Lewis Nelson

Christmas cards? Nope… we didn’t even make our newsletter this year… we just summed it all up in for a ‘year in review.’ Who has time for all that reading anyways? Merry Christmas everybody!

Veteran’s Day for me is a day to both honor fellow veterans but also be humbled by the fact that I had the privilege of serving my country. I wanted to use this blog entry as a way to thank the many veterans in my life:

My family:
My wife Holly (US Army, 2002-2003) My father Loren (US Army 1971-1977), My father-in-law Wayne (US Army), half of my aunt and uncles (Roger Nelson, Albert Nelson, Frances Bowers, Richard Nelson, Arnold Nelson), my cousins Charles Hahn, Jason Nelson, and Larry Nelson (hope I didn’t miss any of you on this one), and my cousin’s son Cody Nelson.

Veterans I served with:
The “Black Lions” from basic training (October 2001 – January 2002) at Ft. Jackson, SC, fellow language students at the Defense Language Institute (January 2002 – June 2003) in Monterey, CA, technical school at Goodfellow AFB (June 2003 – November 2003) in San Angelo, TX, fellow soldiers in the D Co. 311th MI Bn and B Co 4th BSTB, 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (November 2003 – July 2007) at Ft. Campbell, KY, and my fellow instructors and students from B Co, 344th MI Bn (July 2007 – November 2008) at Goodfellow AFB, TX.

I also have many classmates from high school and college (and even younger as I’ve learned from Facebook) that have served honorably or still serve today. I thank all of you too for your service.

How did I celebrate this 11/11/11?
I started by thanking a few via Facebook. I made an appearance at my daughter’s elementary school for their Veteran’s Day celebration. I couldn’t stay long but Holly was able to enjoy most of it. I then head over to Stanardsville, VA, to join my fellow American Legion Post 128 members for the annual Vet’s Day ceremony at the Greene County Courthouse. I served in the rifle squad and was happy Holly and the kids were able to make it.

How else did I celebrate? I gave a $10 donation to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). IAVA is a group of like minded veterans that served in either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. If you want to do more than just say thank you, I have a few suggestions:

• Text ‘IAVA’ to 20222 to make a $10 donation or visit the IAVA donation website
• Send a care package to a vet via Any Soldier
• Support my friend’s video games for troops charity – Operation Supply Drop
• Sponsor a veteran by purchasing a one year membership in the American Legion
• Own a business, considering hiring a vet
• Support the USO
• Give your veteran employee a paid day off today!

I made it to my first University of Virginia football game in exactly 10 years. My last game was the homecoming game in 2001… and UVA beat Duke. So today they upset the #12 team in the country, previously unbeaten Georgia Tech. So yeah, UVA is undefeated when I’m at Scott Stadium. My next game will be vs. Virginia Tech in November… can the streak continue?

Last year my neighbors Jim and Trista called and asked my wife if she and I would want to go to the UVA-Miami game. My wife declined… I made a sad face. Free tickets??? But I justified it by saying, oh well, Miami is ranked and is probably going to dominate them. But no… UVA won. So earlier this week, Jim called again, but got me, not Holly… and he invited just me. I jumped on that opportunity with the thought… Georgia Tech is going to dominate them, but maybe, just maybe, they can pull off another upset! And boy did they.

Oh and really loud speaker guy? Telling a homecoming crowd they aren’t allowed to storm the field after the game? Whatever:

But for real… Who else was nervous when UVA missed that field goal and the chance to go up by three scores? Who else was nervous when GT scored 14 points in like… I don’t know, a minute? But the Cavaliers pulled it off! Their defense was superb after the first drive of the third quarter (with the help of two very well timed blocks in the back by GT). I tip my had to Coach London and the 2011 Cavaliers… now 4-2 and 1-1 in the ACC. Coach London stated to his players that “this is one of those wins that can change the perception of what you think about yourself.” It’s also the type of win that can turn this program around. If the team continues to play at this level for the rest of the season, I believe they will really be able to compete with FSU and VT at the end of the season. Best of luck to you and see you again on November 26th!

There are plenty of places near Charlottesville where one can pick a pumpkin. Places such as Carter Mountain Orchard, where I took the kids last Friday for apple picking, Chiles Peach Orchard, Greenfield Fall Fest near Ruckersville, and Hess Greenhouse‘s Back Home on the Farm in Harrisonburg where my daughter’s kindergarten class went last year for a field trip. But based on a recommendation last year and a Groupon for $15 season passes, I decided to take a trip to Belvedere Plantation in Fredericksburg, VA.

Like Back Home on the Farm, Belvedere Plantation is a large farm experience for children with countless activities including a corn maze, pig races, face painting, pony rides, hayrides, petting zoo, slides, and of course, pumpkins. But what was very clear is that Belvedere is on a much larger scale! Of course, it’s twice the price for admission as well.

I brought my two oldest, but also grabbed my sister’s two youngest as well. My sister lives near Belvedere and all of her children spent time at the plantation during preschool field trips. With so many activities to choose from, I assured them we would end the visit with a hayride and picking a pumpkin then let them go in order picking activities for all four of them to do.

The Fun Barn will immediately catch your attention. It’s a large white barn with a huge smiley face drawing your gaze. And that’s where my niece chose to start the festivities. Inside the barn are about five or six rope swings taking riders from hay stacks piles up on each side.

Going in order of age, Ben picked the next activity, the pedal tractor track. They have two tracks, one for the shorties and one for tall people. They look like any modern go-cart track but these bad boys and kid-powered.

While they rode I heard the announcement for the pig races and moved my little herd of kiddos to watch four pigs in colored vests run the track to the cheers of a few hundred spectators. We worked our way back the main area taking a few minutes to visit the petting zoo. But Jack was anxious to get the slide so we didn’t linger.

The Pumpkin Mountain Slide is a 100ft underground slide that riders descend on burlap sacks. The gravel hill going up is steep and slippery but the kids absolutely loved the payoff… they rode it about six times each!

By now we had well exhausted the hour and a half I thought we’d spend at the plantation. Over the next three and a half hours, the kids got their face painted, rode a pony, jumped for 15 minutes on a basketball court sized inflated mat, took multiple rides down the ziplines, played in the sand at the Little Farmers Corral, had balloon animals made for them, and then took the five minute hayride to pick their pumpkins.

