There's more . . . and it's worse.

http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm

QUOTE
Avoided the Vietnam War
Most people have heard something about George W. Bush pulling strings to get
into the Texas Air Guard. But the press, while reporting lots of details,
has done a poor job of communicating how consistently and shamelessly Bush
Jr. sought and received favorable treatment while he avoided Vietnam.

Furthermore, his story has repeatedly changed -- he has weaseled like
Clinton at his worst and even flat-out lied when explaining what happened.

To put it in perspective, here are 9 ways Bush got favored treatment in the
service due to his political connections (he was then son of a Congressman
and grandson of a former Senator):
1) He got into the Guard by pulling strings, avoiding the year and a half
waiting list;
2) He took a 2-month vacation in Florida after just 8 weeks, (1 of 3
leaves), to work on a political campaign;
3) Bush skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as a
2nd Lieutenant, without qualifications;
4) He was assigned to a safe plane (being phased out of active service), the
F-102 ;
5) During flight school, he was flown on a government jet to Washington for
a date with President Nixon's daughter Tricia ;
6) Bush got an illegal transfer (later overruled) to a base with no work;
7) He simply didn't show up for a YEAR, with no penalty;
8) George W. skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests,
and was removed from flight status;
9) He ended his service 10 months early to go to Harvard Business School;


Here are the details:

1. Pulled Strings to Get In.
On May 27, 1968, George Bush Jr. was 12 days away from losing his student
draft deferment, at a time when 350 Americans a week were dying in combat.
The National Guard, seen by many as the most respectable way to avoid
Vietnam, had a huge waiting list -- a year and a half in Texas, over 100,000
men nationwide. Yet Bush and his family friends pulled strings, and the
young man was admitted the same day he applied, regardless of any waiting
list.

Bush's unit commander, Col. "Buck" Staudt, was so excited about his VIP
recruit that he staged a special ceremony for the press so he could have his
picture taken administering the oath (even though the official oath had been
given by a captain earlier.)

Bush and his allies have tried to deny this with several changing stories,
but Bush himself admits lobbying commander Staudt, who approved him, and
court documents confirm that close family friend and oil magnate Sid Adger
called Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes, who called General James Rose,
the head of the Texas Air National Guard, to get Bush in. Rose, who is now
dead, told his friend and former legislator Jake Johnson that "I got that
Republican congressman's son from Houston into the Guard."

Staudt's unit, the 147th, was infamous as a nesting place for politically
connected and celebrity draft avoiders. Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen's
son was in the unit, as was Republican Senator John Tower's, both of Sid
Adger's sons and at least 7 members of the Dallas Cowboys.

2. Took a 2 month vacation in Florida after 8 weeks in the Guard.
Just 8 weeks after joining, Bush was granted 2 months leave to go to Florida
and work on a political campaign, the Senate race of Republican Edward
Gurney. Bush took a leave every election season, in 1970 to work on his
dad's campaign, and in 1972 to work in Alabama.

3. Skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as 2nd Lt.
As soon as Bush completed basic training, his commander approved him for a
"direct appointment", which made him an officer without having to go through
the usual (and difficult) Officer Candidate School. This special procedure
also got Bush into flight school, despite his very low scores on aptitude
tests -- he scored 25% on a pilot aptitude test, the absolute lowest
acceptable grade, and 50% for navigator aptitude. (Bush did score 95% on the
easier officer quality test, but then again the average is 88%).

What made Bush's appointment doubly unusual was his total lack of special
qualifications. This procedure was generally reserved for applicants with
exceptional experience or skills, such as ROTC training or engineering,
medical or aviation skills. Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National
Guard, reviewed the Guard's records on Bush for a special exhibit on his
service after Bush became governor. Asked about Bush's direct appointment
without special skills, Hail said "I've never heard of that. Generally they
did that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons."

Charles Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined the Texas Air
National Guard and retired as a full colonel, said that direct appointments
were rare and hard to get, and required extensive credentials. Asked about
Bush, he said "His name didn't hurt, obviously. But it was a commander's
decision in those days."

Despite Bush Jr.'s weak qualifications, Col. Staudt was so excited about the
direct appointment that he saged another special ceremony for the press,
this time with Bush's father the congressman standing prominently in the
background.

The direct appointment process was discontinued in the 1970s.

4. Assigned to a safe plane -- the F-102 -- that was being phased out.
As Bush has been quick to note, National Guard members do face the chance of
being called up for active duty, though few actually did during the Vietnam
war. So what a lucky break for Bush that he was assigned to fly the F-102
Delta Dagger, a plane already being phased out. In fact, the Air Force had
ordered all overseas F-102 units shut down as of June 30, 1970 -- just 3
months after Bush finished his training. Since training is so airplane
specific, Bush was guaranteed from the beginning to be safe from combat.

Bush's campaign has even used his training on the obsolete plane to justify
his early discharge, almost a year before his scheduled discharge, since
other F-102 pilots were also being released early. But they can't answer the
obvious question -- why spend so much money to train a National Guardsman
for 2 years on a plane that was already being phased out, at a time when the
Guard was letting F102 pilots leave early due to oversupply?

5. Celebrity Political Date.
During his flight training, Bush's celebrity showed in a couple of ways.
Most famously, President Nixon sent a jet to pick up the young flight
student for a date with his daughter Tricia. Alas, the potential political
marriage and dynasty was not to be. Also, the commencement speaker at Bush's
graduation ceremony was -- his dad, Congressman George Bush Sr.

6. Illegal, overruled transfer to a base with no work.
In 1972, Bush once again wanted to work on a political campaign, this time
in Alabama. He applied for a transfer to a nearly defunct base with no
active training or work, the 9921st Air Reserve Squadrom at Maxwell Air
Force Base in Alabama. Bush's supervisors approved, but a higher
headquarters overruled them, noting that the unit had no regular drills.

Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, the unit's commander, told the Boston Globe "We met
just one weeknight a month. We were only a postal unit. We had no airplanes.
We had no pilots. We had no nothing." Even Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired Air
Guard colonel who is helping the Bush campaign clarify the candidate's
service, told the Globe he was mystified why Bush's superiors at the time
would approve duty at such a unit. Lloyd was personnel director of the Texas
Air Guard from 1969 to 1995.

Now, the officer who did that has stepped forward and very directly admitted
that he tried to get the easiest possible assignment for Bush. The personnel
officer in charge of Bush's 147th Fighter Group, now-retired Col. Rufus G.
Martin, says he tried to give Bush a light load when he told him to apply to
the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. Martin said in an
interview that he knew Bush wasn't eligible for the 9921st, an unpaid,
general training squadron that met once a week to hear lectures on first aid
and the like. "However," he said, "I thought it was worth a try. . . . It
was the least participation of any type of unit."

7. Just didn't show up for a year -- with no punishment.
National Guard records and Bush's own supervisor's and friends show no sign
of him attending any drills or performing any service for nearly a year,
from May 1972 until May 1973. This period began with Bush moving to Alabama
for a political campaign.

He later applied to transfer to a base that had no work; the transfer was
first approved, then cancelled. Bush did nothing for several months; then in
September he applied to transfer to Alabama's 187th Tactical Recon group for
3 months. This was approved, but the unit's commander, General William
Turnipseed, and his then admnistrative officer, Kenneth Lott, have both said
that Bush never showed up. "Had he reported in, I would have had some
recall, and I do not," said Turnipseed. "I had been in Texas, done my flight
training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have
remembered."

Bush claims that he did some work in Alabama, but can't remember any
details. "I can't remember what I did," he said. "I just-I fulfilled my
obligation." Despite 2 years of searching through hundreds of records, his
campaign has been unable to find any record of Bush's service there, nor
could they find a single fellow serviceman who remembers his presence. The
best they could produce was an ex-girlfriend from Alabama -- Emily
Marks --who said George told her he would have to do some Guard duty later
that year (1972) in Montgomery. But all that confirms is that he knew of his
obligation.

In December 1972, Bush returned to Houston and was scheduled to resume duty
there. But in May 1973, Bush's supervising pilots wrote in his annual
efficiency report: "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the
period of the report" (i.e. through April 30, 1972). Bush described one of
the supervisors, the late Col. Jerry Killian, as a personal friend, so it's
likely he would have noticed Bush and given him the benefit of the doubt.
Later that month, two special orders commanded Bush to appear for active
duty. He served 36 days of active duty during May, June and July before
leaving the Guard early.

