Veteran's Day is an example of the honor that is paid to U.S. military veterans, but there are many other programs and events throughout the year that pay homage to the women and men that serve our country.

In addition to memorials and veterans' hospitals, many veterans benefit from education incentives through the G.I. Bill of Rights.

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act was first enacted in 1944, and the G.I. Bill recently was expanded to include far more veterans. The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill expansion went into effect Aug. 1, providing a college education for many more veterans who had been in active duty since 9/11.

Many veterans have chosen to take advantage of the program in its inaugural semester at the University of Oklahoma.

About 170 veterans or their family members are enrolled at OU under the chapter 33 provision that applies to the new benefits, said Patricia Ingram, OU veterans coordinator.

The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill pays for tuition and fees and provides a monthly housing allowance for veterans. Benefits also can be transferred to family members.

Ingram said she expects even more students to take advantage of the new G.I. Bill benefits next semester. Many didn't know they could take advantage of it this semester, she said. Those who waited might have saved themselves some trouble as well.

The new program already has benefited thousands of veterans across the country, but it hasn't gone off without a hitch.

Thousands of veterans nationwide are still waiting for their benefits check.

They enrolled in class and bought their books expecting their check from the government, but backlogs at Veterans Affairs resulted in many veterans scrambling for funds to use until their benefits arrive.

"Unfortunately, the VA had to put this (program in place) so quickly that they didn't have the IT processes in place," Ingram said. "... They are having to manually process each application." She said VA workers have been working seven days a week on mandatory overtime since January, but it's still not enough.

"These students are still waiting on their money and a lot of the students just want to know, 'Where is my money?'" Ingram said. "They just want more information."

Army National Guard Spc. Christina Van Zante didn't receive her benefits until Oct. 30. The OU accounting sophomore went to her parents for help paying the bills when her funding through the G.I. Bill was delayed.

Veterans Affairs made up to $3,000 of emergency advance payments available to those who needed advance funds. Those emergency funds still are available.

Van Zante said she was considering one of those emergency payments before she received her check. Although Van Zante gets some of her school paid for through the National Guard and her participation in ROTC, she said she was thankful for the G.I. Bill funding as well.