Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe R. Campa

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles “Skip” Bowen

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe R. Campa

What response have you heard from enlisted personnel about the new Post-9/11 GI Bill that was recently enacted?
Education benefits are a common question among the Sailors I meet in my travels. They were invited to sign up for the existing MGIB benefit early in their careers, but things change over the course of their Navy service. Sailors gain valuable and marketable skills during their military service and more than 44,000 of them are using Tuition Assistance (TA) to further their educational objectives. As a result, sometimes MGIB benefits go unused.

Transferability of education benefits is very important to our Sailors. After President Bush mentioned the idea of transferring military education benefits to family members in his State of the Union address, the questions from Sailors have changed from “are we?” to “when and what will it look like?” The Navy is a team organization and we consider our families a major part of our team. The ability to transfer those benefits to spouses and children allows our Sailors to invest in their families, particularly in light of the rising cost of college tuition. Any time a Sailor can do more for his or her family while serving in uniform, it makes them feel good.

Prior to enactment, there was a lot of discussion about the impact of transferability on military retention. How do you think the ability to transfer education benefits to family members will impact retention? What impact will it have on recruiting?
People stay in the military for a lot of reasons. The military offers the opportunity to contribute and serve and offers a level of responsibility that can’t be found in the civilian work force. We take care of and invest in our people. I believe education benefits are just one component of the retention equation. This new enriched benefit doesn’t show them the way out of the service, it shows we care about their personal and professional development. I believe it could have a positive impact on retention.

I also believe it will have a positive impact on recruiting, but we’ll have to wait and see how positive that impact will be. Education benefits in general are certainly a strong recruiting incentive, but we can’t underestimate the impact of our recruiters’ enthusiasm for the Navy. When I joined, the recruiter told me about the benefit programs, but what really sold me was his passion for his service. These programs gets prospects into recruiting offices, but the recruiters make the difference.

Do you envision the improved benefit having a different impact on career enlisted personnel versus younger service members?
I think junior Sailors will appreciate the enhanced benefit, but it’s difficult for first-term Sailors to take college courses. They are busy completing their basic skills training, getting to their first command and getting to know their jobs, as well as earning their qualifications aboard ships or in squadrons. They may be more focused on how the new benefit will help them achieve their own educational goals in the future.

Career personnel are often more familiar with the benefits available to them, and may push to use their TA benefit and preserve the new GI Bill benefit for their family. With the existing program, they could focus on their MGIB benefit later. Now they have a choice.

Based on your interactions with active duty and reserve personnel, how do education benefits rank among the quality-of-life benefits available to service members?
I think we all see the value of education. Pay, housing, healthcare and childcare are all very important to our Sailors, and I’d say education rounds out the top five concerns for military personnel and their families.

What’s your perspective on the value of legislative advocacy with regard to enhancing and maintaining quality-of-life programs?
Organizations like FRA provide a great service. They are a voice for military personnel and their advocacy is greatly appreciated by service members and their families. Those of us who work on behalf of our Sailors have a lot of like interests, and FRA plays a tremendous role in advancing those quality-of-life initiatives. Whether I agree or not, it’s always great to dialogue with FRA. Our discussions either reaffirm my position or give me a new perspective. Either way, it’s a good thing.

Is there any other message you would like to share regarding military education benefits?
The Navy believes in education as a part of the overall learning and development of our Sailors. At some point, every Sailor should pursue the benefit of self-improvement. Education complements them and makes them better Sailors and better citizens. I hope they’ll look at Tuition Assistance and the enhanced education benefits that are forthcoming and see how much our government and our Navy value them and how committed we are to their education.

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent
What response have you heard from enlisted personnel about the new Post-9/11 GI Bill that was recently enacted?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. This is a major benefit; not only will Marines now have more money for college, but they will be able to help their spouse and children further their education. This will take a weight off of many Marines’ shoulders as they may have been concerned on how they were going to fund their spouse’s or children’s education. This is a big step in not only taking care of the individual service member, but also taking care of our extended family … another fine example of taking care of our own.

Prior to enactment, there was a lot of discussion about the impact of transferability on military retention. How do you think the ability to transfer education benefits to family members will impact retention?
Marines who have families are typically “career” Marines. The Corps is their profession, and they intend on being around for some time. Being able to transfer their education benefits to their family members is a big benefit. I don’t think this will have a negative impact at all on retention of Marines with families. If anything, this may entice some Marines to continue their service so they will be able to transfer their benefits to their spouse and children. This is a benefit service members have been telling the Department of Defense is most important to them.

What impact will it have on recruiting?
If anything, this will have a positive impact on recruiting. Our Marine recruiters work non-stop to ensure the future of our Corps is in good hands. Even without this new great benefit, our recruiters continually make mission every year. There are many great young men and women who make the choice to honorably serve their country, and if this helps a few of them make that choice a little sooner, then it’s a welcomed added incentive. It’s the least we can do as a grateful nation to show our appreciation for their service.

