Question. Suppose an order had been given to take a physical, could the order have been countermanded verbally over the phone? For example, suppose Lt. Bush phoned the Colonel and said that they didn't have enough planes in the Alabama Guard for their OWN pilots, and were not going to let him fly, and suggested that the physical be postponed until he returned to Texas.
Quite possible. If I remember right, he went to Alabama in May and his physical wasn't due until after that. Also, I remember that the Alabama Guard unit flew the F-101 Voodoo -- just because you can fly a F-102 like Bush did doesn't mean you can just jump into a different aircraft type and take off. There is a long training time after pilot training to learn your aircraft type.
What you suggest about postponing the physical is quite possible?