The Real Military Record of George W. Bush: Not Heroic, but Not AWOL, Either-The Original Story

George Magazine Archives ^ | 10-10-00 | By Peter Keating and Karthik Thyagarajan

[backhoe]

Here's what I have so far:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1066746/posts

Is President Bush a Deserter? How the military defines the crime.
Slate ^ | Brendan I. Koerner
There are LINKS in this article to follow, so click on the link and take a gander at Bill Hobbs debunking of this crap.

Was Bush "AWOL"?

Bush 'Desertion' Charge Debunked
The Real Military Record of George W. Bush: Not Heroic, but Not AWOL, Either

 

 

Debunkers: 

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1064541/posts

Bush 'Desertion' Charge Debunked
NewsMax ^ | 1/24/04 | Limbacher

...in the months before the 2000 presidential election, the New York Times pretty much demolished this Democratic Party urban legend...

Related thread from Oct. 2000.

[backhoe]

In addition to the above, I found the following in our archives:


From this link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/745140/posts

From the New York Times, November 3, 2000:
On Sept. 5, 1972, Mr. Bush asked his Texas Air National Guard superiors for assignment to the 187th Tactical Recon Group in Montgomery "for the months of September, October and November."

Capt. Kenneth K. Lott, chief of the personnel branch of the 187th Tactical Recon Group, told the Texas commanders that training in September had already occurred, but more training was scheduled for Oct. 7 and 8 and Nov. 4 and 5. But Mr. Bartlett said Mr. Bush did not serve on those dates because he was involved in the Senate campaign, but he made up those dates later.

Colonel Turnipseed, who retired as a general, said in an interview that regulations allowed Guard members to miss duty as long as it was made up within the same quarter.

Mr. Bartlett pointed to a document in Mr. Bush's military records that showed credit for four days of duty ending Nov. 29 and for eight days ending Dec. 14, 1972, and, after he moved back to Houston, on dates in January, April and May.

The May dates correlated with orders sent to Mr. Bush at his Houston apartment on April 23, 1973, in which Sgt. Billy B. Lamar told Mr. Bush to report for active duty on May 1-3 and May 8-10.

Another document showed that Mr. Bush served at various times from May 29, 1973, through July 30, 1973, a period of time questioned by The Globe.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/03/politics/03GUAR.html

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From this link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/907148/posts

Good response to this nonsense from realclearpolitics.com
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/commentary.html#5_7_03_0726

BUSH'S MILITARY RECORD: I should have nailed Krugman on it yesterday but Andrew Sullivan does the job this morning. I wrote a piece on this subject nearly two years ago, specifically detailing Bob Kerrey's involvement in pushing AWOL accusations against Bush. I suggest you read the entire piece, of course, but here is a brief chronological summary:

May 2000: The Boston Globe prints a story about George W. Bush's "missing year" in the Texas Air National Guard. Bush issues brief statement rebutting the charges.

Late September 2000: TomPaine.com prints column from an Iowa farmer attacking Bush's military record.

Early October 2000: Paul Begala brings up questions about Bush's service record on Meet the Press saying, "He never showed up for an entire year. Bush tells us to our face he’ll restore honor and integrity to that Oval Office when I believe he’s not telling the truth that he never, in fact, reported to the National Guard in Alabama."

October 31, 2000: The Boston Globe prints a reprise of its original accusations under the title "Questions remain on Bush's service as guard pilot." Senator Bob Kerrey calls The Globe and gives an unsolicited interview charging that Bush went "AWOL." The charges make national headlines.

November 3, 2000: The Friday before the election, Kerrey holds press conference with fellow Senator and Medal of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye and calls on Bush to make all of his military records public. Later that day The New York Times prints a review of Bush's military records saying that the claims are "unfounded."

November 5, 2000: Two days before the election Kerrey appears on Meet the Press and is questioned as to whether his attacks on Bush's military record are "way out of bounds." Kerrey replies, "They're not way out of bounds. Certainly, if -- I mean, if I'd gone over the line and implied that he didn't serve honorably, I apologize. He did serve honorably. But I don't think he understands that when you come forward and represent your military service, you've got to represent it right, and he didn't."

The point of my article, written in May 2001, was to highlight Kerrey's hypocrisy in light of his admissions about his service in Vietnam and his willingness to leverage his status as a war hero against Bush for partisan political gain in the 200 election.

But as you can see, questions about Bush's military record - which liberals like Krugman now accept as absolute fact - all stem from a single article printed in The Boston Globe nearly six months before the election. Not coincidentally, these charges were then recycled right before the election by Gore operatives like Begala and prominent Democrats like Senator Kerrey.