Do you envision the improved benefit having a different impact on career enlisted personnel versus younger service members?
As I said, career Marines are just that, career Marines. They’ve made the Corps their profession, and they’re staying in the Corps until retirement whether they have this new benefit or not. This will just give them another tool to not only help them further their education, but also help their families. It may tempt younger service members to think about leaving the Corps, but if they are just starting to have families, it will definitely make them think twice about continuing their service so they can transfer those benefits to their spouse and children. If younger service members do leave the Corps to pursue their education, then we’ll thank them for their service and wish them the best of luck.

Based on your interactions with active duty and reserve personnel, how do education benefits rank among the quality-of-life benefits available to service members?
Service members have been telling the Department of Defense that this is a top priority for them. I think this new education plan will quickly go to the top of the list of benefits for service members. Being able to transfer benefits will either keep more money in the service member's pocket, or keep their children from starting their independent lives in debt with student loans. It’s truly a win-win situation all around.

What's your perspective on the value of legislative advocacy with regard to enhancing and maintaining quality-of-life programs?
I’m confident they’ll continue to support the military, and I’m very confident our lawmakers will stand behind us. Congress has supported our Marines and I think they’ll continue, so we can provide the appropriate quality-of-life programs.

Is there any other message you would like to share regarding military education benefits?
I would just encourage all Marines to take full advantage of this opportunity, whether you are a career Marine and share the benefits with your family, or you serve four years and get out to finish your degree. This is way too good of an offer to pass up. A good education opens many doors and will ultimately lead to success, which is what we all strive for, for ourselves, our spouse and our children.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Charles "Skip" Bowen
What response have you heard from enlisted personnel about the new Post-9/11 GI Bill that was recently enacted?
Members of the Coast Guard are extremely excited about this new legislation. I speak with our service members all over the world and no matter where I am or how large the group, the subject of education benefits comes up. In particular, they are very interested in being able to transfer the benefit to their spouse and/or children. Although the details of how the transferability component of this legislation will be implemented are still being clarified, there will be a transferability option in some shape or form. This is great news for all service members.

Prior to enactment, there was a lot of discussion about the impact of transferability on military retention. How do you think the ability to transfer education benefits to family members will impact retention? What impact will it have on recruiting?
The new Post-9/11 education benefit is extremely generous, and there’s a chance that such an extensive program may encourage some to leave the military to pursue a college degree, particularly those who might be on the fence about staying in the service. But I believe the transferability option will encourage people to stay in longer and will help retention. They will have the option of using the benefit for themselves or transferring it to a spouse or children. You can never go wrong with getting an education and, with the transferability component, the family will benefit one way or another.

I also believe the new benefit will help military recruiting efforts. Coast Guard recruiting has been very successful even before the new legislation. We are filling our quotas with high-quality recruits and generally have a waiting list for incoming personnel. The former education benefits were certainly an important recruiting incentive, but this new program will really open things up. I don’t see how it cannot help recruiting.

Do you envision the improved benefit having a different impact on career enlisted personnel versus younger service members?
Career force personnel have an even more robust education benefit if they choose to use it. The cost of education increases annually and it’s good to know that the benefit can help service members take care of their family’s educational needs, too. Everyone in the military will benefit.

As I mentioned, I think younger people will be more inclined to join the service because of this new benefit. The elimination of the enrollment fee is particularly important to new members of the Coast Guard. Many recruits do not enroll in the current MGIB program because they don’t feel they can afford the $100 a month during their first year of service. For a recruit with dependents and/or pre-service debt, it could literally be a choice between paying for education benefits or eating that month. Eliminating the enrollment fee obviously eliminates that concern and allows the recruits to really focus on the basic building blocks of recruit training – physical fitness, Core Values, Guardian Ethos, and learning their place in the service.

Based on your interactions with active duty and reserve personnel, how do education benefits rank among the quality-of-life benefits available to service members?
Education ranks very high with Coast Guard personnel. Pay, housing and medical care are consistently ranked at the top of the benefit list. When we get down to it, food, shelter and healthcare needs will always come first. But education comes right after those.

What’s your perspective on the value of legislative advocacy with regard to enhancing and maintaining quality-of-life programs?
The needs of military personnel are not well-understood on Capitol Hill. Organizations like FRA tell our story and they tell it well, making sure our voice is heard by lawmakers. For example, this summer I heard a lot of questions from VEAP-era personnel who did not have access to education benefits. There are relatively few folks left in that situation and among some it has not been a high priority in the halls of Congress. FRA picked up the banner and pushed the issue. They made sure our elected officials understood why it was important and made sure these people were included in the recent education reform measure.

Is there any other message you would like to share regarding military education benefits?
I’m very proud of the Coast Guard’s Tuition Assistance (TA) program. It’s grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years and is being utilized in a huge way. I encourage all members of the Coast Guard to pursue higher education. Not only does it pay dividends while in the service, it’s incredibly important when transitioning to the civilian work force. Your military experience will normally get your foot in the door, but without a degree, you may not get a second look. Military experience and a degree will put you at the top of the heap.