Just in time for Veteran’s Day, the Servicemember Education Reform and Vocational Enhancement Act was announced last week by Sen. Tim Kaine. The SERVE Act will enhance the quality of education currently provided to veterans and servicemembers.
Although billions of dollars have been endowed in GI Bill benefits since 9/11, the SERVE Act of 2013 hopes to improve the high unemployment and low graduation rates of soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to enhancing educational opportunities, the SERVE Act will also create a five-state pilot initiative that offers employment training services and internships. To further prepare veterans for future employment, the act will require organizations and institutions receiving education benefits from the Veterans Administration or Department of Defense to offer academic and career counseling. The proposed legislation will also heighten the standards of these institutions to be in alignment with similar types of federal tuition aid including Pell Grants and Stafford Loans.
Also in commemoration of the national holiday, a Prisoners of War/Missing in Action vigil, hosted by the Demas T. Craw Squadron of the Arnold Air Society, started Monday afternoon. Cadets from Air Force, Army, and Navy ROTC began marching in one-hour shifts on the north side of the Rotunda at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Nate Jewell, a second-year ROTC Air Force cadet, spoke to the symbolic value of the ceremony.
“Cadets from all four ROTC branches will march for 24 hours straight to honor service members who have become Prisoners of War or are Missing in Action,” said Nate Jewell, a second-year ROTC Air Force cadet and College student. “About 83,340 servicemembers [are] still unaccounted for since World War II.”
The vigil will last until 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, and will culminate in a Veteran’s Day ceremony. About 300 cadets from the three ROTC units will participate in the vigil and ceremony.
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