PHAN RANG -- Fifty students at Duy Tan High School in Phan Rang City were recently presented with scholarships by U.S. Air Force airmen here.

Contributing units were the 315th Tactical Airlift Wing and the 435th Munitions Maintenance Squadron.

According to Maj. Ben H. Swett, project officer for the presentation, the scholarships represent only a small portion of the base-wide Dollars For Scholars program. Each scholarship amounts to $76.50 per student per year.

"For $8.50 a month," said Major Swett, "a high school student can continue in school, but without it most of the kids we are assisting would have to leave school and help support their families. They have lost fathers and brothers in the army, or in Viet Cong terrorist attacks."

As a navigator, Major Swett flies aboard C-123 Provider transports that airlift men and supplies throughout the Republic of Vietnam. When he is not flying, he is civic action coordinator for the 315th TAW.

"Students are selected for these scholarships on two grounds," the officer continued. "First, they must show high academic ability, and second, a real economic need. This is the same criteria that a scholarship board would use in the United States.

"The schools are improving rapidly in both enrollment and quality of education; I'm very impressed. The youngsters study hard-core subjects like math, physics, chemistry, philosophy, history and government. All of them take Vietnamese and either English or French. Many graduate with a good understanding of all three languages.

"One of the teachers told me the school feels that the future of Vietnam depends on educating its youth, and I cannot help but agree," Major Swett concluded.