With reverence for the departed souls that died doing what our Nation ask of them this Memorial Day--and every Day. And for their Children that grew up with out them.

And our POWs and MIAs.

Retirement Parity for Activity Duty Military personnel

A three-term Congressman  (or one-term Senator) who has reached retirement age, currently, will be eligible for an annual pension of $17,588 for six years of work.  As are Federal employees with the same salary. And all federals with five years of service are entitled to a percentage at retirement age. That includes every political appointee by a President that served five years well!

So members of congress, Federal civilian employees and (highly paid) “appointed” political hacks are entitled to a piece of retirement after five years, but active Duty military personnel not!

The most egregious example of retirement inequity, in my memory, was during the Clinton Administration. NCOS with up to 17 years of service, many who had stood in harms way, were forced out.

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, often with families, were put on the streets. In their late 30’s they had to start over, usually at the bottom of a career chain with no retirement benefits.

Not much call for experienced Infantry, Artillery or Armored Cavalry in the private sector.

Let’s us all, we band of sisters and brothers do something about this outrage now!

Synopsis of

Protected Class Status for Veterans in College

by Douglas Herrmann and Bert Allen

         The purpose of this book is to inform American society and the higher education community about the abuse of some veterans by some professors and college administrators.  Presently, in the early twenty-first century, American veterans need support as they pursue a college degree. While the new GI Bill will help them with the financial costs of college, veterans also need assistance in coping with mistreatment they receive from some professors and some college administrators. 

         This book considers how to prevent abuse of military veterans as they seek a college degree and proposes that possibly the best way to prevent abuse of veterans in college is to give them legal protection while they seek a degree.  Currently such protection is provided for members of certain groups by giving them Protected Class Status.  The certain groups now holding such status include certain religions, certain nationalities, under-represented skin colors and ethnic groups,  for women and for people with under-represented sexual orientation.  While veterans have defended members of these groups and society, veterans do not hold legal protection from mistreatment and abuse.  Veterans have been legally protected from employment discrimination for many years but this protection does not extend to  preventing discrimination while attending college.

               This book evaluates the claim that student veterans are currently the targets of discrimination and various types of abuse while they seek a degree in college.  This discrimination involves: verbal abuse (libel, slander, fraud); administrative abuse (such as inferior teaching, inadequate financial aid, and biased grievance procedures); and inadequate health care at some college health centers. The origins of such abuse are reviewed.  Veterans are not abused nearly as much as they were during and after the Vietnam War but many instances of abuse are the same as during that earlier era.  We propose that our nation needs to direct higher education to cease engaging in such abuse to give veterans a better chance of getting a degree.  In our judgment, military personnel, whether on active duty or honorably discharged, should be legally protected from discrimination while in college.

         The first chapter describes the legal requirements for protected classes in general.  Protected class is a term used in United States anti-discrimination law that describes groups of people who are protected from discrimination and harassment.  The second chapter considers how veterans might merit a classification as a protected class. The third chapter reviews the extensive literature that report the abuse encountered by veterans in higher education.   The fourth chapter describes how particular   schools may be identified as abusive to veterans.   The fifth chapter explains how some professors and college administrators came to abuse veterans. The sixth chapter proposes how our nation needs to direct higher educators to cease engaging in this abuse and give veterans a better chance of getting a college degree.  An epilogue briefly discusses the impact of the book. 

         Finally, a bibliography presents an extensive list sources relevant to information covered in the preceding chapters.  The sources include over 100 journal and magazine articles.  Particularly important among these sources was President Obama�s call in his 2011 State of the Union address for a return to campus of military recruiters and ROTC programs and the President�s executive order (April, 2011) calling for fair treatment of veterans who are students in college. 

         The content of this book should be informative to professional educators who may seek to prevent mistreatment and abuse of student veterans.  The book should also  inform members of the federal and state governments who are responsible for drafting laws and making policies which protect veterans from the abuse of professors and administrators in higher education.  In addition, the book may be useful to State Certifying Officials and Program Administrators who seek to help veterans obtain a college degree. Finally, veterans themselves may use this book to become more aware of the obstacles they face while they pursue a college education.

         The authors of this book are very qualified to advocate the Protected Class Status for veterans in College.  The authors are senior college educators who each have taught for more than 30 years in college.   They both served in combat in the Vietnam War and both acquired a graduate college degree while a veteran.   They have discussed veterans� problems in college with today�s veterans and with many professors and college administrators.  They have published both books and articles about veterans in college and spoke at conferences dedicated to veterans� college problems.   Both have consulted considerable media that have reported about ways student veterans have been mistreated in college. [This book may be purchased from Amazon.com].