This is Kennedy.
Kennedy is 11 months old. She has two teeth, crawls, and walks when her momma holds her hands. She can say "Momma" "Dadda" and a word the slightly resembles "bottle". Kennedy was born on Groundhog Day. Since then she has lived in what is known as a "broken home"; she does not live with both her parents.
But Kennedy’s parents are not divorced, or even separated. They are happily married and have been for over two years.
This is Kennedy’s daddy. He has a stable job, doesn’t drink often and has never been in any kind of trouble. In less than a year, Kennedy’s daddy will be unemployed. He has no college degree.
This is Kennedy’s momma. She also works full time, and spends every minute she can with Kennedy. She balances her job, taking care of Kennedy, training for marathons, and attending college full time. Once, she had to attend a class for her job that took her away from Kennedy for two weeks. Other than that, she has never spent a night away from Kennedy. In February, just after Kennedy’s first birthday, she has to go to another class that will take her away from Kennedy for two months. Kennedy’s momma is good at her job, and it’s a good thing. In less then a year Kennedy’ family’s income will be cut in half and Kennedy’s momma will be the sole earner in the household.
Kennedy’s daddy loves her momma very much, and thinks she is an amazing person.
This is Sergeant Smith. Sergeant Smith is Kennedy’s daddy. Sergeant Smith left Kennedy and her Mom a week after she was born. He left because he was sent to Afghanistan. Sergeant Smith went willingly. In fact, he volunteered. He loves his family, but there were two things that drew him to Afghanistan.
- Sergeant Smith had never deployed, and couldn’t stomach telling Kennedy when she got older that in a time when other Soldiers fought and died, he relaxed in Korea and Fort Bragg.
- Sergeant Smith knew he would be an unemployed student when his enlistment ended, and wanted to pay off all his family’s debts and put something away in savings for his family’s future.
When Sergeant Smith’s enlistment ends, the income his family has lived off of for the last two and a half years will be cut in half, yet they will incur the added expense of financing a college education. Sergeant Smith is entitled to the Montgomery GI Bill. While he is attending school he will receive $1,101.00 per month. These are the funds he must use to pay for tuition, fees, and books. Of course, tuition is due at the beginning of the semester. Sergeant Smith is having trouble finding a way to do this. If there is anything left over after paying for college, it will be used to supplement the family’s income. Sergeant Smith currently makes about $3,000 a month that he won’t be receiving while in college.
Kennedy’s momma goes by another name at work. There, people call her Sergeant Rodriguez-Smith. She is also an active duty Soldier. She also loves her family. She loves her family so much that she volunteered to give another 4 years of her life to the Army, so she can have a job while Kennedy’s daddy goes to college full time. Kennedy’s daddy didn’t want her to do this, but she convinced him it was best for their family. Because Kennedy’s momma loves here family so much, there is a good chance she’ll leave them for 12 to 15 months because of her additional enlistment.
The family understands sacrifice. They accept it, and they love one another.
This is Jim. Jim once was a Marine himself. He went to Vietnam, and even wrote a book about it. Later he served the military again as Secretary of the Navy. One day, Jim got fed up with the way people were doing things in Washington. He got so fed up that he decided to fix it. So, Jim ran for office in the United States Senate. People liked what Jim had to say, and he won.
First thing when Jim was in office, he thought of Kennedy and her parents, or at least people like them. He introduced a bill to help them out. The bill was called "The Post 9/11 Veterans’ Education Assistance Act of 2007." A lot of people who had different views on other things liked it. Also, people like Veitnam Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars liked it. A nice man named Bobby liked it so much he introduced the same bill in the House of Representatives.
The bill is a good deal for families like Kennedy’s. If it passes, Kennedy’s daddy will have four years of education paid for by the Veterans’ Administration. The $1,200.00 Kennedy’s daddy paid into the GI Bill will be given back to him. Kennedy’s daddy can use that for gas to drive back and forth to school, or maybe to start a college fund for Kennedy. Even after the VA pays for Kennedy’s daddy’s education, he will get a $1,000.00 per month stipend. He can use this money to help Kennedy’s momma buy groceries, diapers, and clothes for Kennedy, and pay for utilities, rent and childcare.
You see, all of these nice people feel for families like Kennedy’s. They understand that Kennedy’s parents have made a sacrifice for their country, and the deal they are being offered just isn’t enough. They don’t want her parents to struggle the way their parents did. They feel that they deserve at least that much.
If Jim’s bill passes, Kennedy’s family will be very thankful. Financing a college education on one income won’t be as much of a struggle. Kennedy’s daddy can get a degree and be more marketable in the work place. He won’t need to get a part time job to help put food on the table. If he did, it would probably take him a year or so more to get his degree. Maybe, he’ll even have time to study for the LSAT so he can accomplish his dream of being an Attorney. The money that Kennedy’s parents might use to make payments on student loans can be used to save for Kennedy to go to college one day. Of course all of this will help Kennedy’s parents create a better environment for her to grow up in.
Jim’s bill might also encourage more young people to join the military like Kennedy’s parents did when they were younger. This will be a good thing, because the military is having trouble getting people to join right now, what with fighting two wars and all. Jim’s trying to do something about that too, but that’s another story.