An expanded Legacy Scholarship

An expanded Legacy Scholarship

It’s a scholarship I wish nobody needed. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the American Legion Legacy Scholarship was created to help pay college costs for children of active-duty U.S. servicemembers who died on or after that terrible day.

While we can never do too much for these families, Americans have rightly insisted that the federal government provide resources to help fund the higher education of these students. Other organizations have joined the Legion in stepping up to the plate. We welcome that.

Our commitment to these Gold Star children will never waver, but a resolution passed by the Legion’s National Executive Committee in May now makes it possible for the Legacy Scholarship to serve even more people – specifically, the children of disabled veterans.

In addition to scholarships for the sons and daughters of U.S. troops who die on active duty, scholarships of up to $20,000 will also be available for children of post-9/11 veterans with VA disability ratings of 50 percent or higher, starting with the 2017-2018 scholarship year.

Even before this change, the Legion’s Legacy Scholarship stood apart from other financial aid programs. Children are eligible regardless of the cause of the parent’s death, in combat or otherwise. The Legion also takes into consideration non-tuition costs such as books, room and board, meal plans, transportation and other education supplies.

On average, U.S. college tuition and fees have increased every year since 1980, and they show no sign of slowing. The cost of pursuing a four-year degree at a private university can easily exceed $200,000, and even students at state universities feel they have no choice but to take on burdensome student loans that may take a lifetime to pay back. 

The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund lives up to its name by making it easier for this special group of military kids to afford higher education. What a way to honor the service of their mothers and fathers.

Eva Marie Witt of Springfield, Ohio, was waiting tables for less than $4 an hour when she received the Legacy Scholarship. Her father lost his life in a plane crash while serving in the Air Force.

“My father was the main support in our family, and I knew it would be hard for my mom to pay for college,” Witt said. “The scholarship pays honor and tribute to my father, and I am just so thankful that I’ve been able to pay for my college and not have that extra worry.”

The scholarship’s top fundraising event is the American Legion Legacy Run, an annual motorcycle ride from Indianapolis to the host city of the Legion’s national convention. If you’re an American Legion Rider, I hope you will join me when we depart Indianapolis on Aug. 21 to ride 1,300 miles through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio. It is not the most direct route to Cincinnati, but it is the most fun and most worthwhile. Register online at www.legion.org/riders.

 

As far back as the Civil War, Americans – especially veterans – have understood the solemn obligation to take care of the children of those who have sacrificed life and limb for our country. Few ways are more tangible, and more practical, than the gift of education.