Open the U.S. Army’s online recruiting site, and you’ll see a lot of talk about education, training and college benefits. After a few clicks, you’ll even hear about Capt. Jeffrey Kiki, a family practice physician from Spokane, who studied medicine with the help of the Army.

But what you won’t see is a discussion of the shortfalls of the present GI bill. You won’t learn that federal legislation similar to that which paid the way of so many World War II veterans no longer covers the cost of a four-year college education.

The Montgomery GI bill pays a maximum of about $38,700 over four years for veterans who served on active duty. But four years at Washington State University or the University of Washington, for example, runs $67,600, and the average cost of private schools in the state totals nearly $140,000. At public and private universities all over the country, veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan can wind up taking out large student loans to cover the difference.

The major problem, of course, lies in the soaring sticker price of college itself. In the past five years alone, college costs, after adjusting for inflation, have jumped 35 percent. Today, a larger portion of the total cost of a public education is borne by students and their parents. While in the late 1970s Washington students paid 25 percent of the cost, that figure grew to 52 percent by the 2005-06 school year.

College students of this generation, just like the previous ones, deserve an affordable education. Yet they graduate with an average school debt of $19,000.

For veterans, it’s also clear that the GI bill, which once stood for this country’s deep gratitude, has lagged behind current reality. Congress should give veterans of this war the opportunity to receive a college education without racking up huge debt.

Fortunately, state programs in our region can help to reduce college costs for veterans. According to the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, the state’s public schools have the option of waiving part or all of a veteran’s tuition. This school year, Washington State University granted $425,000 in waivers to 179 veterans, spouses and children. The Washington Legislature took a related step in waiving tuition and fees to spouses and children of fallen soldiers.

And the University of Idaho has begun a program called Operation Education. It provides scholarships for wounded veterans and their spouses to cover not only tuition and fees, but also living expenses such as child care and transportation. It’s a generous way to thank and honor these injured men and women.

This has been a long and difficult war. Our troops face horror and violence that has lasted much longer than our leaders predicted. Troops volunteered to serve for a variety of important reasons. They also were recruited with the lure of education, and many believed their enlistment would eventually allow them to attend college.

We certainly owe them that.