The Naval Reserve program during the late '60s was very popular. I was inducted in March 1967 at the Naval Reserve Training Center at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, along with about 30 other people from all around town. The program at that time was a total obligation of six years, with the second and third years being full-time active duty in the fleet. Thus, I was eligible for the GI Bill.
Although I have never used the VA home loan benefit, I did take full advantage of the educational benefits. In undergraduate school, the first monthly VA check paid for my tuition and books, so I banked the three remaining checks each semester. I was able to finish my undergraduate degree in about 28 months, so half of my educational benefits remained on the books. After graduation with a BA degree, the VA checks that had been saved were used to buy my first house!
Five years later I enrolled in law school, and my remaining VA benefits paid for everything except my final semester! So there it is - a bachelor's degree and a law degree, both courtesy of Uncle Sam!
The GI Bill was my avenue to a quality higher education, something I never could have afforded on my own. I'm quite certain that I am just one of very many veterans whose life was changed dramatically by having had this tremendous opportunity, and I urge every vet to find a way to take full advantage of this benefit to advance their education.