| Veterans
News Flash 
Iraq
Veteran Wins
Prestigious Truman Scholarship
March 29, 2007
Education
Made Possible by VA’s Montgomery
GI Bill
WASHINGTON -- Since 1944, GI Bill educational
benefits have opened the doors of opportunity for
nearly 22 million veterans. Matt Stiner, a veteran
of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a senior at Oklahoma
State University, is one of the latest additions
to that 63-year-old success story.
OSU Interim System CEO and President Marlene
Strathe, Matt Stiner and OSU-Tulsa President
Gary Trennepohl gather for the announcement
of Stiner’s selection as a Truman Scholar. |
A native of Tulsa, Okla., majoring in political
science, Stiner was among only 75 college juniors
to receive a prestigious $30,000 Truman Scholarship.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation honors
students who are entering public service.
“VA is proud to see a veteran using the
GI Bill receive such a prestigious honor,” said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Stiner
is a perfect example of how VA’s education
programs continue to work for our newest generation
of combat veterans.”
“The GI Bill was part of the reason I joined
the military,” said Stiner. “It has
enabled me to attend college and really focus on
my studies. I received information about the GI
Bill during my first day at boot camp and always
knew I would benefit from it.”
After
graduating, Stiner, who began using the Montgomery
GI Bill in July 2004, plans to pursue a master’s
degree in public administration from the University
of Georgia.
In 2000, Stiner enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps
and served four years as an assistant chief of
a 155 mm howitzer section, as a Marine combat instructor
of water survival and as a Green Belt martial arts
instructor. Stiner spent seven months in Iraq.
“This country was founded on the principles
that led to GI Bill and I hope other veterans will
get out and use it,” said Stiner. “If
you are passionate about something, it will certainly
help you accomplish your dreams -- not only in
a college setting but through vocational training
and other opportunities. If I can do it, anybody
can.”
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was
created in 1975 to support college juniors with
exceptional leadership potential who are committed
to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy
sectors, education or elsewhere in the public service.
The
GI Bill’s educational benefits trace
their roots back to June 22, 1944, when President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the GI
Bill of Rights, which gave veterans financial assistance
with advanced educational or vocational training.
The current version of that landmark legislation,
the Montgomery GI Bill, was enacted in 1985.
Since 1944, 21.8 million veterans and active-duty
personnel have received more than $75 billion in
benefits for education or training. For information
about the Montgomery GI Bill, please visit: http://www.gibill.va.gov
SOURCE:
VNIS
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