With the four kids all picking pumpkins, Belvedere does have a great deal on ‘all the pumpkins you can carry.’ I believe it was about $26. But I told the kids they could have any pumpkin they wanted, the only stipulation was they had to carry it to the car! My total came to $24 and I considered grabbing a few extra to take advantage of the deal, but I passed.

If you plan on visiting, Belvedere Plantation is open on Friday evenings after 5, Saturdays from 10 to 10 and Sundays from 10 to 6 through October 30th. They are also open tomorrow, Columbus Day, 10 to 6 if you read this blog entry in time! They do serve food and beverages (burgers, hot dogs, french fries, soda, bottled water, and funnel cakes is all I remember from the menu). While they have plenty of bathrooms, I didn’t see any water fountains. If you want to avoid paying $1.75 for a bottle of water, I’d bring your own! I’d plan at least four hours for you visit to make it worth the admission charge. There were lots of people but the parking was well organized and the plantation is so large that there were not long waits or unreasonable crowds anywhere. We didn’t even have to wait for the hayride, they accommodated everybody in line both there and back.

So if you’re debating the drive and cost and asking yourself, “Is it worth it?” My answer is definitely yes. If you just can’t swing it, I also highly recommend Back Home on the Farm in Harrisonburg… it’s smaller and cheaper but also very fun! I will note that the pumpkins themselves were much higher quality at Belvedere this year than what I picked in Harrisonburg last year. Belvedere definitely led to lots of smiles and fun for the kids… as the pictures prove!

* Saturday October 8, 2011 – Belvedere Plantation album on Flickr

For as much as Holly and I talk about loving living history museums, we’ve hardly been to any together! We tried to bring the kids to Colonial Williamsburg a year or two ago, but it was a 100 degree disaster. Holly and I finally made it back there recently and I’ll write about that later I’m sure. Surprisingly, it took Holly’s sister moving to Charlottesville for us to discover a wonderfully magnificent living history museum around an hour from Charlottesville.

Through a combination of it being the annual Oktoberfest celebration and also my brother-in-law getting free passes through a work relationship, our family and my wife’s sister’s family met up in Staunton to visit the museum last weekend on Saturday.

Staunton’s Frontier Culture Museum is a tribute to the first colonial Virginia settlers and is organized on a circular trail with tiny houses / villages representing different colonial era settlers. In the words of the museum’s website, “To tell the story of these early immigrants and their American descendents, the Museum has moved or reproduced examples of traditional rural buildings from England, Germany, Ireland, West Africa, and America.”

Not only does the museum recreate the buildings, but they have full time staff in period costume doing daily tasks and answering questions for the visitors. I often tell people that even though I was a history major, I don’t have tons of historical facts roaming through my brain at any given time, but I do know enough to tell if somebody is completely wrong. I tested the staff at times to hear their responses and was very impressed with their knowledge. And as a bonus, I left feeling comfortable that I had learned a great deal about the 16th and 17th century life in the Americas.

If you go, take some time to research the website and Facebook site; the museum has plenty of special events and you may want to plan your visit accordingly!

On the web: http://www.frontiermuseum.org
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Frontier-Culture-Museum-of-Virginia/55813996379

* View my Album – 201010 – Frontier Culture Museum

As of today, there have been 6,026 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan (source: Washington Post Faces of the Fallen). These soldiers fought for their country and made the ultimate sacrifice. I have been very fortunate that in seven years in the Army and two deployments to Iraq, I have not attended many funerals or memorial services. I only personally know two people who have died in Iraq… one that died on a follow on deployment with a different unit due to a non-combat vehicle accident in Mosul, the other a medic from my battalion that was killed by an IED in Baghdad during our deployment in 2006.

Recently, I experienced equal sadness though when a former member of my company, who I also deployed to Baghdad with in 2006, was killed in a single vehicle accident outside of Ft. Gordon, GA. Charles “Justin” Shinn was a passenger in his friend’s Chevy Blazer when one of the front wheels fell off causing the vehicle to overturn. The driver survived and I wish him my best in his recovery and dealing with the loss of his friend. Justin, however, was not wearing his seatbelt and was pinned beneath the vehicle.

Shinn and I were never really close friends. We never hung out outside of official Army business. In fact, I was always remember Shinn because I never figured him out. Reading the posts on his Facebook wall, I realize that he had a very dynamic sense of humor. That was partly why I never understood him; I could never figure out if he was joking or serious! I had many times when I was relieved that I was not in charge of him; that is saying a lot considering the squad that I actually was in charge of at the time!

When I first met Shinn in 2005, I was a fairly new non-commissioned officer and he was new to the unit. They asked me to take him to the range and get him qualified on the M-16. He stared me down for an entire hour while I tried to help him adjust his sites, improve his position, and help him reach the minimum 23 out of 40 targets. After a few hours, I was finally left with only one question for him, “Do you actually care if you qualify?” He gave a one word answer… “Nope.” That ended our first day together.

Over the next two and a half years, we would work one room apart in different platoons of the same company. We came to rely on him and his platoon for keeping our equipment up and running and providing technical expertise to improve the way we did things. Shinn and his platoon mates were so creative and innovative that some of their techniques were imitated by other units fielding the equipment we received in Iraq. I was always impressed with their platoon’s dynamic, how they always had jokes, seemed untouchable, and laughed often. Despite our first meeting, I really came to like Shinn. I was really happy to hear the news that he had been promoted to sergeant and just knew he would be a great NCO. Ironically, my last physical memory of Shinn though was not worthy of the NCO Creed, but is probably one that is still told in the 4th BSTB, 4th Brigade 101st Airborne Division.

Following our deployment, we had a full month of block leave and didn’t work a full five day week for a few months after that. But then it was time to play real Army again and get serious about training. We had a very strict (but fair) battalion sergeant major and a company commander that both stressed enforcing regulations and standards. This came to light first with the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). For those that don’t know, the APFT consists of two minutes of push-ups without resting your knees on the ground, two minutes of sit ups without resting in the down position, and a two mile run. I had the pleasure of being a grader for this first round of company-wide testing and had Shinn in my group. I can’t remember how he did on the sit ups and push ups, but I do know he passed. I knew Shinn was a decent runner so I started to get concerned when he didn’t show up around the 13 to 15 minute mark as I expected. I started to walk among the finishers to see if I had missed him crossing the line. Then the walkers began to come in (those that are injured and cannot run must complete a 2.5 mile walk). I started asking around… “Where’s Shinn?” One of his platoon mates began laughing and pointing in the distance… he’s right over there! In what I thought was impossible, Shinn, who appeared to be jogging, not walking, crossed the finish line in over 30 minutes. There seemed to be a story behind the performance; it appeared to be a pre-planned act of defiance in support of our enlisted troops. It propelled him to almost cult hero of the day in our unit and made many a senior NCO very unhappy (myself not included… I happily smirked).

