"Bush's stint in Guard scrutinized": REBUTTAL TO TODAY'S WASHINGTON POST HIT PIECE

Dallas Morning News | July 4, 1999 | Pete Slover, George Kuempel

[Maria S]

Here's something for you:

Speech of John F. Kerry - Page S2479 Congressional Record
Rush Limbaugh ^ | February 27, 1992 | John Forbes Kerry
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1071686/posts
Posted on 02/04/2004 7:05:39 PM CST by windchime
Mr. President, I also rise today--and I want to say that I rise reluctantly, but I rise feeling driven by personal reasons of necessity--to express my very deep disappointment over yesterday's turn of events in the Democratic primary in Georgia.
I am saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign, and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst possible way. By that I mean that yesterday, during this Presidential campaign, and even throughout recent times, Vietnam has been discussed and written about without an adequate statement of its full meaning.
What is ignored is the way in which our experience during that period reflected in part a positive affirmation of American values and history, not simply the more obvious negatives of loss and confusion.
What is missing is a recognition that there exists today a generation that has come into its own with powerful lessons learned, with a voice that has been grounded in experiences both of those who went to Vietnam and those who did not.
What is missing and what cries out to be said is that neither one group nor the other from that difficult period of time has cornered the market on virtue or rectitude or love of country.
What saddens me most is that Democrats, above all those who shared the agonies of that generation, should now be refighting the many conflicts of Vietnam in order to win the current political conflict of a Presidential primary.
The race for the White House should be about leadership, and leadership requires that one help heal the wounds of Vietnam, not reopen them; that one help identify the positive things that we learned about ourselves and about our Nation, not play to the divisions and differences of that crucible of our generation.
We do not need to divide America over who served and how. I have personally always believed that many served in many different ways. Someone who was deeply against the war in 1969 or 1970 may well have served their country with equal passion and patriotism by opposing the war as by fighting in it. Are we now, 20 years or 30 years later, to forget the difficulties of that time, of families that were literally torn apart, of brothers who ceased to talk to brothers, of fathers who disowned their sons, of people who felt compelled to leave the country and forget their own future and turn against the will of their own aspirations?
Are we now to descend, like latter-day Spiro Agnews, and play, as he did, to the worst instincts of divisiveness and reaction that still haunt America? Are we now going to create a new scarlet letter in the context of Vietnam? Certainly, those who went to Vietnam suffered greatly. I have argued for years, since I returned myself in 1969, that they do deserve special affection and gratitude for service. And, indeed, I think everything I have tried to do since then has been to fight for their rights and recognition.
But while those who served are owed special recognition, that recognition should not come at the expense of others; nor does it require that others be victimized or criticized or said to have settled for a lesser standard. To divide our party or our country over this issue today, in 1992, simply does not do justice to what all of us went through during that tragic and turbulent time.
I would like to make a simple and straightforward appeal, an appeal from my heart, as well as from my head. To all those currently pursuing the Presidency in both parties, I would plead that they simply look at America. We are a nation crying out for leadership, for someone who will bring us together and raise our sights. We are a nation looking for someone who will lift our spirits and give us confidence that together we can grow out of this recession and conquer the myriad of social ills we have at home.
We do not need more division. We certainly do not need something as complex and emotional as Vietnam reduced to simple campaign rhetoric. What has been said has been said, Mr. President, but I hope and pray we will put it behind us and go forward in a constructive spirit for the good of our party and the good of our country.
I thank our distinguished manager of the bill and the Senator from Delaware.

[ODDITHER]

Another example of elitism. Why in the world do these media elitists who never served period, try to discount anyone that was in the reserves? If you serve your country it doesn't matter what branch, or whether you were a reservists or on active duty, you serve your country.

These are the same lamebrains that when Clinton's lack of any military service was questioned, came to his defense by claiming that Nam was an illegal war and at least he did't flee to Canada.

[Tribune7]

bump

[Tribune7]

best yet

[Duke809]

Tell your vet friend that there was NO WAY GWB was ever going to Vietnam as a fighter pilot, unless he joined a F-100, F-105 or F-4 unit.

He even stood a better chance going to Vietnam if he was a SPAD pilot (A-1E/H)

Notice on his discharge papers his AFSC (or MOS for you Army/Marine guys) is 1125D - Pilot, Fighter Interceptor. in AF terminology, that's a whole lot different than, Pilot, Tactical Fighter or Pilot, Multi-Engine Jet. At least it was back then.

