Pres. Obama, V.P. Biden, VA Sec. Shinseki & Sen. John Warner Celebrate the Launch of Sen. Webb's "Post-9/11 GI Bill" at George Mason University

Veterans to Receive Full Public School Tuition, Stipend at Nation's Colleges and Universities

Fairfax, VA – At George Mason University today, Senator Jim WebbIraq and Afghanistan. On Saturday, August 1, the Department of Veterans Affairs began distributing tuition payments to schools across the nation participating in the program.  (D-VA) was joined by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, former Senator John Warner, and student veterans at an event celebrating the enactment of Webb’s “Post-9/11 GI Bill,” which offers comprehensive educational benefits to veterans of the wars in

This program, introduced in Congress by Senator Webb on his first day of office in 2007 and enacted into law last June, authorizes the most extensive educational assistance opportunity since the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944. The maximum benefit allows every eligible veteran, servicemember, Reservist, and National Guard member an opportunity to receive an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution at no cost.  In addition, 1,100 institutions of higher learning are participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program, giving eligible veterans the opportunity to attend applicable private university and colleges at potentially no cost.

“For a long time, before I ever even decided to run for political office, I kept saying to myself: ‘This new generation—this group of people who have been serving since 9/11—we keep calling them
the next greatest generation.  At a minimum, we can provide them the same educational opportunities and the same chance at a first-class future that the greatest generation had’,” said Senator Webb.

“Throughout this 18-month effort, we had people from World War II, from Korea, from Vietnam, from Desert Storm, and people who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan say: ‘This is our duty.  This is our stewardship.  We’re going to make this happen.’  And it did happen,” continued Webb. “Our reward is going to be 20 years from now when we can look around and see the successes that have been able to happen to people who are serving now because of this GI Bill.”

In Virginia, the new benefits offered to eligible students include:

• Full tuition at any public school in the Commonwealth. This equates to as much as $313 per credit hour at any Virginia public or private institution;
• Full payment of fees at any public school in the Commonwealth. This equates to as much as $3,660 in fees per term at any Virginia public or private institution;
• A monthly housing allowance based on the military’s basic housing allowance (BHA) for an E-5 service member with dependents, accounting for local cost of living;
• An annual books & supplies stipend of $1,000.

“I was a proud cosponsor of the Post-9/11 GI Bill as senator,” said President Barack Obama. “Obviously, I’m honored to be here and to renew our commitment to ensure that the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America get the opportunities that they have earned.”

“I want to thank all who have been working on this bill, particularly Jim Webb, who led the effort, drawing on his extensive experience,” said former Senator John Warner, one of the lead Republican cosponsors of the legislation. “These valiant men and women [whom we honor today] deserve nothing less than our full measure of support and unending gratitude for their service and sacrifice. A GI bill for the 21st century, to provide educational benefits for uniformed personnel who are sacrificing so much to preserve our freedom, is the least we can do.”

“I want to personally thank Senator Jim Webb for his vision, his determination, his leadership, and for providing this opportunity for young veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki. “This Post-9/11 GI Bill has every potential to equally impact the United States in resounding, positive ways in this new century. By 2011 we expect to have placed a quarter of a million Americans into colleges and universities through this most comprehensive veterans’ education benefits package since the original GI Bill after World War II.”

For a timeline of Senator Webb’s effort to pass a new GI Bill and other materials from today’s event, please click here:


Senator Webb’s full remarks from today’s event follow.

“It's a great day for our country.  It's a great day for everyone who served.

“I would start by saying it is a rare thing in public service when you can get something good done that you can feel good about, for the good of the country, for the good of people who have really stepped forward to serve it, and that you are going to be

able to watch for the next 10 to 20, 30 years in terms of the benefit it's going to bring to our society.

“I'd like to start by saying what a great thing it is that our president is going to come and speak to us later on.

“And we are deeply appreciative of George Mason University, and Dr. Merten particularly, for having hosted this event, which is symbolic in many ways for the celebrations that those of us who have served and those of us who worked on this issue are going to be feeling throughout the country.