I can’t say much more for what happened in between. He stayed in, deployed again, got promoted again… many of my friends kept in touch with him regularly. When I heard the news, I couldn’t stop thinking of him for two days. I remembered the good, the bad, and just remembered him. I guess it’s true what old vets say about their Army family… it really is like family. I am sad by the loss of a fellow Currahee, especially to a car accident. Life truly is a precious thing and my thoughts and prayers go to his family and close friends. I wish there were more I could do, but for the time being, I offer this as my tribute to a popular and effective soldier that refused to conform to the norms, but definitely got the job done for his fellow solders.

Growing up in Northern VA, I have many memories of trips to Luray Caverns… I’ve probably been there between 7 to 10 times, but not since maybe 1990. I was really excited last weekend when Holly and I were trying to think of things to do and she mentioned Luray Caverns. As it turns out, she has been driving to Harrisonburg every Monday through Thursday this summer to take Ben to a camp at JMU and she passes a few signs for the caverns in Stanardsville and Elkton. I thought it was a brilliant idea and even suggested we then drive south along the Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive… yet another thing I loved as a child but have not done with my own children since moving back almost three years ago.

Luray Caverns was discovered in August of 1878 (99 1/2 years before I was born) when a Luray, VA, tinsmith’s candle was blown out by a cold wind coming from the hillside while his party was actively searching for caves. The group of four descended into the cave by rope and used candles for light and their first glimpse was of the massive Washington Column, still the main focal point as you enter the caverns today. The men discovered what would later be revealed as the largest cavern system on the East Coast.

Tourism to the caves began immediately as well as the admission charge. To celebrate the many means of travel used to reach the caverns, the facility also has a car and carriage museum, started in 1957, that is included in the price of admission. Visitors will notice that the tour area within the caverns are brick and concrete… first poured in the 1950s. In 2000, they added a garden maze which looked like it may be fun, but it was nearly 100 degrees and required an additional fee. I had never seen it before though. Then across the street, and also included in the price of admission, is a small museum dedicated to life in the Shenandoah Valley.

The caverns get over a half a million visitors a year so you won’t have a private, quiet tour. However, our tour was self-paced with tour guides standing at each main feature, repeating their speech every 10 to 15 minutes. We spent about one hour walking the caverns and that was with a 7, 6, and 3 year old going at their own pace. It is easily walked by children (even though I remember having some pretty sour feet at the end when I was a kid, mine never complained once on their first visit). The one disadvantage: it’s costly. We spent $68 for our family to go with our youngest being free. But you can research that using Luray Cavern’s Plan Your Visit website.

Our drive home was along the peaceful Skyline Drive. I have a lifetime access pass so we get to drive on the road for free, but normally it costs about $15 a car I believe. The kids enjoyed the view and we stopped at a few observation areas for pictures and so that the kids could climb on rocks. After the first 12 miles though, the kids were pretty much done and I think Holly fell asleep. We made some plans to return when the weather is cooler to camp at either Lewis Mountain or Big Meadows! There are so many hikes that I’d like to do; it’s time to get started!

Holly should be writing this post, but she’s reading a book on the Kindle and I’d hate to bother her!

Before I met Holly, she spent a few years traveling the world. She started with the group Up With People right after she graduated high school. She was part of UWP Cast C99 (see her pictures) and spent a year in the U.S., Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark rehearsing, doing community service, and performing the UWP Roads show. She was always spoken so highly of her time with UWP and I got my first glimpse of the show when they came to Nashville, TN, in 2007.

This year, Up With People started a three week summer camp for 14 to 17 year olds just an hour from our house. The camp was run in conjunction with Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg, PA. Tonight the very first Camp Up With People cast performed at the Eastern Mennonite High School (EMHS) auditorium and we brought the whole family to watch. In just three short weeks, this cast of high schoolers were able to do community service, visit Washington, D.C., climb mountains, and ride horses all while rehearsing and putting on an hour-long performance including UWP staples as “Up With People” and “One 2 One.” I was so impressed with this group and the kids even loved it. We enjoyed it enough that we came home and watched Holly’s 2004 UWPIAA reunion DVD and then downloaded the Up With People – Roads
CD from Amazon!!

They performed two shows tonight, but Cast B, the second three-week camp will be performing two shows at 4pm and 7pm on Friday August 12th. The show is free and will be performed at the EMHS high school auditorium located at 801 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA.

Interested in learning more about Up With People?

• Official Website
• Camp Up With People
• YouTube Channel
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story

Holly’s garden is kicking out the vegetables now and since we are not skilled at preserving any of it for later use, I had to come up with a way to use five aging cucumbers! I decided to work on perfecting one of my favorite Korean side dishes (or banchan 반찬), cucumber kimchi (오이 김치). There are many variations of this recipe and many call it cucumber stuffed (sobaegi) kimchi (오이소박이 김치). For those not famaliar with Korean food, kimchi is an ancient staple of the Korean diet usually made from cabbage fermented with red pepper paste (고추가루) and a host of other ingredients.

So this is a simple recipe. I’m definitely not a chef and not an expert at Korean food, but here’s a recipe that I have no problems with and gives a wonderful, tasty result!

* Continue for step by step directions or just skip the lesson and download the Cucumber Kimchi Recipe Card

As of today, there have been 6,026 U.S. military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan (source: Washington Post Faces of the Fallen). These soldiers fought for their country and made the ultimate sacrifice. I have been very fortunate that in seven years in the Army and two deployments to Iraq, I have not attended many funerals or memorial services. I only personally know two people who have died in Iraq… one that died on a follow on deployment with a different unit due to a non-combat vehicle accident in Mosul, the other a medic from my battalion that was killed by an IED in Baghdad during our deployment in 2006.

Recently, I experienced equal sadness though when a former member of my company, who I also deployed to Baghdad with in 2006, was killed in a single vehicle accident outside of Ft. Gordon, GA. Charles “Justin” Shinn was a passenger in his friend’s Chevy Blazer when one of the front wheels fell off causing the vehicle to overturn. The driver survived and I wish him my best in his recovery and dealing with the loss of his friend. Justin, however, was not wearing his seatbelt and was pinned beneath the vehicle.

