Cold War Veterans Blog

United States Senate

Washington, DC

Press Advisory For: Contact: Jessica Smith (Webb), 202-228-5185

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Kimberly Hunter (Webb), 202-228-5258



**Press Event: Tuesday, April 29 at 12pm, U.S. Capitol, West Front**

IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN WAR VETERANS,

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

RALLY FOR 21st CENTURY GI BILL



Call for Immediate Legislative Action on

The “Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act” (S.22/ H.R. 5740)



Tuesday, April 29— More than one hundred veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan from across the country will converge on Capitol Hill Tuesday to join members of Congress in advocating a “21st Century GI Bill” for our newest generation of veterans.



The group will call for immediate legislative action on the “Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act” (S.22/ H.R. 5740), introduced by Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and John Warner (R-VA) in the Senate and by Reps. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) and Peter King (R-NY) in the House. The legislation boasts strong bi-partisan and bi-cameral support with 57 cosponsors in the Senate, 234 cosponsors in the House and the endorsements of the nation’s leading veterans’ organizations.



S.22/ H.R. 5740 is designed to offer the brave men and women who have served honorably since September 11, 2001 a level of educational benefits on par with those provided to veterans of the World War II era. The legislation will give our returning troops the tools to succeed after military service, strengthen our economy in the face of increasing global competition, and make military service more attractive as we work to rebuild our military.



Who: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), lead Senate cosponsor

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), lead Senate cosponsor

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), lead Senate cosponsor

Sen. John Warner (R-VA), lead Senate cosponsor

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman

Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), lead House cosponsor

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), lead House cosponsor

Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), lead House cosponsor

Rep. Peter King (R-NY), lead House cosponsor

Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), House Veterans Affairs’ Committee Chairman (Tentative)

Matthew Boulay, Director of Campaign for a New GI Bill

Dr. Clifford Stanley, retired USMC Major General & CEO, Scholarship America

Pete McCloskey, former U.S. Rep. and Korean War veteran

Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Derek Blumke, president, Student Veterans of America

Bob Balaban, Master of Ceremonies, actor & director

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

American Legion

Vietnam Veterans of America

Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

AMVETS

National Association for Uniformed Services

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

Jewish War Veterans of the USA

U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University



When: Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 12:00PM



Where: U.S. Capitol, West Front

(In front of the fountain, facing the Washington Monument)

Rain Location: Rayburn Room, H-207 U.S. Capitol Building



For more information about the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, please visit: http://webb. senate.gov/ pdf/factsheetgis 222008.pdf