Here's an excerpt from a new essay on veteran care from Cabinet Secretary Eric Shinseki. While it's great to hear the Secretary discuss the need to invest in educating our veterans and providing them affordable housing options, one area not discussed is health care. That's a surprise given the fact that V.A.'s health care system is one of the major ways of taking care of our veterans.  Then again, the Obama Administration did get into a little hot water early on over:

considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.

Anyway, you can read the full essay on Huffington Post:

Today, our youngest Veterans offer a similar promise of future leadership, thanks to a Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that was sponsored by Virginia Senator Jim Webb and 58 co-sponsors, including then-Senator Barack Obama. This new G.I. Bill is the most comprehensive educational benefits package offered to Veterans since the original G.I. Bill in 1944. It provides money for tuition and books, fees, a living allowance, and the option to transfer unused educational benefits to spouses or children. VA pays 100 percent of costs up to the highest rate of in-state tuition and fees at state colleges and universities.

Private institutions have signed up for the special Yellow Ribbon Program for academic year 2009-2010, wherein VA matches up to 50 percent of funding of the difference between tuition and fees covered by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and the total cost of the private institution's tuition and fees. Over 1,100 private colleges and universities have joined our public institutions in fulfilling the dream of the Post 9/11 GI Bill.

Colleges and universities can help underwrite the success of Veterans, many of whom are not taking the usual route to college. They have not spent time in SAT-preparation courses. Instead, they have been serving in high-performing units, practicing teamwork and self-discipline, and learning first hand about peace and freedom. Yet, if schools focus only on a Veteran's standardized test scores or prior academic records, they will miss so much of what these Veterans can offer to their classes and their classmates. Given a chance, they will be among the best students.

They have seen the alternatives to our way of life and appreciate our blessings in ways some may take for granted. They are mature for their years and eager to live productive lives--to make contributions. They are accustomed to working hard and to winning. They form teams easily and know a lot about building trust, having lived and worked with others from diverse backgrounds. They know how to plan, manage time, prioritize tasks, and are disciplined about goals accomplishment.