“We have a number of people attending here who have given great service to our country.  I'd like to mention Chairman Akaka, chairman of our Veterans' Committee, who has come for the long, long years of service to those who served. Senator Begich of Alaska has come with us today; Congressman Conyers is with us; and Congressman Jim Moran, my longtime friend. We have many, many other representatives from the veterans organization, the organized veterans organizations that were so instrumental in getting this legislation done. If those who were representing the veterans' organizations would stand, we'd like to see you recognized.

“As many of you know, I've spent my entire life in and around the United States military.  My father was a career military officer.  He was a World War II veteran, flew in the Berlin Airlift, later became something of a pioneer in our missile program.

“I grew up on military bases watching the sacrifices of people who were serving away from their families, giving dedicated service to the country.  I had the honor of serving our country during the Vietnam War as a Marine, as did my brother, who was a Marine helicopter pilot.

“I'm very proud of both my son and my son-in-law, who served as Marine infantry men in Iraq during this latest period of national disturbance.

“And for a long time, before I ever even decided to run for political office, I kept saying to myself,  "This new generation, this group of people who have been serving since 9/11, we keep calling them 'the next greatest generation.'  At a minimum what we can do is to provide them for the same educational opportunities and the same chance at a first-class future that the greatest generation had."

“A very simple formula:  When people came back from World War II, they had their tuition paid for.  They had their books bought.  They got a monthly stipend.

“And for every dollar in tax remunerations that Americans paid for that World War II G.I. Bill, our country received $7 back in terms of the tax payments of these individuals because of the type of future they were able to get.

“We are looking for that in this program.  I introduced this bill, as Dr. Merten said, my first day in office.  It was quite a journey in many different ways.  I won't recount that journey in detail this morning.

“But I will say this:  There were two very key components from our perspective in terms of making this happen.

“The first was my Senate staff. We took this on collectively, as a staff, and worked on it from day one, no matter what else was going on, no matter what other hearings were going on, no matter what other crisis might have been happening, all of my staff worked together, through a long and difficult process, in order to make this happen. And those members of my staff that are here, I would ask that they stand and be recognized.  I think we have several of them who worked on it.

“When this bill was passed, I called a meeting of my staff and I said, I don't want to count "political coup" here.  This was a year ago.  I said, this is not something that we did for political reasons.

“Our reward is going to be 20 years from now when we can look around and see the successes that have been able to happen to people who are serving now because of this GI Bill.

“Secondly, this legislation would not have happened if it were not for veterans taking care of their own.  Early on, the organized veterans groups starting meeting with us. We listened to them.  We worked with them.  We not only got their endorsement; we got their ideas.  We perfected this legislation as it went along. And we did this, also, with a very special group of veterans, other than the organized veterans, people who were working directly with me. I would like to recognize four of them, actually, today.

“The first is Mac McGarvey, who has flown in for this event.  Mac served under my command in Vietnam.  We were wounded 10 days apart in the same place of frequent combat called the Arizona Valley.

“He left his job as the night manager of the number one honky-tonk in Nashville, Tennessee in order to come and work with me when I ran for the Senate.  He began the journey of this G.I. Bill before he decided that Washington really wasn't exactly the place he wanted to live. Mac, please stand up here.

“Second is Phillip Thompson, another Marine, served in Desert Storm, spent a good time with us while we were in the campaign, and then took over on this veterans' issue and pushed it along. Phillip now is working in the Pentagon. And, Phillip, we appreciate all your work.

“Third is William Edwards, who is an Iraq veteran, who did a lot of the final fine-tuning and negotiations, worked very hard.  William, right now, is in training cycle to return to Iraq. 

“And you'll see something in this pattern:  the Vietnam veterans, the Desert Storm veterans, the Iraq veterans -- taking care of the people who are serving now.

“And there’s one other.  His name is John Warner. John Warner, when he came on to this bill, he brought a lot of people from the Republican side with him.  He brought credibility.  He was a sailor in World War II, a Marine in Korea; had six years in the Pentagon as Secretary of the Navy, Undersecretary of the Navy, and 30 years as a senator from Virginia. He was a great partner for us.  He completed the cycle in putting this legislation through.  We had people from World War II, from Korea, from Vietnam, from Desert Storm, and people who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan say, ‘This is our duty.  This is our stewardship.  We’re going to make this happen.’  And it did happen.”