Shinn and I were never really close friends. We never hung out outside of official Army business. In fact, I was always remember Shinn because I never figured him out. Reading the posts on his Facebook wall, I realize that he had a very dynamic sense of humor. That was partly why I never understood him; I could never figure out if he was joking or serious! I had many times when I was relieved that I was not in charge of him; that is saying a lot considering the squad that I actually was in charge of at the time!

When I first met Shinn in 2005, I was a fairly new non-commissioned officer and he was new to the unit. They asked me to take him to the range and get him qualified on the M-16. He stared me down for an entire hour while I tried to help him adjust his sites, improve his position, and help him reach the minimum 23 out of 40 targets. After a few hours, I was finally left with only one question for him, “Do you actually care if you qualify?” He gave a one word answer… “Nope.” That ended our first day together.

Over the next two and a half years, we would work one room apart in different platoons of the same company. We came to rely on him and his platoon for keeping our equipment up and running and providing technical expertise to improve the way we did things. Shinn and his platoon mates were so creative and innovative that some of their techniques were imitated by other units fielding the equipment we received in Iraq. I was always impressed with their platoon’s dynamic, how they always had jokes, seemed untouchable, and laughed often. Despite our first meeting, I really came to like Shinn. I was really happy to hear the news that he had been promoted to sergeant and just knew he would be a great NCO. Ironically, my last physical memory of Shinn though was not worthy of the NCO Creed, but is probably one that is still told in the 4th BSTB, 4th Brigade 101st Airborne Division.

Following our deployment, we had a full month of block leave and didn’t work a full five day week for a few months after that. But then it was time to play real Army again and get serious about training. We had a very strict (but fair) battalion sergeant major and a company commander that both stressed enforcing regulations and standards. This came to light first with the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). For those that don’t know, the APFT consists of two minutes of push-ups without resting your knees on the ground, two minutes of sit ups without resting in the down position, and a two mile run. I had the pleasure of being a grader for this first round of company-wide testing and had Shinn in my group. I can’t remember how he did on the sit ups and push ups, but I do know he passed. I knew Shinn was a decent runner so I started to get concerned when he didn’t show up around the 13 to 15 minute mark as I expected. I started to walk among the finishers to see if I had missed him crossing the line. Then the walkers began to come in (those that are injured and cannot run must complete a 2.5 mile walk). I started asking around… “Where’s Shinn?” One of his platoon mates began laughing and pointing in the distance… he’s right over there! In what I thought was impossible, Shinn, who appeared to be jogging, not walking, crossed the finish line in over 30 minutes. There seemed to be a story behind the performance; it appeared to be a pre-planned act of defiance in support of our enlisted troops. It propelled him to almost cult hero of the day in our unit and made many a senior NCO very unhappy (myself not included… I happily smirked).

I can’t say much more for what happened in between. He stayed in, deployed again, got promoted again… many of my friends kept in touch with him regularly. When I heard the news, I couldn’t stop thinking of him for two days. I remembered the good, the bad, and just remembered him. I guess it’s true what old vets say about their Army family… it really is like family. I am sad by the loss of a fellow Currahee, especially to a car accident. Life truly is a precious thing and my thoughts and prayers go to his family and close friends. I wish there were more I could do, but for the time being, I offer this as my tribute to a popular and effective soldier that refused to conform to the norms, but definitely got the job done for his fellow solders.

It’s been nearly two months since my last post… my apologies but it was Christmas.

Tomorrow is the first day of my next educational adventure. I begin work toward an M.B.A. in Leadership from Liberty University Online. To fund this schooling, I’ll be taking advantage of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. When I enlisted, I chose the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) and had to bypass the Montgomery GI Bill. Having almost 40,000 dollars in student loans from my undergraduate studies, SLRP made perfect sense to me. After three years, my student loans were repaid and I had met my service obligation.

When the Post 9/11 GI Bill was passed, I was eligible for 100% benefit even though I had not paid into the Montgomery GI Bill. But I had served for three additional years (after satisfying the SLRP requirement) and now had all this money for more schooling! Not wanting to wait too long, I enrolled in the MBA, Leadership program. I commend Liberty University for having a military affairs office that is knowledgeable, responsive, and proactive. They’ve made the process very simple and Liberty offers a military veteran discount that gives full coverage under the Post 9/11 GI Bill limits for Virginia.

But through the efforts of VSOs and the support of Congress, 2011 will add many improvements to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The benefit that affects me the most is that starting in October of 2011, I will begin receiving 50% of the average E-5 with dependent BAH even though I am studying online. So, beginning October of 2011, I will begin receiving $673.11 a month for living expenses. Among the other added benefits (all posted on the VA’s GI Bill website) are reimbursement for more than one license or certification test, coverage for flight programs (something I have always wanted to do), and coverage for apprenticeship training. These added benefits will help nearly 400,000 veterans according to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). They offer a breakdown by the numbers on their website as well. See New GI Bill 2.0 by the numbers.

From the VA’s website, here’s a complete list of the improvements to the bill in 2011:

Effective August 1, 2009, But Not Payable Until October 1, 2011

• Expands the Post-9/11 GI Bill to include Active Service performed by National Guard members under title 32 U.S.C. for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the National Guard; or under section 502(f) for the purpose of responding to a national emergency.

