Statement by the President on the Message on America's Servicemen and Veterans.

I HAVE today submitted to the Congress six major proposals to meet the special needs of America's servicemen and veterans. I have proposed:

First, to remove the inequities in the treatment of our Vietnam veterans.

Second, to enlarge the opportunities for educationally disadvantaged veterans--in order to allow them to complete high school without using up their credits under the GI bill.

Third, to raise minimum educational allowances under the GI bill from $100 a month to $130 a month.

Fourth, to increase the maximum amount of Servicemen's Group Life Insurance from $10,000 to $30,000 maximum.

Fifth, to increase by 5.4 percent the pensions that are now received by 1.4 million disabled veterans, widows, and dependents.

Sixth, to make certain that those who receive veteran's pensions will benefit from increases in Federal retirement benefits, such as I have proposed in the social security message, earlier this year.

We know that no act of Government can ever repay our debt to the men and the women who have served their Nation in an hour of need.

But with these benefits that I have recommended, we can assure them that we do not intend to ever let them down in their hour of need.