Since May 7, 1947, the Tuition Assistance (TA) Program has been the principal vehicle for helping enlisted active duty servicemembers afford the costs of participating in college programs and courses. Data from recent studies indicate strong and consistent associations between participation in the TA program and retention in the military as well as a strong correlation between perticipation and enlisted promotions. A historical search of legislative actions shows Congress's clear endorsement of the military's initiatives to provide voluntary adult and continuing education to servicemembers--education that is "in addition to" military training. A long and continuous chain of enabling legislation allows the military to use Department of Defense (DOD) appropriated funds for payment of tuition for off-duty training or education. The TA program is integral to the Voluntary Education Program for Military Personnel as presented in a DOD directive that military services implement by establishing and maintaining voluntary education programs within their specific services. Efforts are underway in some major Army commands to mingle education and training functions. If funds and personnel resources appropriated by Congress for the voluntary education programs in the military services are used strictly for military training purposes, adult and continuing education in the military has been co-opted. (The document includes the following attachments: pertinent U.S. Code sections, excerpts of Congressional hearings and reports, the DOD directive, Army regulation 621-5 and a paper, "The DOD Tuition Assistance Program," by David Boesel and Kyle Johnson.) (YLB)