Amazingly, Bush was not disciplined in any way for his absence, and received
an honorable discharge. Under Air National Guard rules at that time,
guardsmen who missed duty could be reported to their Selective Service Board
and inducted into the Army as draftees.

8. Skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests.
In April 1972, the military started including routine drug tests in
servicemen's annual physical exam, including urinalysis, questions about
drugs and "a close examination of the nasal cavities" (for cocaine).
According to the regulation, the medical took place in the month after the
serviceman's birthday. For George W. Bush, this meant August 1972.

It was May, 1972 -- one month after the drug testing was announced -- that
Bush stopped attending Guard duty. In August 1972, he was suspended from
flight duty for failing to take his physical. (Click here to see the
document.) A Bush campaign spokesman confirmed to the London Sunday Times
that Bush knew he would be suspended. "He knew the suspension would have to
take place." Bush never flew again, even though he returned to his Houston
base where Guard pilots flew thousands of hours in the F-102 during 1973.
The only barrier to him flying again was a medical exam (and his lack of
attendance).

Careful readers will recall that when Bush issued his partial denial of drug
use, he said (or implied) that he hadn't used them since 1974, but he
pointedly refused to deny drug use before then, i.e. during his military
service. Several sources have also indicated that it was in December,
1972 -- 4 months after his medical suspension -- that a drunk Bush Jr.
challenged his father to a fist fight during an argument over the son's
drunk driving. (He had run over a neighbor's garbage cans.) Shortly
thereafter, Bush Sr. arranged for his son to do community service at an
inner city Houston charity.

Bush's campaign aides first said he did not take the physical because he was
in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals
can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some
were assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where
Bush was living. The staff now admits that this explanation was wrong.

9. Left service 10 months early.
Even after that easy stint, Bush couldn't fulfill his obligation. He quickly
made up the missed days he had to and applied for an early release, before
he had to take his next annual physical exam (with drug test.) While the
official discharge date was October 1, 1973, Bush's last day in uniform was
actually July 31 -- a full 10 months before the end of his 6-year, part time
commitment. Al Gore also requested and received an early discharge (from the
Army, in his case) to go to school.

Weasel words; his story keeps changing.
When asked about his service, Bush has lied, changed his story repeatedly,
and weaseled in a manner eerily reminiscent of Bill Clinton. First of all,
he has flat-out lied. In his official autobiography, ''A Charge to Keep,''
Bush said he flew with his unit for ''several years'' after finishing flight
training in June 1970. His campaign biography states that he flew with the
unit until he won release from the service in September 1973, nine months
early, for graduate school. Both statements are lies. Bush only flew with
the 111th for one year and 10 months, until April 1972 when he was suspended
for failing to take his medical exam (and drug test), and never flew again.

Then there is his Clintonesque weaseling and word choice. Bush and his
campaign claimed that no Bush family or friends pulled strings. Under
pressure, this changed to "All I know is anybody named George Bush did not
ask him [Ben Barnes] for help." By that he meant, himself or his dad. Of
course, it later came out in court that a close Bush friend, Simon Adger,
had asked Barnes to get Bush Jr. into the Guard, and that Barnes did so, via
General Rose.

Now's it's not even clear that a George Bush didn't ask for help. When
pressed, the former president's spokeswoman (Jean Becker) said he is "almost
positive" that he and Mr. Adger never discussed the Guard matter. "He [Bush
Sr.] he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember everything that
happened in the 1960s..." In any case, Bush Sr. and Adger were very close.
Ms. Becker acknowledged that "President Bush knew Sid Adger well. He loved
him." Adger may have needed only a hint.

Furthermore, George Bush Jr. admits that he knew Adger socially at the time,
and further admits that he lobbied Col. "Buck" Staudt, the commander of the
VIP unit Bush joined. Staudt claims that he, not General Rose (who he later
replaced), was the one who made the decision on admissions anyway. Bush Jr.
admits that he met Staudt in late 1967, during Christmas vacation of his
senior year, called him later, and -- in Bush's words -- "found out what it
took to apply."

When asked how Bush came to call Staudt, his spokeswoman Karen Hughes said
he "heard from friends while he was home over the Christmas break that ...
Colonel Staudt was the person to contact." She says that Bush doesn't recall
who those "friends" were. But we know that Sid Adger was also a friend of
Staudt's, served with him on the Houston Chamber of Commerce's Aviation
Committee, and in 1967 held a luncheon honoring Gen. Staudt and his unit for
winning an Air Force commendation. In fact, both of Adger's sons also joined
General Staudt's unit, in 1966 and 1968 respectively.

Bush and his staff also claim that he vaulted ahead of the Air Guard waiting
list because he was willing to fly an airplane, and there were openings.
There is nothing to support this claim, however. For one thing, the F-102
was being phased out at the time and F-102 pilots were being released from
service early, as indeed Bush himself was. And Tom Hail, a historian for the
Texas Air National Guard, says flatly that there was no pilot shortage in
the Guard squadron at that time. Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the time he
applied; while they were authorized for 29 pilots, there were two more
already in training and one awaiting a transfer.

Bush also weasels on whether he was avoiding combat or not. He has stated on
several occasions that he did not want to be an infantryman, and
acknowledges that he came to oppose the war itself. He claims that he joined
the guard to fly planes, and would have been happy to go to Vietnam, but
ignores the obvious choice of the Air Force or the Navy -- which his dad, a
genuine war hero, joined. Furthermore, when he signed up for the Guard, he
checked a box saying "Do not volunteer for overseas service." Later, he made
a perfunctory application to transfer to a program called "Palace Alert",
which dispatched F-102 pilots to Europe or the Far East -- and just
occasionally Vietnam -- for 3 or 6 month assignments. But Bush was not
nearly qualified, as he must have known, and was immediately turned down,
and the F-102 not used overseas after June, 1970 in any case.

And, as noted above, his story also changed on why he refused to take a
medical exam -- including a drug test - in 1972. (The refusal ended Bush's
flying career.) His staff first claimed that he didn't take the physical
because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But
flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight
surgeons, and there were surgeons assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force
Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. His staff now admits that that
explanation was "wrong", without saying where it came from or what the real
reason was.

