Nation: Join the Army

And Buy a Home

Military service-either in or far away from Viet Nam-may not be the easiest way to get ahead in the world. But it can help.

Without a dissenting vote in either house, Congress last week passed and sent to the President a new G.I. Bill of Rights that provides educational and other benefits for 3,500,000 veterans discharged since the Korean War benefits bill expired in 1955. Under the new law, anyone who has served six months or more in the armed forces may receive up to $150 in monthly payments while studying in high school or college, qualify for a guaranteed home loan of up to $7,500 or direct loans of up to $17,500 where private financing is not available, and is entitled to limited hospital benefits for nonservice-connected disabilities.

Since the bill was originally intended to apply only to veterans of “hot spot” actions such as Viet Nam and Berlin, the Administration estimated its cost at $150 million a year. But Congress rejected such “cut-rate benefits.” Under the liberalized Senate and House version, its first-year cost will be $335 million, increasing to $500 million a year for the next five years.