The Duece (F-102) had a extremely limited role in Vietnam. The Duece is a interceptor, not a multi-mission aircraft. Limited fuel capacity and limited weapons. I believe they carried 4 nuclear tipped Genie's or 4 crappy AIM-4 Falcon AAM's with a provision that some shmoe rigged up for 2 AIM-9's on improvised inboard wing racks, but I'm not sure about that. No bombs, napalm, SUU-20 gun pods, laser designators or none of that stuff. The weapons were carried in a weapons bay beneath the fuselage and had the fastest opening hydraulic doors you've ever seen (except for the F-106). The Duece was supposed to protect US air bases from incoming MiG's, which of course never happened. I'm not exactly sure, but the Duece spent about a year or so in country, at DaNang, Bien Hoa and Tahn Son Nhut and were later withdrawn and the remaining serviceable planes were converted to QF-102 target drones.

The F-104 and F-106 also had very, very limited roles. I don't even think the Dart (106) even went to Vietnam. Even the F-101's role was limited to recee, as the single seat RF-101C until the AF was able to fit all the camera's in the F-4. Then those birds were retired to Guard and AF Reseve outfits.

I was unfortunate enough to be on the crash recovery team in 1974 when the CO of the 189th Tactical Recon Group, Arkansas ANG, bought the farm a half-mile from the outer marker, Little Rock AFB, on his retirement flight. He was flying a warhorse RF-101C and the group was to stand the 101 down and become the 189th Air Refueling Wing.

[End Times Sentinel]

Until someone can produce the orders from Cent Com denying him the transfer from Texas to Alabama, this is all pointless speculation.

Thanks for remembering this Trib!

 

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

Until someone can produce the orders from Cent Com denying him the transfer from Texas to Alabama, this is all pointless speculation.

Thanks for remembering this Trib!

[baseballmom]

Bump.

[southland]

(((BUMP)))

[Qwinn2]

A -fascinating- article that desperately needs a bump! It completely blows away the "Bush jumped the waiting list" smear, wbich is one of the most believed smears against Bush - even most Republicans believe it!

BUMP.

Qwinn

[Howlin]

Great find, Qwinn.

My theory is if there had been any "here" here, Ma Richards certainly would have found it and used it.

[BigSkyFreeper]

All she would have to do is walk right down to the University campus library right there in Austin. George's record is right there. If she can't get there, it's online. She's got nothing else to do, might as well use that time wisely.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Exactly. The Democrats are engaged in an endless parade of speculation, with no regard for the facts even if it's literally dropped into their lap.

[backhoe]

It took me a moment to comprehend the date:

Dallas Morning News | July 4, 1999 | Pete Slover, George Kuempel

[BigSkyFreeper]

Yep, and the Democrats ran with the lie one year later.

[Howlin]

See there, it's been debunked years ago by a paper in his own state.

[BigSkyFreeper]

The media knows that most of their readers/listeners/viewers have short attention spans. It reminds me of the same scenario that played out earlier this year, last March in fact, when the US Military announced an ongoing investigation into abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. The media covered it then, it became just another story out of Iraq, lasted one news cycle. Seemingly, a few short months later, Kerry's campaign is in trouble, the story bubbled up from beneath the surface as some "new revelation" and the media ran with it to bring down the Bush administration because Kerry couldn't chip away at Bush's strong defense policies. So the media felt they had to step in and help, and dredged up this nonstarter of a story and ran with it until the American public realized the real intention of the story.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Of course, the media didn't get much help from Nicholas Berg's whacked out anti-war father. Both the Berg beheading, as gruesome and unfortunate as it was, and the dredging up of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal story happend at precisely the same time. Kerry cannot campaign around, so he's being helped around by a bunch of hard left media whores, like the drunk prom date.

[arasina]

This needs another bump to the top for the lurkers out there.

[Tamzee]

Great article and great letter you sent. I'm also wondering if you and the author have seen this below?



"I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was lieutenant governor of Texas," - former Democrat TX Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes (per Per Associated Press)

George Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard in May, 1968. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4251208/

Barnes was not elected Lt. Governor until 1969. Per Barnes' bio (Barnes is coincidentally a long-time Dem activist and one of Kerry's top fund-raisers) http://www.klru.org/texasmonthlytalks/archives/barnes/bio.asp