Effective March 5, 2011

• Limits active duty members pursuing a degree at more than half-time to the net cost for tuition and fees prorated based on the eligibility tiers (40%-100%) previously established for Veterans.
  • Same limitations apply to transferee spouses of active duty servicemembers

Effective August 1, 2011

• For Veterans and their transferees – simplifies the tuition and fee rates for those attending a public school and creates a national maximum for those enrolled in a private or foreign school
  • Pays all public school in-state tuition and fees;
  • Private and foreign school costs are capped at $17,500 annually;
  • The Yellow Ribbon Program still exists for out-of-state fees and costs above the cap.
• For Active Duty Members and their transferees – creates a national rate for those active duty members enrolled in a private or foreign school pursuing a degree at more than half-time
  • Pays all public school in-state tuition and fees;
  • Private and foreign school costs are capped at $17,500 annually
• Allows VA to pay MGIB (chapter 30) and MGIB-SR (chapter 1606) ‘kickers’, or college fund payments, on a monthly basis instead of a lump sum at the beginning of the term
• Prorates housing allowance by the student’s rate of pursuit (rounded to the nearest tenth)
  • A student training at a rate of pursuit of 75% would receive 80% of the BAH rate
• Break or interval pay is no longer payable under any VA education benefit program unless under an Executive Order of the President or due to an emergency, such as a natural disaster or strike.
  • This means that when your semester ends (e.g. December 15th), your housing allowance is paid for the first 15 days of December only and begins again when your next semester begins (e.g. January 10th) and is paid for the remaining days of January.
  • Students using other VA education programs are included in this change. Monthly benefits will be pro-rated in the same manner.
  • Entitlement that previously would have been used for break pay will be available for use during a future enrollment.
• Allows reimbursement for more than one “license or certification” test (previously only one test was allowed).
  • However, entitlement is now charged
• Allows reimbursement of fees paid to take national exams used for admission to an institution of higher learning (e.g., SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT)
• Allows those who are eligible for both Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (chapter 31) benefits and Post-9/11 GI Bill (chapter 33) benefits to choose the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s monthly housing allowance instead of the chapter 31 subsistence allowance.
• NOAA and PHS personnel are now eligible to transfer their entitlement to eligible dependents

Effective October 1, 2011

• Allows students to use the Post-9/11 GI Bill for -
  • Non-college degree (NCD) programs: Pays actual net cost for in-State tuition and fees at public NCD institutions.  At private and foreign institutions, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees or $17,500, whichever is less.  Also pays up to $83 per month for books and supplies.
  • On-the-job and apprenticeship training: Pays a monthly benefit amount prorated based on time in program and up to $83 per month for books and supplies.
  • Flight programs: Per academic year, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees assessed by the school or $10,000, whichever is less.  This limit is applicable to flight programs at both IHLs and non-IHLs
  • Correspondence training: Per academic year, pays the actual net costs for in-state tuition and fees assessed by the school or $8,500, whichever is less.
• Housing allowance is now payable to students (other than those on active duty) enrolled solely in distance learning.  The housing allowance payable is equal to ½ the national average BAH for an E-5 with dependents.
  • The full-time rate for an individual eligible at the 100% eligibility tier would be $673.50 for 2011.
• Allows students on active duty to receive a books and supplies stipend.

A former co-worker of mine has a passion for video games and runs his own gaming blog, Front Towards Gamer. Well as a former soldier, he was always frustrated while downrange that the troops deep in the fight rarely get the morale building support that troops at the larger, more secure bases seem to receive. In other words, the troops pulling multiple patrols, eating MREs, showering with baby wipes, and sleeping on dirt are lucky to get a care package or PX stop while the troops at the larger bases eating Burger King with internet in their trailers are treated to Toby Keith, care packages of cookies and magazines, and Super Bowl parties. He decided to combine his passion for gaming and his love of the troops by forming a non-profit organization to send money and video game care packages directly to units in the field. He is starting with the troops operating from remote areas of Afghanistan in some of the most violent regions of the country.

The non-profit is called Operation: Supply Drop and efforts have already begun. In honor of Veteran’s Day and the much anticipated release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Operation: Supply Drop founder Stephen Machuga, who goes by Shanghai Six, held a $10 a ticket raffle for a premium edition copy of the new video game on the system of the winner’s choice. The effort, dubbed Operation: Fire Starter, raised over $800, including a $200 donation from a Facebook user, with no connection to Front Towards Gamer or Machuga, who just happened to see the link on my Facebook stream!

Machuga is already putting that money to good use. Along with a few corporate supporters, such as Activision, he is putting together his first care package that will go directly to troops in the Kandahar Province in Afghanistan. In the future, he envisions holding 24 hour game-a-thons to raise money for the effort and even sponsoring a Washington, DC, area 10k run where Machuga will try to maintain the standards of his former Ranger Tab (five miles in forty minutes).

Operation: Supply Drop is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, see their ‘still in works’ website at http://operationsupplydrop.org or contact founder Stephen Machuga - shanghaisix@fronttowardsgamer.com

On Wednesday November 10th, we were fortunate to spend a free evening at the Inn at Sugar Hollow Farms as part of B&B for Vets. It’s rare for Holly and I to get a chance to escape together; it only happens a few times a year. We wanted to arrive early enough to take a short hike and enjoy the scenery, but the sun was already setting as we left our house. We decided to make a short detour into Charlottesville to have dinner at the Horse and Hound Gastropub.

That put us at about a 7pm check in. We missed out on the beautiful drive out west from Charlottesville due to the darkness. We pulled into the Inn and were greeted at the door by Dick Cabell, one of the owners and inn keepers, along with his wife Hayden. We were the only ones in the house at the time and were given a short tour and had an opportunity to talk to Dick about B&B for Vets and his own prior service in the U.S. Army.

The Inn at Sugar Hollow Farms is just miles away from the Shenandoah National Park and has wonderful mountain views on all four sides. While they do have Wi-Fi internet access, cell phone reception is mostly absent so it is a great place to get away from the world. We stayed in the Woodland Room in the ‘Main Inn’ that Dick and Hayden constructed on the 70 acre property in 1995. There is also the Farmhouse Inn which has three more rooms as well as the self-contained Shenandoah Suite (with its own private entrance and porch). The Farmhouse is the original house for the property.

This was my first B&B stay and my wife’s first B&B stay in the U.S. We were pleasantly surprised. Like most of the rooms, we had a private fireplace that we fired up immediately while enjoying a bottle of Octagon 2006 from Barboursville Vineyard. We then ventured to the main floor to enjoy some of the common spaces. The Inn has a sunroom, a large living room with fireplace and picture windows, the dining room, and a TV room. We chose the TV room (with the TV off) and played a few games together. There is a decent selection of books, board games, and game books to enjoy. Then… showing our age and status as parents of young children, we went back to our room and basically passed out around 10:30pm.

We woke early and took a walk on the property and just stared at the surrounding mountains, full of Virginia fall colored leaves. We walked until it was time for the included breakfast. Dick and Hayden did not do the bare minimum as part of B&B for Vets, they instead made six rooms available to veterans! Included were two active duty soldiers, one from Ft. Hood and one from Military District Washington (MDW). There were also two retired Marines (with their wives) and a very nice non-veteran couple at breakfast. It was a lot of fun meeting fellow veterans and talking about our experiences. It culminated in the innkeeper, Dick, walking out with his last set of US Army fatigues from the 1960s.

