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| Fifth Column | |
| Iraq vet gets in-state tuition after all | |
| 2005-08-20 | |
| Follow-up on yesterday's outrage. EFL. Following nationwide public outcry, a decorated U.S. Marine from Texas will be allowed in-state college tuition after a school turned him down because he didn't reside in the state when he began two tours of duty in Iraq. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, himself a former U.S. Marine, identified a state waiver provision for which Basham qualifies, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. "We are so delighted that
Basham moved with his parents to Louisiana when he was a junior in high school, and he enlisted in the Marines right after graduating. Even though his parents moved back to Texas after he had been in the service for a year, the college argued he lived in Louisiana at the time of enlistment. OK. I can sorta see this, but if he were an illegal alien, would they have been such sticklers for the rules? Basham had argued that after "being in the military for a year, coming from Louisiana, my parents moved back into Texas, making me an automatic resident, because I'm still their dependent." Over two enlistments and eight years of service, Basham was awarded a Combat Action Ribbon, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and other decorations. He served as a driver and an auto mechanic in his two tours of duty in Iraq, each lasting seven months. You have to shine the light to scatter the cockroaches. We won this battle, but the war isn't over. | |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #5 Sounds to me like this was just some minor clerk in a large bureaucracy slavishly following the 'rules'. Glad it got straightend out. Hopefully, next time, the clerks will be less unhelpful, to use the Rumsfeldian phrase. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2005-08-20 10:56 |
| #4 As the men and women come home there will be more old state policies that will come to light need to be changed. Texas will change their state rules, Texans love their soldiers and will fix this. The real fight will be in states like Ca. and Mass that still think we're second class citizens behind the fench jumping pickers. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-08-20 10:27 |
| #3 ..but if he were an illegal alien, don't get me going lol |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-08-20 02:28 |
| #2 CU Boulder in all it's glory with Ward Churchill and the sports program, raised their in state tuition 28%. Go figure. Veterans who have served our country shouldn't be held to the same in state rules that the rest are. Instead of living in state, they've been fighting for us, I feel they should be charged in state where ever they decide to live after getting out. This guy served two 7 month tours in Iraq and the college was giving him grief, come on now. We need to honor our veterans alot more than we have been lately. Also not put up so many road blocks for them to work through. |
| Posted by: Jan 2005-08-20 02:23 |
| #1 This war is far from over. We have to put all the College and University systems in mortal fear of pulling this foolishness. Removal of funding and being fired or demoted have to be the club that is used. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-08-20 00:34 |