END QUOTE


--

----


"Epimethius" <Epimethius@saturn.net> wrote in message
news:mo5Na.32569$fG.16906@sccrnsc01...
> Bush's Top 10 Lies, Exaggerations And 'Obsfucations'
> About His Military Service
> by Nancy Skinner
> co-host of "Ski & Skinner" on WLS-AM Chicago
>
> Governor Bush has made credibility the central issue of this campaign, and
> makes almost daily references to the Vice President's alleged
exaggerations
> and lack of truthfulness. But on a subject that could not be more
important
> for his presidential candidacy, his own military service, the record shows
> that George W. Bush has exaggerated and even lied about his service.
> Governor Bush took a solemn oath during wartime to serve his country in
the
> Texas Air National Guard. He did not honor that oath He walked away.
And
> in this presidential campaign, he has made several misrepresentations
about
> his service. A number of newspaper reports and even more accounts on
> Internet websites, based on Freedom Of Information Act requests of Bush's
> official military record, have concluded that he completely missed at
least
> one year of service, and may not have shown up in person for his last
year.
> While those reports continue to be debated, the following statements by
Bush
> and his aides are directly contradicted by the current record.
>
> #1 Bush never showed up in Alabama Air National Guard when directly
ordered
> to do so, after requesting a transfer to work in Alabama.
>
> "I was there on a temporary assignment and fulfilled my weekends at one
> period of time" Bush said during a campaign stop in Tuscaloosa, AL,
> referring to his claim that he served in the Alabama National Guard.
[Dallas
> Morning News, 6/26/00]
>
> "He specifically recalls pulling duty in Alabama," spokesman Dan Bartlett
> said of Bush. "He did his drills." Bartlett said the Republican governor
> showed up "several" times while in Alabama, where he transferred from his
> Houston Guard unit in 1972 to work for the unsuccessful Senate campaign of
> Republican Winton Blount, a friend of Bush's father. [Washington Post
> 6/25/00]
>
> The Truth
>
> Bush left Houston May 15, 1972 and went to work on a political campaign in
> Alabama. His first request for a transfer on May 24 was denied because
the
> unit was inactive. His second request on September 5 to a different unit
> was granted. He was issued a direct order to report on specific days to
the
> base, which he completely ignored. The order was issued on September 15
to
> report to then-Lieutenant Colonel William Turnipseed at Dannelly Air Force
> base in Montgomery, AL, on the dates of "7-8 October 0730-1600, and 4-5
> November 0730-1600" His orders, dated Sept. 15, 1972, said: "Lieutenant
> Bush should report to Lt. Col. William Turnipseed, DCO, to perform
> equivalent training." [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
> http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/doc11.gif
>
> · His Commanding Officer, William Turnipseed, says he did not show
> up.
>
> "To my knowledge, he never showed up," Turnipseed said last month. [Boston
> Globe 5/23/00] In interviews last week, Turnipseed and his administrative
> officer at the time, Kenneth K. Lott, said they had no memory of Bush ever
> reporting. ''Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do
> not,'' Turnipseed said. ''I had been in Texas, done my flight training
> there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have
> remembered.'' Turnipseed also reports that the then-squadron operations
> officer of the Alabama Guard also has no recollection of having seen
> Bush.(The New Republic 10/16/2000)
>
> "Furthermore, a spokesman for the Alabama National Guard estimates there
> were 600 to 700 members in the unit Bush was supposed to have served with
in
> 1972. But none of these men has ever come forward to say he remembers
Bush,
> and Bush has not named a single one of them."(The New Republic 10/16/2000)
>
> · There is no official National Guard record for George W. Bush's
> service in Alabama.
>
> "His official discharge records do not include any service after May 15 of
> 1972. Indeed, Bush's discharge papers list his service and duty station
for
> each of his first four years in the Air Guard. But there is no record of
> training listed after May 1972, and no mention of any service in Alabama.
On
> that discharge form, Lloyd (Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired colonel who was
the
> Texas Air Guard's personnel director from 1969 to 1995 and was hired by
the
> Bush campaign to make sense of the governor's military records) said,
> ''there should have been an entry for the period between May 1972 and May
> 1973.'' Said Lloyd, ''It appeared he had a bad year. He might have lost
> interest, since he knew he was getting out.'' [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
>
> · No one in the Alabama National Guard ever saw him.
>
> "A spokesman for the Alabama National Guard estimates there were 600 to
700
> members in the unit Bush was supposed to have served with in 1972. But
none
> of these men has ever come forward to say he remembers Bush, and Bush has
> not named a single one of them." (The New Republic 10/16/2000)
>
> Even though members of the Alabama Air National Guard have offered $1000
to
> anyone who can remember serving with Bush, no one has come forward to
> corroborate his service, with the exception of an old girlfriend who says
> she remembers him saying he was going, but does not have any other
evidence,
> essentially making it her word against Bush's commanding officers' and a
> lack of official documents as noted above.
>
> · Even the Bush campaign claims that he only showed up on a single
> day in November and made up missed weekends, not contesting the fact that
he
> defied direct orders to appear on the dates stated above.
>
> "National Guard records provided by the Guard and by the Bush campaign
> indicate he did serve on Nov. 29, 1972, after the election. These records
> also show a gap in service from that time to the previous May. Mr. Bush
says
> he made up for the lost time in subsequent months, and guard records show
he
> received credit for having performed all the required service." [NYT
> 7/22/00]
>
> The evidence to support Bush's service on November 29, 1972 is highly
> suspect for the following reasons:
>
> - The document offered to dispute the claim by his
> commanding officers in Alabama is a single torn document that does not
have
> Bush's name on it, is undated and unsigned. The document was "discovered"
in
> 1998 by the man Bush hired to investigate his record, Al Loyd, and added
to
> the official record. This late addition to the official record also raises
> additional chain of command issues.
>
> - There are two different versions of the document.
The
> one 'discovered' by Mr. Loyd and given to George Magazine has handwritten
> annotations. The other version came from Mr. Bush's official record
through
> a FOIA request by Martin Heldt. http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/doc99.gif
The
> FOIA version did not have any annotations.
>
> - The document comes from the Texas National Guard
> Archives according to the numbering in the right hand corner of the
> document, even though duty reports were localized at the time, meaning his
> service in Alabama would not have been recorded by the Texas Air National
> Guard.
>
> #2 Bush didn't return to Ellington Air Force Base after his temporary
> transfer as required.
>
> A Bush spokesman, Dan Bartlett, said after talking with the governor that
> Bush recalls performing some duty in Alabama and ''recalls coming back to
> Houston and doing [Guard] duty, though he does not recall if it was on a
> consistent basis.''
>
> Noting that Bush, by that point, was no longer flying, Bartlett added,
> ''It's possible his presence and role became secondary.'' [Boston Globe
> 5/23/00]
>
> The Truth
>
> · According to his annual evaluation by his commanding officers,
he
> may have been in Houston but he was not at the base.
>
> "Cleared this base 15 May 1972" According to Lieutenant Colonel William
> Harris Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian in Bush's annual
evaluation
> , Ellis Air Force Base, Houston. The report makes clear that Bush had
"not
> been observed " at his Texas unit "during the period of this report" - May
> 1972-April 1973." [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
>
> · Even his commanding officer, whom he called a "friend" did not
> know where he was.
>
> "Asked about that declaration, campaign spokesman Bartlett said Bush told
> him that since he was no longer flying, he was doing ''odds and ends''
under
> different supervisors whose names he could not recall. But retired colonel
> Martin, the unit's former administrative officer, said he too thought Bush
> had been in Alabama for that entire year. Harris and Killian, he said,
would
> have known if Bush returned to duty at Ellington. And Bush, in his
> autobiography, identifies the late colonel Killian as a friend, making it
> even more likely that Killian knew where Bush was." [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
>
> #3 He quit flying in Texas because his plane was replaced.
>
> In his autobiography, Mr. Bush explains that when he applied to
> Harvard Business School in 1972, "I was almost finished with my commitment
> in the Air National Guard, and was no longer flying because the F102 jet I
> has trained in was being replaced by a different fighter."
>
> The Truth
> · "His unit continued to fly the F-102 until 1974 [Boston Globe
> 5/23/00] "If he had come back to Houston, I would have kept him flying the
> 102 until he got out" said retired Major Bobby W. Hodges, "But I don't
> remember him coming back at all"'.
>
> · "Lieutenant Bush, to be sure, had gone off flying status when he
> went to Alabama. But had he returned to his unit in November 1972, there
> would have been no barrier to him flying again, except passing a flight
> physical. Although the F-102 was being phased out, his unit's records show
> that Guard pilots logged thousands of hours in the F-102 in 1973."[Boston
> Globe 5/23/00]
>
> · His commitment was through May of 1974. (An exaggeration?)
>
> #4 He wasn't flying in Alabama because they had different planes.
>