Now, I suppose you can believe original The Globe story is accurate and then ignore the fact that not one single news organization followed up and substantiated the charges over the next several months - despite being in the middle of a heated Presidential campaign.

And I suppose you could also believe that the only indisputable fact about the entire affair - that George W. Bush received an honorable discharge from the Texas Air National Guard - was just part of a cover up orchestrated by Poppy and the U.S. military. It's your right to believe this stuff, it's just not supported by any real evidence. - T. Bevan 7:26 am

[backhoe]

OK, here she is...

[MEG33]

I thought we'd dealt with this in 2000 and now its fresh fodder.Thanks for the info.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking- this alleged "story" is like one of the Undead- it just keeps coming back.

Maybe this will help return it to its grave. 'Rats!

[MEG33]

I know where to point the uninformed when it appears again in an article posted,and it surely will.

[Just mythoughts]

JFKerry sure thinks it's his ticket to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Orielly had Barney's sister on last night and she declared that it was an issue and went on to make false accusations about what happened.

JFKerry will attempt to make President Bush look like what he himself is a fake/fraud. The liberal way - accuse, lie, deny, and deceive.

[GailA]

Good job, BOOK MARK IT Freepers, we are gonna need it a lot this nasty election season.

[backhoe]

BOOK MARK IT Freepers, we are gonna need it a lot this nasty election season.

Yes, it's going to be 2000 again, but worse...

And thanks for the reminder- I forgot to bookmark it!

[BushCountry]

I want Kerry's real military record. Something doesn't add up. I don't know what yet.

[backhoe]

Something doesn't add up. I don't know what yet.

I get that feeling, as well. Mayhap I can look into it later.

[GailA]

Didn't he shoot that wounded enemy soldier in the BACK????????????? I mean even in war time that is supposed to be a NO, NO.

My big question and one that needs hammering is WHY DIDN'T HE REPORT the atrocities he supposedly witnessed?

[HankReardon]

Bush haters are really digging, these are the same people that gave Clinton a free pass on EVERYTHING!

[GailA]

he quit the Navy early and

On February 28, 1969:

When Kerry's Patrol Craft Fast 94 received a B-40 rocket shot from shore, he hot dogged his craft beaching it in the center of the enemy position. To his surprise, an enemy soldier sprang up from a hole not ten feet from Patrol Craft 94 and fled.

The boat's machine gunner hit and wounded the fleeing Viet Cong as he darted behind a hootch. The twin .50s gunner fired at the Viet Cong. He said he "laid 50 rounds" into the hootch before Kerry leaped from the boat and dashed in to administer a "coup de grace" to the wounded Viet Cong. Kerry returned with the B-40 rocket and launcher. Kerry was given a Silver Star for his actions.

Kerry commanded his first swift boat, No. 44, from December 1968 through January 1969. He received no medals while serving on this craft.

While in command of Swift Boat 44, Kerry and crew operated without prudence in a Free Fire Zone, carelessly firing at targets of opportunity racking up a number of enemy kills and some civilians. His body count included-- a woman, her baby, a 12 year-old boy, an elderly man and several South Vietnamese soldiers.

"It is one of those terrible things, and I'll never forget, ever, the sight of that child," Kerry later said about the dead baby. "But there was nothing that anybody could have done about it. It was the only instance of that happening." Kerry said he was appalled that the Navy's ''free fire zone'' policy in Vietnam put civilians at such high risk.

[GailA]

Looks like hanoi john committed an atrocity, he accused our men of doing.

[familyofman]

"I want Kerry's real military record. Something doesn't add up. I don't know what yet."

Not a good tactic - attacking Kerry's record when it's so much better than Bush's. The return fire on this will be severe. The spinmeisters and attack dogs for the dims want the comparison - don't be foolish enough to lead them there.

[MEG33]

FYI all the links and real story about Bush's Guard duty.

[soozla]

Here is a link that you need to throw back at them along with backhoe's fantastic library of links.......we can bury them in this stuff!!!!

BILL CLINTON'S REAL MILITARY RECORD - FOIA

[soozla]

"Not a good tactic - attacking Kerry's record when it's so much better than Bush's. The return fire on this will be severe. The spinmeisters and attack dogs for the dims want the comparison - don't be foolish enough to lead them there."

What more "comparisons" do they need then GWB's leadership as C in C?????? It's kind of like a resume - you go from the most recent "examples" back as far as you need to go - so, when you do THAT comparison, it's like Kerry is already DOA!!

[familyofman]

"What more "comparisons" do they need then GWB's leadership as C in C??????"

Take off the blinders & start thinking like an attack dog (spinmeister) - who will probably say GWB blew the CIC role by getting into a war that was not justified - no WMD. This line is already being used by Dean and others. I wouldn't write Kerry off so quickly on these issues.