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Father of MoH spc. lobbies for better GI Bill

The father of the nation’s latest Medal of Honor recipient has publicly called for President Bush to endorse a veterans’ education benefits bill being negotiated in Congress.

“I feel there is someone out there more important than [my wife] Romayne and I, and that is the troops who are still active,” Tom McGinnis said as he thanked family and friends for their support. “It’s important that we show them our appreciation … so that they are reminded that they are appreciated and will be welcomed when they come home.”

McGinnis, who made his remarks at the Pentagon during a June 3 ceremony to induct his son into the Hall of Heroes, said support for the troops must continue after they come home, and that includes providing them with educational opportunities.

The day before his remarks, McGinnis and his family gathered at the White House, where President Bush presented them with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, to honor his son’s actions in Iraq.

Spc. Ross McGinnis used his body to smother a grenade that had been thrown into his Humvee while on patrol Dec. 4, 2006, in Adhamiyah. Ross McGinnis, 19, was killed in the blast, but his actions saved the lives of the other four soldiers in the truck.

Tom McGinnis said he supports the GI Bill for the 21st Century, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., because “this is the one that’s already got bipartisan support, this is the one that both houses of Congress have already said they want, and it gives education to [service members] after three years of service.”

The proposal is included in the 2008 wartime supplemental appropriations bill. It covers the full cost of tuition and fees at any four-year public college or university and provides a monthly living allowance and an annual payment to cover books and supplies.

It also has the support of every major veterans group, but it does not have the support of the Defense Department, which has said bigger college benefits could hurt the services by encouraging people to leave the military to go to school.

Tom McGinnis said this GI Bill proposal has the best chance of becoming law.

“Here’s one right in front of us that’s ... got favor from Republicans and Democrats both, and it will benefit our soldiers,” he said.

Another version, which addresses DoD’s concerns, “may never pass muster, it may take a long time,” he added.

When asked why he chose to speak about the GI Bill during the ceremony June 3, Tom McGinnis said it was his best chance to be heard.

“I could talk about it to my friends all I want,” he said. “What good is that going to do? If I didn’t do it when I was down there at the Pentagon or the White House, one of the two, when will I ever have the chance to make an impact? I did what I felt was right, whether it was right or not.”