You're right. I don't know about all the controversy that GWB got a free pass on his ANG service later on, what is the truth. Regardless, he got into the cockpit of an F-102 "Widowmaker", and flew it. Courage. The -100 series planes were new territory, and daring. They were NOT easy planes to fly, especially landing. I still remember seeing the F-105's hitting the runway, and they hit the ground HARD, like the bottom falling out from underneath them. I don't care what anybody says, it takes guts to climb into that cockpit.
FlyVet feels lucky that when he was a young Walter Mitty, he got to climb into the cockpit of F-15's to help do function checks on the plane's systems...but Walter couldn't imagine actually putting that monster into the air. Those guys and gals are Major League, trust me.