According to a White House statement, President Bush "specifically called upon Congress to answer service members' request that they be able to transfer their GI Bill benefits to their spouses and children."
The White House said it "specifically supports" a bill proposed by McCain and others "because it allows for the transferability of education benefits and calibrates an increase in education benefits to time in the service."
E-mail: lalexander@lnpnews.com