Although still early, we had kids to meet at home and after only a short time at Sugar Hollow, we left to make our 30 minute drive back to our house in time for the kids to get off the school bus.

I want to thank the Inn at Sugar Hollow Farms and the many other B&Bs and Inns across America that generously donated their rooms and hospitality to the Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Sailors this Veteran’s Day. We hope that readers will choose these Inns when planning their vacations (a list of participants can be found at the B&B for Vets website). I also encourage all veterans and active duty military to take advantage of this program next year… you are all deserving of this gift!

Through the beauty of Facebook, I ended up clicking a link to a nearly two month old article that really hit home for me. I wasn’t alive for WWII, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War so I can only imagine what it was like for soldiers and their families based on movies, historical accounts, and photographs. But I’ve deployed to Iraq twice and each time left behind a wife and child(ren), and I have first-hand knowledge about what this can do to a person and his or her relationships back home.

AOL Chief Military Correspondent, David Wood, hit the nail on the head with, “In the 10th Year of War, a Harder Army, a More Distant America.” I’m pretty far removed from my own Army experiences as a deployed soldier having been home uninterrupted since November 2006. Yet not a day goes by that I don’t dream, think or talk about my times in Iraq. Sometimes it’s positive, like thinking about the accomplishments our platoon made or chasing down an insurgent through a crowded hospital. Most of the time, however, it’s less positive, like remembering how hard it was to be away from my wife and kids or being mortared daily. But outside of veterans, I have a hard time relating these experiences or thoughts with my family and friends.

I strongly encourage that Americans read David Wood’s article. If you are friends with, related to, or working with an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran, this article will help you to understand that we are a proud group that wants to share our experiences, but many of us feel like America just doesn’t care anymore.

I have always considered myself a team player. Growing up in Virginia, I started playing full-contact football in the Greater Manassas Football League (GMFL) when I was 7 years old. I learned the importance of teamwork, but I also learned the benefits of being part of something larger than myself. I played football all the way through college with my greatest moment being part of Augsburg College’s first, and to date only, MIAC championship team in 1997, and being part of the first Augsburg football team to make it into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Transitioning to the Army reminded me a lot of playing football. At bootcamp I used to have dreams where I would call my Drill Sergeants ‘coach.’ It was very easy for me to rely on others and to help others with no regard to my own personal time or convenience. I was also very inclined to treat my unit like my team and to this day feel like my former units are always a part of me.

It was this same type of emotion that led me to want to be involved with Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) after separating from the Army. I knew about the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars (and will review both organizations on this blog at a later date), but was also very interested in joining more specific groups like the 506th Association (an association for members of the unit I deployed to Iraq with in 2005-2006) and others that focused on the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It did not take me long to discover the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). I became a member in January of 2009 as I followed along with the progress of IAVA’s Storm the Hill. Registration was free and only involved an email with my DD-214 (official military discharge paperwork) showing that I was an Iraq war veteran (If you are not an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran, you can still sign up as an ‘IAVA Supporter‘).

There are a few reasons that I’ve really come to love IAVA.

• I really feel like this is my new ‘team.’
  • As a recent veteran of the war in Iraq, I really feel like this is a group of soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines that have been there and done that. There’s nothing better as a combat veteran than being around other combat veterans… they just get it without even having to talk about it.
• They have dedicated staff members in Washington, D.C. lobbying on our behalf.
  • I keep my opinion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan mostly to myself. The fact is that our President and lawmakers sent us to combat, and so we went. What I respect the most about IAVA is that they are demonstrating their commitment to the troops that have served by putting appropriate pressure on Congress to take care of us. They are not protesting the wars, they are simply honoring their tagline, “We’ve Got Your Back.”
  • Along with many other Veterans Service Organizations, IAVA was a key player in helping to form and promote the new Post 9/11 GI Bill.
  • IAVA is on the front lines in DC pushing legislation to improve veterans’ health care, to streamline the Department of Veterans Affairs claims process, to eliminate the stigma of combat stress, and to help veterans find employment.
• They’ve made a significant effort to inform veterans and provide opportunities for veterans to connect with one another.
  • They founded “Community of Veterans,” a fully functioning social networking site limited to verified Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
  • They’ve partnered with Miller High Life, JC Penny, National Geographic and other sponsors to provide tangible rewards to veterans including event tickets (usually involving free food and beer) and even items such as a new suit through “The Rucksack.”
  • They are active on Facebook and Twitter, successfully using both popular social networking sites to keep veterans and the general public informed.
• The organization is led by staff of veterans who are not much different from me.
  • The founder and executive director of IAVA, Paul Rieckhoff, is a commissioned Army officer who is only a few years older than me and served in the same area of Baghdad as I did in my second tour.
  • The deputy executive director of IAVA, Todd Bowers, is a Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, a rank that I (although fairly biased) think is the most important in the military. But on top of that, it is not often these days to see non-commissioned officers leading the VSOs, and it is refreshing to know that the organization is led by somebody who has worked from the bottom like a majority of the vets it represents.
  • Paul, Todd, and all of the other staff members of IAVA are very approachable in person (as I witnessed in Baltimore and D.C. during MLB Baseball games provided by the Rucksack) but also on Twitter and Facebook.

If you are a veteran of the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, I highly encourage you to join IAVA today. I also encourage those that support the troops or have served in the military but did not deploy to sign up as a supporter. Your service and support means so much. To learn more about the organization or to follow its various feeds, see the links below:

• IAVA Website - http://iava.org
• Community of Veterans (requires login) - http://iava.communityofveterans.org
• The Rucksack (IAVA Rewards) - http://rucksack.iava.org
• Supporters and Friends - http://supportyourvet.org
• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/IAVA.org
• Main Twitter Account - http://twitter.com/iava
• New Post 9/11 GI Bill Twitter Account - http://twitter.com/newgibill
• IAVA Rucksack Twitter Account - http://twitter.com/therucksack

This Veterans Day, over 300 bed & breakfasts and inns spread out among 40 states are doing something special for the vets. On Wednesday, November 10th, each one is opening up one of their rooms for active duty military and veterans! B&B for Vets was started in 2009 by the West Virginia B&B Association.

