As National Commander of The American Legion, I was shocked to read the Virginian-Pilot article asserting that The American Legion supports caps on tuition benefits for the Post 911 GI Bill. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The American Legion does not support caps on educational benefits. In fact, The American Legion has been working since 1944 to ensure that every servicemember gets the benefits sufficient to cover the entire cost of a college education.

Interestingly, the article, while erroneously reporting The American Legion's position, does not quote a single official or representative of The American Legion. In fact, it presents no evidence whatsoever that The American Legion even considered caps on tuition benefits. Why would The American Legion wish to diminish benefits that we have spent years fighting to obtain for our current generation of servicemembers?

But don't just take my word for it. Rep Chet Edwards, D-Texas, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that determines VA spending, knows of our contribution to the GI Bill. "Passing this historic new GI Bill into law could not have happened without the dedicated efforts of The American Legion, and I want to thank them for their critical support throughout this process."

Passage of the bill, according to Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., was due to "a combination of sense in Congress that this was overdue, and very active lobbying by veterans groups such as The American Legion."

The American Legion is very much aware of the high cost of education and the disparities that exist between states. But the cost of these benefits are repaid many times over in the form of higher earnings and tax revenue from those who use the GI Bill to live the American dream. The answer to disparate costs is not to lower the benefit for everybody. It is to cover the cost regardless of where the veteran decides to attend school.

The GI Bill is expensive. But so is war.  And the real cost of that war is not in dollars. It is in the sweat and blood of our heroic men and women who are fighting it. The American Legion exists to advocate on their behalf.

Dr. Michael Gambone, a history professor at Kutztown University, recently spoke to The American Legion Magazine about the importance of educating veterans. "When soldiers leave the military, they can disassemble weapons, and they understand basic tactics, but what they lack are skills that will make them relevant in the job market. (Higher education) gives them the type of civilian mission they can apply themselves to, and that's very important in allowing these people to re-assimilate."

The transition of veterans to society is of mutual benefit. Whether that society exists in an expensive Ivy League city or a vocational trade community, the transition must be made regardless of the cost.

When The American Legion's Harry Colmery wrote the original Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, it transformed America. He said at the time, "If we can spend 200 to 300 billion dollars to teach our men and women to kill, why quibble over a billion or so to help them to have the opportunity to earn economic independence and to enjoy the fruits of freedom."

If Harry didn't worry about the cost, than neither should we.

Learn more about the New GI Bill.