> On June 26th this report appeared in the Dallas Morning News.
> "Campaigning Friday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Bush was asked about his 1972
> service in that state. "I was there on a temporary assignment and
fulfilled
> my weekends at one period of time," he said. "I made up some missed
> weekends." "I can't remember what I did, but I wasn't flying because they
> didn't have the same airplanes. I fulfilled my obligations."
>
> The Truth
> · He was no longer flying because he had been suspended in August
of
> 1972 for failure to "accomplish" a required medical exam. [Boston Globe,
> 5/23/00] (Suspension document at
http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/grounded.gif)
>
> · Bush was suspended from flying on August 1, 1972, prior to his
> request for the transfer to the187th at Montgomery Alabama, September 5,
> 1972. Bush did not receive permission until September 15, which was close
> to six weeks after his suspension from flying.
>
> · Another question is raised by the fact that he cannot remember
> what he did for the Air National Guard in Alabama, despite the fact that
28
> years later he still remembers the specifics of his work there on the
> campaign of William Blount as cited in a July 22, 2000 New York Times
> article. "In an interview 28 years later, Mr. Bush remembered the numbers.
> "We all teamed together and helped Red get about 36 percent of the vote,"
he
> said with a short laugh, "in spite of the fact that Nixon had gotten 72
> percent of the vote. The ticket-splitting was phenomenal.""
>
> #5 Three different stories on why he was suspended.
>
> Story #1) "Bush's campaign aides have said he did not take the physical
> because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston."
> [Boston Globe 5/23/00].
>
> The Truth
> · In fact as the Boston Globe goes on to state "flight physicals
can
> be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some were
> assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush
was
> living."
>
> Story #2) Then in June, campaign officials told the London Times Bush did
> not technically need to take his flight physical. "As he was not flying,
> there was no reason for him to take the flight physical exam," according
to
> campaign spokesman Don Bartlett.
>
> · Any suggestion that he had simply decided to "give up flying"
prio
> r to his suspension, with two years remaining on his commitment and nearly
> one million dollars (in real terms) invested in his training is not
> plausible. It is not up to an Air National Guard pilot to decide whether
or
> not he "intends" to fly.
>
> · "If he had come back to Houston, I would have kept him flying
the
> 102 until he got out" said retired Major Bobby W. Hodges [Boston Glove
> 5/23/00]
>
> Story #3) In the same article, Bush campaign spokesman Dan Bartlett told
the
> newspaper that Bush was aware back then that he would be suspended for
> missing his medical exam, but had no choice because he had applied for a
> transfer from Houston to Alabama and his paperwork hadn't caught up with
> him. "It was just a question of following the bureaucratic procedure of
the
> time," Bartlett said. "He knew the suspension would have to take place."
>
> · The exam was required to be completed in the three months
> preceding his birthday, July 6, 1972. A three month window seems adequate
to
> avoid being suspended from flying.
>
> So which is it: his family physician, he didn't have to take the exam, or
a
> bureaucratic snafu?
>
> #6 Bush denied strings were pulled to get him in the Texas Air National
> Guard.
>
> "I can just tell you, from my perspective, I never asked for, I don't
> believe I received special treatment," Bush told reporters." [DMN 9/08/99]
>
> The Truth
>
> · "Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes confirmed Monday that he recommended
> Gov. George W. Bush for a slot in the Texas Air National Guard during the
> height of the Vietnam War, at the request of a Bush family friend. Mr.
> Barnes' account came in a written statement that was released after he
> testified in a deposition stemming from a federal lawsuit.' [DMN 9/28/99]
>
> · "The statement by Mr. Barnes also confirmed that he met a year
ago
> with a top Bush adviser to discuss the Guard matter. As reported in The
> News, Mr. Bush sent a note thanking Mr. Barnes for his help in rebutting
> rumors that Mr. Bush's father helped his son find a Guard slot, the
> statement confirmed." [DMN 9/08/99]
>
> · "Mr. Barnes was contacted by [Houston businessman] Sid Adger and
> asked to recommend George W. Bush for a pilot position with the Air
National
> Guard," Mr. Barnes' statement said. "Barnes called Gen. [James] Rose and
did
> so." [DMN 9/28/00]
>
> "No Bush ever asked Sid Adger to help," the governor said.[DMN 9/28/00]
>
> · "A spokeswoman for former President George Bush confirmed the
> elder Bush's friendship with Mr. Adger but said he was "almost positive"
he
> never talked to Mr. Adger - or anyone else - about getting his son into
the
> Guard. "He said he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember
everything
> that happened in the 1960s - but he said he and Sid Adger never, ever
talked
> about George W. and the Texas Air National Guard," said Jean Becker, a
> spokeswoman for the former president. "President Bush knew Sid Adger
well,"
> Ms. Becker said. "He loved him."' [DMN 9/08/99]
>
> · "When Bush was admitted into the Guard in 1968, 100,000 other
men
> were on waiting lists around the country, hoping to win admission to
similar
> units. The Guard was popular because those units were rarely sent to
> Vietnam." [LAT 7/4/99]
>
> #7 Bush said the Texas Air National Guard was short on pilots.
>
> "They were looking for pilots, and I was honored to serve.", Governor Bush
> told the Dallas Morning News. [DMN9/08/99]
>
> The Truth
>
> · "But Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard,
said
> that records do not show a pilot shortage in the Guard squadron at the
time.
> Hail, who reviewed the unit's personnel records for a special Guard museum
> display on Gov. Bush's service, said Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the time
> he began applying. While that number was two short of its authorized
> strength, the unit had two other pilots who were in training and another
> awaiting a transfer. There was no apparent need to fast-track applicants,
he
> said." [LAT 7/4/99]
>
>
>
> · "The Texas Air Guard had about 900 slots for pilots, air and
> ground crew members, supervisors, technicians and support staff. Sgt.
Donald
> Dean Barnhart, who still serves in the Guard, said that he kept a waiting
> list of about 150 applicants' names. He said it took up to a year and a
half
> for one name to move to the top of the list. "Quite a few gentlemen were
> wanting to get in," he recalled. For Bush, there was no wait. He met with
> commander Staudt in his Houston office and made his application--all
before
> his graduation in June." [LAT, 7/4/99]
>
>
>
> "Beckwith, Bush's spokesman, painted a different picture. He said that the
> Guard needed pilots at the time and Bush was available. "A lot of people
> weren't qualified" or willing to fly, he said, so special commissions were
> offered to those willing to undergo the extra training required."
>
> [LAT 7/4/99]
>
>
>
> · "But Shoemake, who also served as a chief of personnel in the
> Texas Guard from 1972 to 1980, remembers no pilot shortage. "We had so
many
> people coming in who were super-qualified," he said." [LAT 7/4/99]
>
>
>
> · "Records from his [Bush's] military file show that in January
> 1968, after inquiring about Guard admission, Mr. Bush went to an Air Force
> recruiting office near Yale, where he took and passed the test required by
> the Air Force for pilot trainees. His score on the pilot aptitude section,
> one of five on the test, was in the 25th percentile, the lowest allowed
for
> would-be fliers." [7/4/99]
>
> #8 There was no special deal when he received a direct appointment to
second
> lieutenant right after basic training, with no qualifications.
> "Officials in Bush's presidential campaign denied last week that he was
> treated differently from other recruits. "Our information is there was
> absolutely no special deal," said spokesman David Beckwith." [LAT 7/4/99]
>
> "He [Commander Staudt] recommended Bush for a direct appointment--a
special
> process that would allow the young recruit to become a second lieutenant
> right out of basic training without having to go through the rigors of
> officer candidate school. The process also cleared the way for a slot in
> pilot training school." [LAT, 7/4/99]
>
> The Truth
> · "But Charles C. Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined
> the Texas Air National Guard, eventually retiring as a full colonel, said
> that direct appointments were rare and hard to get, and required extensive
> credentials. "I went from master sergeant to first lieutenant based on my
> three years in college and 15 years as a noncommissioned officer. Then I
got
> considered for a direct appointment." Even then, he said, "I didn't know
> whether I was going to get into pilot training."" [LAT 7/4/99]
>
> · "As for a direct commission for someone of Bush's limited
> qualifications, Hail said, "I've never heard of that. Generally they did
> that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons.""
> [LAT 7/4/99]
>
> #9 As evidence he wasn't dodging combat, Mr. Bush has pointed to his
> efforts to try to volunteer for a program that rotated Guard pilots to
> Vietnam, although he wasn't called. [DMN 7/4/99]
>
> The Truth
> · "Mr. Bush's application for the Guard included a box to be
checked
> specifying whether he did or did not volunteer for overseas duty. His
> includes a check mark in the box not wanting to volunteer for such an
> assignment." [DMN 7/4/99]
>
> #10 In Bush's 1999 autobiography, A Charge to Keep, Mr. Bush says that
> after completing flight training in June 1970, "I continued flying with
my
> unit for the next several years".
>
> The Truth
> · "But 22 months after finishing his training, and with two years
> left on his six-year commitment, Bush gave up flying - for good, it would
> turn out". [Boston Globe, 5/23/00]
>
> Several Years or 22 months - an exaggeration? Perhaps, the bigger
question
> is why did he quit flying?
>
>