To take advantage of this program, contact a participating B&B or inn directly, a valid military or Department of Veterans Affairs identification is required. There are currently twenty-one participating B&B and Inns in the state of Virginia, including 9 within 45 minutes of my house (listed below).

The Holladay House B&B in Orange, VA, jumped at the opportunity to participate in a program that was purely designed to say “thank you” to our veterans.  I first learned of the program through the @HolladayHouse Twitter Feed. “It’s the very least we may do to honor those who fight and fought for our freedoms,” stated Sharon and Sam Elswick, owners of the Holladay House. They have already booked their limit for veterans this year, but they provide a 10% discount to veterans throughout the year. They recommend calling each participant as soon as possible to reserve a room for Veteran’s Day!

Amy Kirchner, assistant innkeeper at the Inn at Sugar Hollow near the beautiful Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, stated that they have been inundated with calls regarding B&B for Vets. Richard Cabell, owner of the Inn, is a former US Army veteran that appreciates the sacrifice today’s veterans have made. “I feel it is a small sacrifice for our inn to offer a token of appreciation to all of our active and retired service men and women.”

The Inn at Sugar Hollow also offers military men and women, both retired and active duty, a $30.00 discount per night Sundays through Thursdays.  They also have a “winter weekend package” in January and plan to give the military a further reduction in price for the already discounted package.

For those that live in the Charlottesville area, here are the nine Bed & Breakfast / Inns participating in the program within a 45 minute drive:

“I knew I’d be deploying to the Middle East eventually, but NEVER was I told I’d be going on patrols and laying in the prone with 11Bs [infantrymen], getting attacked by Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) or Taliban. NEVER did I think I’d be working alongside Iraqi and Afghan soldiers, eating with them, joking with them, and fighting with them. My recruiter painted a very flowery image of my job, always being in an office type place. He failed to tell me I could be attached to an infantry unit fighting the enemy.” -SGT “Jenna”

The Phone Call
Jenna wasn’t really planning on joining the Army. She was attending New England College (NEC), a small, liberal arts college in New Hampshire, majoring in Criminal Justice. On one fateful day, a phone call came for her roommate. Being the only one in the room, Jenna answered the call and began a discussion with a United States Army recruiter. When the recruiter learned of her tri-lingual abilities (Jenna speaks English, Japanese, and Korean), he began telling her of the adventures, world travels, and relative safety of a job as a military linguist. Jenna pictured herself in office buildings or embassies throughout the world. This is a normal pitch by the United States Army: come be a linguist and work in civilian clothes translating for foreign military officers and dignitaries! Based on her discussions with the recruiter, she decided to place her NEC education on hold and enlist in the US Army.

On Valentine’s Day of 2006, Jenna shipped to basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and then moved on to advanced individual training (AIT) at Ft. Huachuca, AZ.

Operation Iraqi Freedom
A year had passed since graduating basic training and despite Jenna’s demonstrated Korean language skills, she was not sent to Korea, but received orders for Hawaii. Although a bit disappointed she wouldn’t get to use her language skills, she was excited to enjoy the island and spend some time on the beach. She checked into her unit in April of 2007 and was told she would now start preparing for deployment to Iraq by the end of the year; welcome to the 25th Infantry Division.

Jenna deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, not to a foreign embassy wearing civilian clothes doing some occasional interpreting. In fact, she wasn’t even on a large forward operating base but provided direct support to scouts and infantrymen on the streets of Iraq, spending a lot of time at small outposts like Combat Operating Post (COP) Falahat and Joint Security Station Istiqlal, a joint US-Iraqi base where 600 US soldiers were dedicated to training Iraqi forces. She quickly proved that she was to be treated as a soldier, not a female and with the exception of separate living quarters and dedicated shower times, she didn’t receive special treatment.

Being a female in combat was never a big deal to Jenna. But being surrounded by almost all men 24/7 at the smaller outposts was one of the harder parts about the deployment. She missed having a girl around to talk to when times were tough. On occasion, she did get to relax at Camp Taji and bond with another female in a similar situation. Betty was a member of a personal security detachment (PSD) comprised of mostly males. When they got together, they were able to vent, whine, and do “girly stuff.” When times were really tough for Jenna, she was glad to have Betty or to be able to call her parents to talk it out.

In March of 2009, Jenna returned to Hawaii as a Sergeant (grade E-5) after 15 months in Iraq. Many soldiers return from combat visibly and/or mentally changed. Other soldiers come home from combat and immediately resume normal life. It doesn’t matter what a soldier did or saw in combat; soldiers are just affected in different ways. When Jenna got back to Hawaii, she went shopping. The 15 month deployment was rough, but she was proud of what she had accomplished and was happy to be home. Faced with the decision to reenlist or get out of the Army, Jenna decided to reenlist for assignment at Ft. Campbell, KY.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Jenna arrived at Ft. Campbell and checked in to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in April of 2010. While staying in the Army was a personal choice, she requested Ft. Campbell to be with her new fiancé SSG P. But their reunion at Ft. Campbell was short lived as they were both deployed to Afghanistan within a few months. On June 11, 2010, Jenna deployed to join her unit and the rest of the Screaming Eagles in Afghanistan. Once again, she would not get to stay at the larger FOB with the brigade headquarters; she was sent to the Laghman Province to support a National Guard infantry unit.

In early August, an Afghan National Army (ANA) unit conducted a mission without US support, and they were defeated in an embarrassing fashion. Many ANA soldiers were killed and as many as 20 may have been kidnapped according to the New York Times. In the aftermath of that event, Jenna’s unit had been conducting operations to find the missing soldiers.

“She got hit! She got hit!”
Around midnight on the 22nd of August, 2010, Jenna and her unit prepared for what would be their forth air assault mission in less than one month. The operation was yet another follow up on a lead to the whereabouts of the missing soldiers. This mission would be particularly dangerous because it was not the normal area of operations for her unit.
The mission involved two infantry companies searching a valley. A Company and B Company, Jenna’s unit, would clear the valley and meet at the top of a mountain for helicopter extraction. As expected, the missing soldiers were nowhere to be found and none of the village residents had any information to give.

B Company began the hike back up the mountain and waited for A Company to complete their search. Drenched in sweat and dehydrated, they dropped their assault packs and began to relax. As A Company reported they were on their way up, they were attacked. The B Company troops instantly began searching for cover, but there was none to be found on top of the mountain.

