The Surprising History of Military College Benefits  For
decades, politicians have struggled to balance rewarding service
against the expense of generosity.   The argument over whether
America can afford the dollars and loss of experienced soldiers
that a sweetened GI Bill might cost seem like brand-new
concerns. After all, the original GI Bill of Rights is widely
considered one of the most popular and successful laws ever
passed.  But historians say similar controversies have dogged
veterans' benefits for decades. And, just as now, reform
proposals divided some of the nation's most respected and
prominent veterans.  Although some have argued that the 1944
Servicemen's Readjustment Act was too generous, research has
shown that providing four years of free education and training
to veterans helped spark the nation's economic boom of the 1950s
and 1960s. What's more, because it was offered equally to all
qualified veterans, it expanded opportunities for groups that
had been discriminated against, including wome