%%%% Have you served Joe? What branch? Years? MOS? Where do you get the
right to complain about someone's military service when you haven't served?
Pot---Kettle-----Black!!!



"Joe S." <joe@schlatter.org> wrote in message
news:be3lfq01vnd@enews2.newsguy.com...
: There's more . . . and it's worse.
:
: http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm
:
: QUOTE
: Avoided the Vietnam War
: Most people have heard something about George W. Bush pulling strings to
get
: into the Texas Air Guard. But the press, while reporting lots of details,
: has done a poor job of communicating how consistently and shamelessly Bush
: Jr. sought and received favorable treatment while he avoided Vietnam.
:
: Furthermore, his story has repeatedly changed -- he has weaseled like
: Clinton at his worst and even flat-out lied when explaining what happened.
:
: To put it in perspective, here are 9 ways Bush got favored treatment in
the
: service due to his political connections (he was then son of a Congressman
: and grandson of a former Senator):
: 1) He got into the Guard by pulling strings, avoiding the year and a half
: waiting list;
: 2) He took a 2-month vacation in Florida after just 8 weeks, (1 of 3
: leaves), to work on a political campaign;
: 3) Bush skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as a
: 2nd Lieutenant, without qualifications;
: 4) He was assigned to a safe plane (being phased out of active service),
the
: F-102 ;
: 5) During flight school, he was flown on a government jet to Washington
for
: a date with President Nixon's daughter Tricia ;
: 6) Bush got an illegal transfer (later overruled) to a base with no work;
: 7) He simply didn't show up for a YEAR, with no penalty;
: 8) George W. skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests,
: and was removed from flight status;
: 9) He ended his service 10 months early to go to Harvard Business School;
:
:
: Here are the details:
:
: 1. Pulled Strings to Get In.
: On May 27, 1968, George Bush Jr. was 12 days away from losing his student
: draft deferment, at a time when 350 Americans a week were dying in combat.
: The National Guard, seen by many as the most respectable way to avoid
: Vietnam, had a huge waiting list -- a year and a half in Texas, over
100,000
: men nationwide. Yet Bush and his family friends pulled strings, and the
: young man was admitted the same day he applied, regardless of any waiting
: list.
:
: Bush's unit commander, Col. "Buck" Staudt, was so excited about his VIP
: recruit that he staged a special ceremony for the press so he could have
his
: picture taken administering the oath (even though the official oath had
been
: given by a captain earlier.)
:
: Bush and his allies have tried to deny this with several changing stories,
: but Bush himself admits lobbying commander Staudt, who approved him, and
: court documents confirm that close family friend and oil magnate Sid Adger
: called Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes, who called General James
Rose,
: the head of the Texas Air National Guard, to get Bush in. Rose, who is now
: dead, told his friend and former legislator Jake Johnson that "I got that
: Republican congressman's son from Houston into the Guard."
:
: Staudt's unit, the 147th, was infamous as a nesting place for politically
: connected and celebrity draft avoiders. Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen's
: son was in the unit, as was Republican Senator John Tower's, both of Sid
: Adger's sons and at least 7 members of the Dallas Cowboys.
:
: 2. Took a 2 month vacation in Florida after 8 weeks in the Guard.
: Just 8 weeks after joining, Bush was granted 2 months leave to go to
Florida
: and work on a political campaign, the Senate race of Republican Edward
: Gurney. Bush took a leave every election season, in 1970 to work on his
: dad's campaign, and in 1972 to work in Alabama.
:
: 3. Skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as 2nd
Lt.
: As soon as Bush completed basic training, his commander approved him for a
: "direct appointment", which made him an officer without having to go
through
: the usual (and difficult) Officer Candidate School. This special procedure
: also got Bush into flight school, despite his very low scores on aptitude
: tests -- he scored 25% on a pilot aptitude test, the absolute lowest
: acceptable grade, and 50% for navigator aptitude. (Bush did score 95% on
the
: easier officer quality test, but then again the average is 88%).
:
: What made Bush's appointment doubly unusual was his total lack of special
: qualifications. This procedure was generally reserved for applicants with
: exceptional experience or skills, such as ROTC training or engineering,
: medical or aviation skills. Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air
National
: Guard, reviewed the Guard's records on Bush for a special exhibit on his
: service after Bush became governor. Asked about Bush's direct appointment
: without special skills, Hail said "I've never heard of that. Generally
they
: did that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight
surgeons."
:
: Charles Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined the Texas Air
: National Guard and retired as a full colonel, said that direct
appointments
: were rare and hard to get, and required extensive credentials. Asked about
: Bush, he said "His name didn't hurt, obviously. But it was a commander's
: decision in those days."
:
: Despite Bush Jr.'s weak qualifications, Col. Staudt was so excited about
the
: direct appointment that he saged another special ceremony for the press,
: this time with Bush's father the congressman standing prominently in the
: background.
:
: The direct appointment process was discontinued in the 1970s.
:
: 4. Assigned to a safe plane -- the F-102 -- that was being phased out.
: As Bush has been quick to note, National Guard members do face the chance
of
: being called up for active duty, though few actually did during the
Vietnam
: war. So what a lucky break for Bush that he was assigned to fly the F-102
: Delta Dagger, a plane already being phased out. In fact, the Air Force had
: ordered all overseas F-102 units shut down as of June 30, 1970 -- just 3
: months after Bush finished his training. Since training is so airplane
: specific, Bush was guaranteed from the beginning to be safe from combat.
:
: Bush's campaign has even used his training on the obsolete plane to
justify
: his early discharge, almost a year before his scheduled discharge, since
: other F-102 pilots were also being released early. But they can't answer
the
: obvious question -- why spend so much money to train a National Guardsman
: for 2 years on a plane that was already being phased out, at a time when
the
: Guard was letting F102 pilots leave early due to oversupply?
:
: 5. Celebrity Political Date.
: During his flight training, Bush's celebrity showed in a couple of ways.
: Most famously, President Nixon sent a jet to pick up the young flight
: student for a date with his daughter Tricia. Alas, the potential political
: marriage and dynasty was not to be. Also, the commencement speaker at
Bush's
: graduation ceremony was -- his dad, Congressman George Bush Sr.
:
: 6. Illegal, overruled transfer to a base with no work.
: In 1972, Bush once again wanted to work on a political campaign, this time
: in Alabama. He applied for a transfer to a nearly defunct base with no
: active training or work, the 9921st Air Reserve Squadrom at Maxwell Air
: Force Base in Alabama. Bush's supervisors approved, but a higher
: headquarters overruled them, noting that the unit had no regular drills.
:
: Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, the unit's commander, told the Boston Globe "We
met
: just one weeknight a month. We were only a postal unit. We had no
airplanes.
: We had no pilots. We had no nothing." Even Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired Air
: Guard colonel who is helping the Bush campaign clarify the candidate's
: service, told the Globe he was mystified why Bush's superiors at the time
: would approve duty at such a unit. Lloyd was personnel director of the
Texas
: Air Guard from 1969 to 1995.
:
: Now, the officer who did that has stepped forward and very directly
admitted
: that he tried to get the easiest possible assignment for Bush. The
personnel
: officer in charge of Bush's 147th Fighter Group, now-retired Col. Rufus G.
: Martin, says he tried to give Bush a light load when he told him to apply
to
: the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. Martin said in an
: interview that he knew Bush wasn't eligible for the 9921st, an unpaid,
: general training squadron that met once a week to hear lectures on first
aid
: and the like. "However," he said, "I thought it was worth a try. . . . It
: was the least participation of any type of unit."
:
: 7. Just didn't show up for a year -- with no punishment.
: National Guard records and Bush's own supervisor's and friends show no
sign
: of him attending any drills or performing any service for nearly a year,
: from May 1972 until May 1973. This period began with Bush moving to
Alabama
: for a political campaign.
:
: He later applied to transfer to a base that had no work; the transfer was
: first approved, then cancelled. Bush did nothing for several months; then
in
: September he applied to transfer to Alabama's 187th Tactical Recon group
for
: 3 months. This was approved, but the unit's commander, General William
: Turnipseed, and his then admnistrative officer, Kenneth Lott, have both
said
: that Bush never showed up. "Had he reported in, I would have had some
: recall, and I do not," said Turnipseed. "I had been in Texas, done my
flight
: training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have
: remembered."
:
: Bush claims that he did some work in Alabama, but can't remember any
: details. "I can't remember what I did," he said. "I just-I fulfilled my
: obligation." Despite 2 years of searching through hundreds of records, his
: campaign has been unable to find any record of Bush's service there, nor
: could they find a single fellow serviceman who remembers his presence. The
