WASHINGTON, April 29, 2008 – The national commander of America's largest organization of combat veterans is demanding that Congress pass S. 22, the "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act."

"A new GI Bill for the 21st century must be passed," said George Lisicki, who leads the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., a veterans' service organization that includes more than 70,000 Afghanistan and Iraqi war veterans among its 1.7 million members.

"We have an all-volunteer force that has accomplished everything asked of them," said Lisicki. "We need to reward them for their service by helping them to reintegrate back into society with an educational package that meets today's cost of tuition. I join with the leadership of Congress and my fellow veterans' organizations to say that S. 22 is the right bill at the right time."

By George Lisicki and Paul Rieckhoff
On his first day in office, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) introduced the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S. 22) to update a 20-year-old peacetime GI Bill with 21st century realities. Yet now, 15 months later, only half the Senate and one-fourth of the House have endorsed the legislation

As the leaders of America's oldest major veterans' organization and its newest, we must ask, “Why?”

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2008--The national commander of the nation's largest organization of combat veterans fully agrees with President Bush that much progress has occurred in Iraq over the past 15 months, and after two days of testimony by America's top general and diplomat in Iraq, he believes lawmakers in Congress are also starting to realize that, too. But one thing George Lisicki is adamantly against is another call by some politicians to again force artificial troop withdrawal timetables on military commanders in the field.

"It is impossible to simultaneously fight an enemy to your front and politicians in your rear who are more focused on political gain than winning a war," said Lisicki, who leads the 2.3 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. of its Auxiliaries. "We all want the war to end, but how it ends is also important."

Bob Schieffer with VFW National Commander George Lisicki (Story, photo by Gloria L. Montgomery)

KANSAS CITY, March 14, 2008--CBS News Chief Washington correspondent and “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer is the recipient of the 2008 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Media Award, which honors an individual or organization’s “honest and forthright reporting that contributes to a better understanding of Americanism.”

VFW National Commander George Lisicki greets Senator McCain (Story, photo by Gloria L. Montgomery)
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 7, 2008--In a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sen. John McCain (R. Ariz.) chided political leaders who are calling for an early withdraw from Iraq the “height of irresponsibility and a failure of leadership.” Leaving, he said, might be the easier course of action, but the “consequences would be horrible.”

McCain admitted the American people are frustrated by the mistakes made in the war in Iraq, but America must be patient and support General David Petraeus.

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2008--The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States has pledged up to $1 million to help build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, a visitors and education facility being built on the National Mall, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

VFW is the first veterans’ organization to pledge financial support to the Memorial Center. The organization plans to raise the money over the next three years through its more than 8,000 posts and 1.7 million members worldwide.