Who are those sponsors now...?
October 26, 2007
Sen. Hagel co-sponsors WWII GI Bill
This week IAVA and Congress took another large step toward passing a WW II style GI Bill. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) signed on as a co-sponsor to S.22, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act. S.22 would greatly expand education benefits for returning servicemembers by paying the full cost of tuition (at most schools) on top of a monthly living stipend.
Senator Hagel joined 23 other Senators as co-sponsors, including Republican Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. With this level of bi-partisan support it will be difficult for Congress to ignore the growing need for GI Bill reform.
IAVA is grateful to all the Senators who had the courage to co-sponsor S.22:
Sen Baucus, Max [MT]
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM]
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA]
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH]
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA]
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY]
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME]
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL]
Sen Hagel, Chuck [NE]
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA]
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI]
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA]
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA]
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ]
Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO]
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ]
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD]
Sen Reid, Harry [NV]
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT]
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME]
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI]
Sen Tester, Jon [MT]
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI]
Sen Wyden, Ron [OR]
http://www.iava.org/blog/2007/10/26/sen-hagel-co-sponsors-wwii-gi-bill
See a pattern there, Smurf?
ANd one of their main issues they lay our thusly....
A Broken Military: Iraq War Threatens Readiness>/b>
| updated: June 29, 2007
Summary
Since 2001, 1.5 million American service members have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As of June 2007, about 26,000 troops were serving in Afghanistan and 154,000 troops were serving in Iraq. The forces currently in Iraq or deploying in the next few months represent half of the Army's combat brigades.
According to military experts from General Colin Powell to former Defense Secretary Lawrence Korb, years of war and the current "surge" in Iraq have pushed our military to the breaking point. Retired Major General Robert Scales has said simply, "We're running out of soldiers faster than we're running out of warfighting missions." And General Peter Schoomaker, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, warns:
While our Soldiers are responding with extraordinary commitment, particularly in the face of adversity and personal hardships, we cannot allow this condition to persist.
In recent weeks the shortfalls have become apparent even within Iraq. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, who commands US troops in northern Iraq, has admitted he does not have enough troops to complete missions in Diyala.
Facing serious problems with recruitment, the military has been forced to lower age, education, and aptitude standards for new recruits, as well as increase enlistment bonuses. The costs of retention have sky-rocketed. The military has also held 70,000 troops on active duty beyond their expected contract end-dates and has called up more than 10,000 veterans who have not put on a uniform in years.
The military now regularly requires troops to serve multiple, extended combat tours. Over 449,000 troops have served more than one combat tour, and many have returned to war with only a few months rest. Active-duty Army combat tours are now 15 months long, with only half the recommended "dwell time" at home between tours. According to an Army survey, "soldiers are 50 percent more likely" to suffer from a mental health problem if they serve multiple tours. For more information about the mental health effects of war, see the IAVA report: "Mental Health Problems among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans."
Equipment shortages are also a serious issue, contributing to the plummeting readiness ratings of Army and Marine units. As of September 2006, "Roughly one-half of all Army units (deployed and non-deployed, active and reserves) receive the lowest readiness rating any fully formed unit can receive."
The overuse of the Guard and Reserve are threatening our ability to cope with domestic emergencies. About four-fifths of Army Guard and Reserve units not mobilized received the lowest possible readiness rating. State officials have expressed grave concerns about the damage done to our national security. As Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said after her state was devastated by tornados:
"Fifty percent of our trucks are gone. Our front loaders are gone. We are missing Humvees that move people. We can't borrow them from other states because their equipment is gone. It's a huge issue for states across the country."
Nice, smurf, real nice.
http://www.iava.org/component/option,com_/Itemid,66/option,content/task,view/id,2465/
G'night y'all.