: best they could produce was an ex-girlfriend from Alabama -- Emily
: Marks --who said George told her he would have to do some Guard duty later
: that year (1972) in Montgomery. But all that confirms is that he knew of
his
: obligation.
:
: In December 1972, Bush returned to Houston and was scheduled to resume
duty
: there. But in May 1973, Bush's supervising pilots wrote in his annual
: efficiency report: "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the
: period of the report" (i.e. through April 30, 1972). Bush described one of
: the supervisors, the late Col. Jerry Killian, as a personal friend, so
it's
: likely he would have noticed Bush and given him the benefit of the doubt.
: Later that month, two special orders commanded Bush to appear for active
: duty. He served 36 days of active duty during May, June and July before
: leaving the Guard early.
:
: Amazingly, Bush was not disciplined in any way for his absence, and
received
: an honorable discharge. Under Air National Guard rules at that time,
: guardsmen who missed duty could be reported to their Selective Service
Board
: and inducted into the Army as draftees.
:
: 8. Skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests.
: In April 1972, the military started including routine drug tests in
: servicemen's annual physical exam, including urinalysis, questions about
: drugs and "a close examination of the nasal cavities" (for cocaine).
: According to the regulation, the medical took place in the month after the
: serviceman's birthday. For George W. Bush, this meant August 1972.
:
: It was May, 1972 -- one month after the drug testing was announced -- that
: Bush stopped attending Guard duty. In August 1972, he was suspended from
: flight duty for failing to take his physical. (Click here to see the
: document.) A Bush campaign spokesman confirmed to the London Sunday Times
: that Bush knew he would be suspended. "He knew the suspension would have
to
: take place." Bush never flew again, even though he returned to his Houston
: base where Guard pilots flew thousands of hours in the F-102 during 1973.
: The only barrier to him flying again was a medical exam (and his lack of
: attendance).
:
: Careful readers will recall that when Bush issued his partial denial of
drug
: use, he said (or implied) that he hadn't used them since 1974, but he
: pointedly refused to deny drug use before then, i.e. during his military
: service. Several sources have also indicated that it was in December,
: 1972 -- 4 months after his medical suspension -- that a drunk Bush Jr.
: challenged his father to a fist fight during an argument over the son's
: drunk driving. (He had run over a neighbor's garbage cans.) Shortly
: thereafter, Bush Sr. arranged for his son to do community service at an
: inner city Houston charity.
:
: Bush's campaign aides first said he did not take the physical because he
was
: in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals
: can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some
: were assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where
: Bush was living. The staff now admits that this explanation was wrong.
:
: 9. Left service 10 months early.
: Even after that easy stint, Bush couldn't fulfill his obligation. He
quickly
: made up the missed days he had to and applied for an early release, before
: he had to take his next annual physical exam (with drug test.) While the
: official discharge date was October 1, 1973, Bush's last day in uniform
was
: actually July 31 -- a full 10 months before the end of his 6-year, part
time
: commitment. Al Gore also requested and received an early discharge (from
the
: Army, in his case) to go to school.
:
: Weasel words; his story keeps changing.
: When asked about his service, Bush has lied, changed his story repeatedly,
: and weaseled in a manner eerily reminiscent of Bill Clinton. First of all,
: he has flat-out lied. In his official autobiography, ''A Charge to Keep,''
: Bush said he flew with his unit for ''several years'' after finishing
flight
: training in June 1970. His campaign biography states that he flew with the
: unit until he won release from the service in September 1973, nine months
: early, for graduate school. Both statements are lies. Bush only flew with
: the 111th for one year and 10 months, until April 1972 when he was
suspended
: for failing to take his medical exam (and drug test), and never flew
again.
:
: Then there is his Clintonesque weaseling and word choice. Bush and his
: campaign claimed that no Bush family or friends pulled strings. Under
: pressure, this changed to "All I know is anybody named George Bush did not
: ask him [Ben Barnes] for help." By that he meant, himself or his dad. Of
: course, it later came out in court that a close Bush friend, Simon Adger,
: had asked Barnes to get Bush Jr. into the Guard, and that Barnes did so,
via
: General Rose.
:
: Now's it's not even clear that a George Bush didn't ask for help. When
: pressed, the former president's spokeswoman (Jean Becker) said he is
"almost
: positive" that he and Mr. Adger never discussed the Guard matter. "He
[Bush
: Sr.] he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember everything that
: happened in the 1960s..." In any case, Bush Sr. and Adger were very close.
: Ms. Becker acknowledged that "President Bush knew Sid Adger well. He loved
: him." Adger may have needed only a hint.
:
: Furthermore, George Bush Jr. admits that he knew Adger socially at the
time,
: and further admits that he lobbied Col. "Buck" Staudt, the commander of
the
: VIP unit Bush joined. Staudt claims that he, not General Rose (who he
later
: replaced), was the one who made the decision on admissions anyway. Bush
Jr.
: admits that he met Staudt in late 1967, during Christmas vacation of his
: senior year, called him later, and -- in Bush's words -- "found out what
it
: took to apply."
:
: When asked how Bush came to call Staudt, his spokeswoman Karen Hughes said
: he "heard from friends while he was home over the Christmas break that ...
: Colonel Staudt was the person to contact." She says that Bush doesn't
recall
: who those "friends" were. But we know that Sid Adger was also a friend of
: Staudt's, served with him on the Houston Chamber of Commerce's Aviation
: Committee, and in 1967 held a luncheon honoring Gen. Staudt and his unit
for
: winning an Air Force commendation. In fact, both of Adger's sons also
joined
: General Staudt's unit, in 1966 and 1968 respectively.
:
: Bush and his staff also claim that he vaulted ahead of the Air Guard
waiting
: list because he was willing to fly an airplane, and there were openings.
: There is nothing to support this claim, however. For one thing, the F-102
: was being phased out at the time and F-102 pilots were being released from
: service early, as indeed Bush himself was. And Tom Hail, a historian for
the
: Texas Air National Guard, says flatly that there was no pilot shortage in
: the Guard squadron at that time. Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the time he
: applied; while they were authorized for 29 pilots, there were two more
: already in training and one awaiting a transfer.
:
: Bush also weasels on whether he was avoiding combat or not. He has stated
on
: several occasions that he did not want to be an infantryman, and
: acknowledges that he came to oppose the war itself. He claims that he
joined
: the guard to fly planes, and would have been happy to go to Vietnam, but
: ignores the obvious choice of the Air Force or the Navy -- which his dad,
a
: genuine war hero, joined. Furthermore, when he signed up for the Guard, he
: checked a box saying "Do not volunteer for overseas service." Later, he
made
: a perfunctory application to transfer to a program called "Palace Alert",
: which dispatched F-102 pilots to Europe or the Far East -- and just
: occasionally Vietnam -- for 3 or 6 month assignments. But Bush was not
: nearly qualified, as he must have known, and was immediately turned down,
: and the F-102 not used overseas after June, 1970 in any case.
:
: And, as noted above, his story also changed on why he refused to take a
: medical exam -- including a drug test - in 1972. (The refusal ended Bush's
: flying career.) His staff first claimed that he didn't take the physical
: because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But
: flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight
: surgeons, and there were surgeons assigned at the time to Maxwell Air
Force
: Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. His staff now admits that that
: explanation was "wrong", without saying where it came from or what the
real
: reason was.
:
: END QUOTE
:
:
: --
:
: ----
:
:
: "Epimethius" <Epimethius@saturn.net> wrote in message
: news:mo5Na.32569$fG.16906@sccrnsc01...
: > Bush's Top 10 Lies, Exaggerations And 'Obsfucations'
: > About His Military Service
: > by Nancy Skinner
: > co-host of "Ski & Skinner" on WLS-AM Chicago
: >
: > Governor Bush has made credibility the central issue of this campaign,
and
: > makes almost daily references to the Vice President's alleged
: exaggerations
: > and lack of truthfulness. But on a subject that could not be more
: important
: > for his presidential candidacy, his own military service, the record
shows
: > that George W. Bush has exaggerated and even lied about his service.
: > Governor Bush took a solemn oath during wartime to serve his country in
: the
: > Texas Air National Guard. He did not honor that oath He walked away.
: And
: > in this presidential campaign, he has made several misrepresentations
: about
: > his service. A number of newspaper reports and even more accounts on
: > Internet websites, based on Freedom Of Information Act requests of
Bush's
: > official military record, have concluded that he completely missed at
: least
: > one year of service, and may not have shown up in person for his last
: year.
: > While those reports continue to be debated, the following statements by
: Bush
: > and his aides are directly contradicted by the current record.
: >
