I dropped out of college to work in the silver mines where I grew up in North Idaho. Within two weeks I got my draft notice and by July 16, 1969, I was on my way to Fort Lewis.
After medic training at Fort Sam Houston I spent 13 months in Nam, half of them as a medic on medevac.
By law, when I got back home I could have my miner's job back, but my health would not let me work underground so I applied and received a job in a lab for a large mining company.
Ten years later one of the mines shut down and I was let go. I had a wife and three young children so I started checking into the GI Bill. I found out I was about two weeks past my 10-year eligibility to use it.
Being able to use that bill would have made my life quite different and it would be nice to see that benefit not have an expiration.

Herbert D. Christopherson