After 15 months in Iraq and three months in Afghanistan, this was Jenna’s first fire fight. She grabbed her weapon and moved to a position to observe the enemy. Hearing the small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades, she kneeled to see if she could identify the source. She then experienced what she describes as getting hit in her left leg with a baseball going 100 MPH. A nearby medic looked over at her and began yelling, “She got hit! She got hit!”

Fellow soldiers dragged Jenna through the gunfire to a spot higher up the mountain. Still confused about what was happening to her, three combat medics quickly removed her boot and sock to reveal a clean bullet hole through her left calf. They assured her everything was going to be just fine even though from her view, it didn’t look very fine. They gave her a shot of morphine that reacted very negatively considering she was dehydrated. Jenna could not move, but she could still see, hear, and most importantly, feel everything. After about ten minutes, she regained the ability to move and realized that they were still receiving enemy gunfire, and she was pissed off. Not helping matters, one of the medics leaned on her wound seeking cover from enemy fire. After 40 minutes, Jenna, two other American soldiers, and an Afghani soldier were evacuated by helicopter.

The next day, Jenna was flown to Bagram Air Base where she was presented the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Badge by the commanding officer of the 101st Airborne Division. After an initial surgery mainly to disinfect and clean the wound, she was flown to Germany. In Germany, her wound was sutured and by Labor Day, she was home at Ft. Campbell. — View SGT “Jenna’s” Gunshot Wound –

Jenna is still recovering and will have lots of physical therapy to endure in the coming months. While she doesn’t know if or when she’ll be returning to Afghanistan, her fiancé SSG P is still deployed and fighting with the 101st, and she herself has two and a half years remaining in the Army.

Jenna is a female, non-commissioned officer in the United States Army. Despite what her recruiter may have told her, she’s patrolled side-by-side with infantrymen, scouts, Iraqis and Afghanis. She can tell you that females have important roles on the battlefield, not just as medics, FETs, or female searchers, but as soldiers fighting the war on terrorism.

Please leave a note for her below and if you know her personally, please refrain from addressing her by her full, real name in your comments

When I joined the Army in 2001, I had $39,000 in student loan debt after my four and a half years at Augsburg College. I had two options when I enlisted, I could take the Student Loan Repayment Program or the Montgomery GI Bill, but I couldn’t have both. While the thought of having money for a graduate degree was enticing, I much preferred to not owe $39k. In exchange for three years of active duty service, the US Army paid off all $39,000 of my student loans.

I was very satisfied with this educational benefit and equated it to letting the government pay for my college education before my military service rather than after. I also took advantage of the Army’s Tuition Assistance while on active duty. As part of the eArmyU program, I took four classes toward a certificate in Webmaster from Rio Salado Community College before my second deployment to Iraq. I satisfied the requirement for the program (which gave me a free laptop in return for 12 semester hours within two years) but did not finish the certificate. (after Iraq, I kind of lost motivation for online classes)

I ended up serving just over seven years active duty and thanks to efforts of many veterans’ service organizations and some outstanding work by representatives in Congress, the Post 9/11 GI Bill passed, and I became eligible despite having benefited from the Student Loan Repayment Program. It was an exciting day for me because I realized that I would now have the chance to get my graduate degree! I do not think I would have been able to afford it out of pocket with three kids to support. I’m proud to say that I’m currently enrolled in Liberty University to ultimately earn an MBA in Leadership.

But there were some very important soldiers and programs that were omitted from the original legislation. Over the next few days, you can have a chance to directly impact the lives of many post 9/11 soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America are sponsoring an open letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to demand a vote on the Post 9/11 GI Bill upgrades before Congress leaves session for the election season.

According to IAVA (WATCH: IAVA’s Tim Embree Testifies on Upgrades to the Post-9/11 GI Bill), the New GI Bill 2.0 finishes the Post 9/11 GI Bill and would cover several issues:

• Improving the timeline for the VA to publish the tuition/fees allowance for each state and adjusting to the new BAH rates.
  • Student veterans complete their assignments on time and so should the VA: Nine months late updating the new BAH rates and one month late publishing the 2010-11 tuition/fees chart.
• Improving the time to process GI Bill claims
  • Delays are imminent: 160,000 backlogged GI Bill claims, 60% more than any other time this decade with the exception of last year. This will mean unacceptably long wait times, yet again.
• Processing remains plagued by repeated mistakes: Many veterans have been erroneously denied benefits and are forced to spend months trying to unravel the errors.
• Lack of reliable information costs veterans: The irrevocable choice between the new and old GI Bill is worth thousands of dollars and VA still lacks good resources to help inform that choice.
• Refunds of overpayments: There are no guidelines for schools to follow to repay the VA for erroneous tuition overpayments and this results in veterans having their entire GI Bill withheld.

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of IAVA, also notes that the New GI Bill 2.0 will add benefits to soldiers who served with the  National Guard and will also add coverage to technical/vocational training

As of September 20, 2010:

Image from IAVA.org

Encourage your representative to pass H.R. 5933, commonly referred to as the New GI Bill 2.0, and sign the petition to force a vote before Congress goes into recess.

* If you are an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran, I highly encourage you to join the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. While there are many fine VSO’s out there (and I recommend many of them as well), IAVA has truly demonstrated that they “have our backs.” Joining is free; find out more at http://www.iava.org

* To learn more about the Post 9/11 GI Bill, please see http://www.newgibill.org or http://gibill.va.gov

Update on September 30, 2010:

Congress forfeited the game – and it’s vets who will now lose out.

It’s outrageous, but true. Congress shut down a week early for the election season, leaving urgent GI Bill upgrades on the field and unfinished. Because of their inaction, thousands of vets will now be left waiting for their rightly-earned benefits.

For the past few weeks, you helped us push Congress to pass a critical bill that would upgrade and expand the new GI Bill. Over 10,000 Americans joined the fight. Together, we moved the ball as far down the field as we could – all the way to the ten yard line. We did everything we could, and Congress gave up in the red zone.

It’s clear where Washington’s priorities lie. Instead of delivering results for vets as the clock ticked down, Congress focused on political point scoring and partisan bickering.

We needed a touchdown, and they walked off the field. That’s unacceptable.

Washington may have quit, but IAVA hasn’t. We’ll keep fighting for vets.

This game is far from over. We’ll be making some big plays soon, so stay tuned on Facebook and Twitter for play-by-play updates.

Thank you for having our backs.

Paul

Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director and Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)