: > #1 Bush never showed up in Alabama Air National Guard when directly
: ordered
: > to do so, after requesting a transfer to work in Alabama.
: >
: > "I was there on a temporary assignment and fulfilled my weekends at one
: > period of time" Bush said during a campaign stop in Tuscaloosa, AL,
: > referring to his claim that he served in the Alabama National Guard.
: [Dallas
: > Morning News, 6/26/00]
: >
: > "He specifically recalls pulling duty in Alabama," spokesman Dan
Bartlett
: > said of Bush. "He did his drills." Bartlett said the Republican governor
: > showed up "several" times while in Alabama, where he transferred from
his
: > Houston Guard unit in 1972 to work for the unsuccessful Senate campaign
of
: > Republican Winton Blount, a friend of Bush's father. [Washington Post
: > 6/25/00]
: >
: > The Truth
: >
: > Bush left Houston May 15, 1972 and went to work on a political campaign
in
: > Alabama. His first request for a transfer on May 24 was denied because
: the
: > unit was inactive. His second request on September 5 to a different
unit
: > was granted. He was issued a direct order to report on specific days to
: the
: > base, which he completely ignored. The order was issued on September 15
: to
: > report to then-Lieutenant Colonel William Turnipseed at Dannelly Air
Force
: > base in Montgomery, AL, on the dates of "7-8 October 0730-1600, and 4-5
: > November 0730-1600" His orders, dated Sept. 15, 1972, said:
"Lieutenant
: > Bush should report to Lt. Col. William Turnipseed, DCO, to perform
: > equivalent training." [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
: > http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/doc11.gif
: >
: > · His Commanding Officer, William Turnipseed, says he did not
show
: > up.
: >
: > "To my knowledge, he never showed up," Turnipseed said last month.
[Boston
: > Globe 5/23/00] In interviews last week, Turnipseed and his
administrative
: > officer at the time, Kenneth K. Lott, said they had no memory of Bush
ever
: > reporting. ''Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do
: > not,'' Turnipseed said. ''I had been in Texas, done my flight training
: > there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have
: > remembered.'' Turnipseed also reports that the then-squadron operations
: > officer of the Alabama Guard also has no recollection of having seen
: > Bush.(The New Republic 10/16/2000)
: >
: > "Furthermore, a spokesman for the Alabama National Guard estimates there
: > were 600 to 700 members in the unit Bush was supposed to have served
with
: in
: > 1972. But none of these men has ever come forward to say he remembers
: Bush,
: > and Bush has not named a single one of them."(The New Republic
10/16/2000)
: >
: > · There is no official National Guard record for George W.
Bush's
: > service in Alabama.
: >
: > "His official discharge records do not include any service after May 15
of
: > 1972. Indeed, Bush's discharge papers list his service and duty station
: for
: > each of his first four years in the Air Guard. But there is no record of
: > training listed after May 1972, and no mention of any service in
Alabama.
: On
: > that discharge form, Lloyd (Albert Lloyd Jr., a retired colonel who was
: the
: > Texas Air Guard's personnel director from 1969 to 1995 and was hired by
: the
: > Bush campaign to make sense of the governor's military records) said,
: > ''there should have been an entry for the period between May 1972 and
May
: > 1973.'' Said Lloyd, ''It appeared he had a bad year. He might have
lost
: > interest, since he knew he was getting out.'' [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
: >
: > · No one in the Alabama National Guard ever saw him.
: >
: > "A spokesman for the Alabama National Guard estimates there were 600 to
: 700
: > members in the unit Bush was supposed to have served with in 1972. But
: none
: > of these men has ever come forward to say he remembers Bush, and Bush
has
: > not named a single one of them." (The New Republic 10/16/2000)
: >
: > Even though members of the Alabama Air National Guard have offered $1000
: to
: > anyone who can remember serving with Bush, no one has come forward to
: > corroborate his service, with the exception of an old girlfriend who
says
: > she remembers him saying he was going, but does not have any other
: evidence,
: > essentially making it her word against Bush's commanding officers' and a
: > lack of official documents as noted above.
: >
: > · Even the Bush campaign claims that he only showed up on a
single
: > day in November and made up missed weekends, not contesting the fact
that
: he
: > defied direct orders to appear on the dates stated above.
: >
: > "National Guard records provided by the Guard and by the Bush campaign
: > indicate he did serve on Nov. 29, 1972, after the election. These
records
: > also show a gap in service from that time to the previous May. Mr. Bush
: says
: > he made up for the lost time in subsequent months, and guard records
show
: he
: > received credit for having performed all the required service." [NYT
: > 7/22/00]
: >
: > The evidence to support Bush's service on November 29, 1972 is highly
: > suspect for the following reasons:
: >
: > - The document offered to dispute the claim by his
: > commanding officers in Alabama is a single torn document that does not
: have
: > Bush's name on it, is undated and unsigned. The document was
"discovered"
: in
: > 1998 by the man Bush hired to investigate his record, Al Loyd, and added
: to
: > the official record. This late addition to the official record also
raises
: > additional chain of command issues.
: >
: > - There are two different versions of the document.
: The
: > one 'discovered' by Mr. Loyd and given to George Magazine has
handwritten
: > annotations. The other version came from Mr. Bush's official record
: through
: > a FOIA request by Martin Heldt. http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/doc99.gif
: The
: > FOIA version did not have any annotations.
: >
: > - The document comes from the Texas National Guard
: > Archives according to the numbering in the right hand corner of the
: > document, even though duty reports were localized at the time, meaning
his
: > service in Alabama would not have been recorded by the Texas Air
National
: > Guard.
: >
: > #2 Bush didn't return to Ellington Air Force Base after his temporary
: > transfer as required.
: >
: > A Bush spokesman, Dan Bartlett, said after talking with the governor
that
: > Bush recalls performing some duty in Alabama and ''recalls coming back
to
: > Houston and doing [Guard] duty, though he does not recall if it was on a
: > consistent basis.''
: >
: > Noting that Bush, by that point, was no longer flying, Bartlett added,
: > ''It's possible his presence and role became secondary.'' [Boston Globe
: > 5/23/00]
: >
: > The Truth
: >
: > · According to his annual evaluation by his commanding officers,
: he
: > may have been in Houston but he was not at the base.
: >
: > "Cleared this base 15 May 1972" According to Lieutenant Colonel
William
: > Harris Jr. and Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian in Bush's annual
: evaluation
: > , Ellis Air Force Base, Houston. The report makes clear that Bush had
: "not
: > been observed " at his Texas unit "during the period of this report" -
May
: > 1972-April 1973." [Boston Globe 5/23/00]
: >
: > · Even his commanding officer, whom he called a "friend" did not
: > know where he was.
: >
: > "Asked about that declaration, campaign spokesman Bartlett said Bush
told
: > him that since he was no longer flying, he was doing ''odds and ends''
: under
: > different supervisors whose names he could not recall. But retired
colonel
: > Martin, the unit's former administrative officer, said he too thought
Bush
: > had been in Alabama for that entire year. Harris and Killian, he said,
: would
: > have known if Bush returned to duty at Ellington. And Bush, in his
: > autobiography, identifies the late colonel Killian as a friend, making
it
: > even more likely that Killian knew where Bush was." [Boston Globe
5/23/00]
: >
: > #3 He quit flying in Texas because his plane was replaced.
: >
: > In his autobiography, Mr. Bush explains that when he applied to
: > Harvard Business School in 1972, "I was almost finished with my
commitment
: > in the Air National Guard, and was no longer flying because the F102 jet
I
: > has trained in was being replaced by a different fighter."
: >
: > The Truth
: > · "His unit continued to fly the F-102 until 1974 [Boston Globe
: > 5/23/00] "If he had come back to Houston, I would have kept him flying
the
: > 102 until he got out" said retired Major Bobby W. Hodges, "But I don't
: > remember him coming back at all"'.
: >
: > · "Lieutenant Bush, to be sure, had gone off flying status when
he
: > went to Alabama. But had he returned to his unit in November 1972, there
: > would have been no barrier to him flying again, except passing a flight
: > physical. Although the F-102 was being phased out, his unit's records
show
: > that Guard pilots logged thousands of hours in the F-102 in
1973."[Boston
: > Globe 5/23/00]
: >
: > · His commitment was through May of 1974. (An exaggeration?)
: >
: > #4 He wasn't flying in Alabama because they had different planes.
: >
: > On June 26th this report appeared in the Dallas Morning News.
: > "Campaigning Friday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Bush was asked about his 1972
: > service in that state. "I was there on a temporary assignment and
: fulfilled
: > my weekends at one period of time," he said. "I made up some missed
: > weekends." "I can't remember what I did, but I wasn't flying because
they
: > didn't have the same airplanes. I fulfilled my obligations."
: >
: > The Truth
: > · He was no longer flying because he had been suspended in
August
: of
: > 1972 for failure to "accomplish" a required medical exam. [Boston Globe,
: > 5/23/00] (Suspension document at
: http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/grounded.gif)
: >
: > · Bush was suspended from flying on August 1, 1972, prior to his
: > request for the transfer to the187th at Montgomery Alabama, September 5,
