Originally Posted by
Jetjok
Yeah, I know what you mean.

Those guys coming back from Vietnam had no business at all using their GI bill benefits, even though they earned it. Of course a lot of them never got to use those benefits, because, well, they died, fighting a stupid war, in a far away land, and for what? To be spit on when they returned? If you think that they had no right to use their benefits as they saw fit, then you really need to have your head examined. As for someone screwing it up for the rest, I raise the BS flag. It would take hundreds and hundreds of guys, doing the exact same thing wrong, before the VA or the government changed anything. As well, and more to the point, it seems perfectly reasonable to me that they would want one to get some real flying under their belt before they undertook an instrument rating. I mean, seriously, what are you going to do with a private pilot license and an instrument rating? Fly your C-152 in clouds? How about icing? Yeah, that would look good on an aviation resume.
As a final thought, when I got back from Vietnam, I took some college courses, one of which was a gym class (to fill in a space between other classes), and you know what, I didn't then, nor do I now, feel that I wasn't entitled to take that class, even though I never became a gym teacher.
No, Yoda is right. The GI Bill was intended to further the education, financial, and career prospects of veterans. It was never intended to subsidize anyone's expensive hobby.
If you had a gym class which was part of a college curriculum, that's well within the intent of the program.
Nothing against veteran's hobbies (I am one, and have a few) but that was never what the GI Bill was for. If you want to fly for fun, use your military base pay or retirement to pay for it.