Anyone hear about the Texas Marine who can't go to Austin Community College?

The way I was hearing it on the "over-hype talkradio station it goes like this. . .

AUSTIN (AP) - A decorated Marine enrolling in college was surprised to learn his Texas driver's license, car registration and bank records weren't enough to qualify him for the lower-priced state resident tuition.

Carl Basham said officials at Austin Community College recently told him that his two tours of duty in Iraq kept him out of the state too long to qualify for Texas resident tuition.

Ok, I said- it figgures it IS Austin. The ONLY Texas county that went for J. F'ing Kerry (he waz in 'Nam- ya know) so naturally they're giving him a hard time.

I heard this - or some variation of it most of the day:

The school's response surprised Basham, a 27-year-old who was born in Beeville, registered to vote in Travis County, has a Texas driver's license and does his banking in Austin.

Not having the in-state designation would mean paying around $2,600 instead of about $500 a semester in tuition.

"They told me that I have to physically live in the state of Texas for at least a year," Basham said in Tuesday editions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It kind of hurts."

During his two enlistments and eight years of service, Basham received a Combat Action Ribbon, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and other decorations. He was honorably discharged from the Marines on Jan. 31.

Then, on a different, more staid and less hyperactive news/talk radio station I heard this little gem:

Under Texas law, members of the military are presumed to maintain the same residence as when they enlisted in the service. Although he grew up throughout Texas and lived most of his youth in Waco, Basham graduated from high school and enlisted in the Marine Corps in Monroe, La. (This is from WOAI, since KTSA didn't have the story easily available)

I don't feel sorry for him. Yeah, he kinda got screwed; but he fell down, too- or his N.C.O.s who didn't tell him to change his home of record at his second enlistment.

I made sure when I re-enlisted that my home of record was in Texas- not just for the education, but the Tx Vets Land Board and anything else available to Texans.

Alot of other vets have been burned that way. How far are we going to go back to rectify the "home of record" mistakes? Get over it, and have the next Leg. do something about it.
Hey- the Navy wanted me to be a 'Nuke'- can I study for it NOW on the Gov't dime?

(UPDATE Aug. 20)- It seems that the Tx Vets Landboard has approved the admission as a Tx resident. Ok, now that one GI went public, when are ALL the others who got screwed over going to get (the Libs favorite word) restitution for the "wrongs" done to them?