: > 1972. Bush did not receive permission until September 15, which was
close
: > to six weeks after his suspension from flying.
: >
: > · Another question is raised by the fact that he cannot remember
: > what he did for the Air National Guard in Alabama, despite the fact that
: 28
: > years later he still remembers the specifics of his work there on the
: > campaign of William Blount as cited in a July 22, 2000 New York Times
: > article. "In an interview 28 years later, Mr. Bush remembered the
numbers.
: > "We all teamed together and helped Red get about 36 percent of the
vote,"
: he
: > said with a short laugh, "in spite of the fact that Nixon had gotten 72
: > percent of the vote. The ticket-splitting was phenomenal.""
: >
: > #5 Three different stories on why he was suspended.
: >
: > Story #1) "Bush's campaign aides have said he did not take the physical
: > because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston."
: > [Boston Globe 5/23/00].
: >
: > The Truth
: > · In fact as the Boston Globe goes on to state "flight physicals
: can
: > be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some
were
: > assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush
: was
: > living."
: >
: > Story #2) Then in June, campaign officials told the London Times Bush
did
: > not technically need to take his flight physical. "As he was not flying,
: > there was no reason for him to take the flight physical exam," according
: to
: > campaign spokesman Don Bartlett.
: >
: > · Any suggestion that he had simply decided to "give up flying"
: prio
: > r to his suspension, with two years remaining on his commitment and
nearly
: > one million dollars (in real terms) invested in his training is not
: > plausible. It is not up to an Air National Guard pilot to decide
whether
: or
: > not he "intends" to fly.
: >
: > · "If he had come back to Houston, I would have kept him flying
: the
: > 102 until he got out" said retired Major Bobby W. Hodges [Boston Glove
: > 5/23/00]
: >
: > Story #3) In the same article, Bush campaign spokesman Dan Bartlett told
: the
: > newspaper that Bush was aware back then that he would be suspended for
: > missing his medical exam, but had no choice because he had applied for a
: > transfer from Houston to Alabama and his paperwork hadn't caught up with
: > him. "It was just a question of following the bureaucratic procedure of
: the
: > time," Bartlett said. "He knew the suspension would have to take place."
: >
: > · The exam was required to be completed in the three months
: > preceding his birthday, July 6, 1972. A three month window seems
adequate
: to
: > avoid being suspended from flying.
: >
: > So which is it: his family physician, he didn't have to take the exam,
or
: a
: > bureaucratic snafu?
: >
: > #6 Bush denied strings were pulled to get him in the Texas Air National
: > Guard.
: >
: > "I can just tell you, from my perspective, I never asked for, I don't
: > believe I received special treatment," Bush told reporters." [DMN
9/08/99]
: >
: > The Truth
: >
: > · "Former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes confirmed Monday that he
recommended
: > Gov. George W. Bush for a slot in the Texas Air National Guard during
the
: > height of the Vietnam War, at the request of a Bush family friend. Mr.
: > Barnes' account came in a written statement that was released after he
: > testified in a deposition stemming from a federal lawsuit.' [DMN
9/28/99]
: >
: > · "The statement by Mr. Barnes also confirmed that he met a year
: ago
: > with a top Bush adviser to discuss the Guard matter. As reported in The
: > News, Mr. Bush sent a note thanking Mr. Barnes for his help in rebutting
: > rumors that Mr. Bush's father helped his son find a Guard slot, the
: > statement confirmed." [DMN 9/08/99]
: >
: > · "Mr. Barnes was contacted by [Houston businessman] Sid Adger
and
: > asked to recommend George W. Bush for a pilot position with the Air
: National
: > Guard," Mr. Barnes' statement said. "Barnes called Gen. [James] Rose and
: did
: > so." [DMN 9/28/00]
: >
: > "No Bush ever asked Sid Adger to help," the governor said.[DMN
9/28/00]
: >
: > · "A spokeswoman for former President George Bush confirmed the
: > elder Bush's friendship with Mr. Adger but said he was "almost positive"
: he
: > never talked to Mr. Adger - or anyone else - about getting his son into
: the
: > Guard. "He said he is fairly certain - I mean he doesn't remember
: everything
: > that happened in the 1960s - but he said he and Sid Adger never, ever
: talked
: > about George W. and the Texas Air National Guard," said Jean Becker, a
: > spokeswoman for the former president. "President Bush knew Sid Adger
: well,"
: > Ms. Becker said. "He loved him."' [DMN 9/08/99]
: >
: > · "When Bush was admitted into the Guard in 1968, 100,000 other
: men
: > were on waiting lists around the country, hoping to win admission to
: similar
: > units. The Guard was popular because those units were rarely sent to
: > Vietnam." [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: > #7 Bush said the Texas Air National Guard was short on pilots.
: >
: > "They were looking for pilots, and I was honored to serve.", Governor
Bush
: > told the Dallas Morning News. [DMN9/08/99]
: >
: > The Truth
: >
: > · "But Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard,
: said
: > that records do not show a pilot shortage in the Guard squadron at the
: time.
: > Hail, who reviewed the unit's personnel records for a special Guard
museum
: > display on Gov. Bush's service, said Bush's unit had 27 pilots at the
time
: > he began applying. While that number was two short of its authorized
: > strength, the unit had two other pilots who were in training and another
: > awaiting a transfer. There was no apparent need to fast-track
applicants,
: he
: > said." [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: >
: >
: > · "The Texas Air Guard had about 900 slots for pilots, air and
: > ground crew members, supervisors, technicians and support staff. Sgt.
: Donald
: > Dean Barnhart, who still serves in the Guard, said that he kept a
waiting
: > list of about 150 applicants' names. He said it took up to a year and a
: half
: > for one name to move to the top of the list. "Quite a few gentlemen
were
: > wanting to get in," he recalled. For Bush, there was no wait. He met
with
: > commander Staudt in his Houston office and made his application--all
: before
: > his graduation in June." [LAT, 7/4/99]
: >
: >
: >
: > "Beckwith, Bush's spokesman, painted a different picture. He said that
the
: > Guard needed pilots at the time and Bush was available. "A lot of people
: > weren't qualified" or willing to fly, he said, so special commissions
were
: > offered to those willing to undergo the extra training required."
: >
: > [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: >
: >
: > · "But Shoemake, who also served as a chief of personnel in the
: > Texas Guard from 1972 to 1980, remembers no pilot shortage. "We had so
: many
: > people coming in who were super-qualified," he said." [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: >
: >
: > · "Records from his [Bush's] military file show that in January
: > 1968, after inquiring about Guard admission, Mr. Bush went to an Air
Force
: > recruiting office near Yale, where he took and passed the test required
by
: > the Air Force for pilot trainees. His score on the pilot aptitude
section,
: > one of five on the test, was in the 25th percentile, the lowest allowed
: for
: > would-be fliers." [7/4/99]
: >
: > #8 There was no special deal when he received a direct appointment to
: second
: > lieutenant right after basic training, with no qualifications.
: > "Officials in Bush's presidential campaign denied last week that he was
: > treated differently from other recruits. "Our information is there was
: > absolutely no special deal," said spokesman David Beckwith." [LAT
7/4/99]
: >
: > "He [Commander Staudt] recommended Bush for a direct appointment--a
: special
: > process that would allow the young recruit to become a second lieutenant
: > right out of basic training without having to go through the rigors of
: > officer candidate school. The process also cleared the way for a slot in
: > pilot training school." [LAT, 7/4/99]
: >
: > The Truth
: > · "But Charles C. Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later
joined
: > the Texas Air National Guard, eventually retiring as a full colonel,
said
: > that direct appointments were rare and hard to get, and required
extensive
: > credentials. "I went from master sergeant to first lieutenant based on
my
: > three years in college and 15 years as a noncommissioned officer. Then I
: got
: > considered for a direct appointment." Even then, he said, "I didn't know
: > whether I was going to get into pilot training."" [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: > · "As for a direct commission for someone of Bush's limited
: > qualifications, Hail said, "I've never heard of that. Generally they did
: > that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons.""
: > [LAT 7/4/99]
: >
: > #9 As evidence he wasn't dodging combat, Mr. Bush has pointed to his
: > efforts to try to volunteer for a program that rotated Guard pilots to
: > Vietnam, although he wasn't called. [DMN 7/4/99]
: >
: > The Truth
: > · "Mr. Bush's application for the Guard included a box to be
: checked
: > specifying whether he did or did not volunteer for overseas duty. His
: > includes a check mark in the box not wanting to volunteer for such an
: > assignment." [DMN 7/4/99]
: >
: > #10 In Bush's 1999 autobiography, A Charge to Keep, Mr. Bush says that
: > after completing flight training in June 1970, "I continued flying with
: my
: > unit for the next several years".
: >
: > The Truth
: > · "But 22 months after finishing his training, and with two
years
: > left on his six-year commitment, Bush gave up flying - for good, it
would
: > turn out". [Boston Globe, 5/23/00]
: >
: > Several Years or 22 months - an exaggeration? Perhaps, the bigger
: question
: > is why did he quit flying?
: >
: >
:
: