Charles Rangel
Almost 8 million veterans went to college as a result of the original GI Bill.
Charles Rangel, US Congressman, was one of them.
"The GI Bill changed my life after my service in the Korean War, just as it changed the lives of the World War II veterans," Rangel has said.
"I was a high school dropout when I first enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1948. After serving in Korea, where I was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, I came home in 1952 with no idea of what to do next. I had achieved the rank of Sergeant, but now I found myself frustrated, pushing hand trucks in New York's garment district, just as I had before I was deployed to Korea."
"Desperate for help, I went to the Veterans Administration where I learned the government would pay for my education under the GI Bill. I decided to finish high school and to pursue a higher education and a law degree. The rest is history."
"Today, there are Charlie Rangels from all over the country who don't know what they will be doing when they return from military service. They enlisted with the hope of a better way of life; an education through the GI Bill can provide that for them.
"More than one million men and women have served so far in Iraq and Afghanistan. These troops have put their lives on the line for our country, and we owe them nothing less than a new and improved GI Bill. "
Charles Rangel has been responsible for proposing improved benefits for a new GI Bill, to include and honor National Guard and Reservists as well.
