Debunking The Bush AWOL Story - From The Horse's Mouth

Brig. Gen. Turnipseed | February 6, 2004 | Hon

[Hon]

I just got off the phone about an hour ago with Brig. Gen. William R. Turnipseed. He is the sole source for the four year old story that Bush was AWOL during his National Guard service.

Mr. Turnipseed is very unhappy with the way what he said "casually" four years ago has been twisted by the "Bush haters" (his words) in the media, especially the Boston Globe (who first reported the story) and the New York Times.

In a nutshell here is what happened, according to Turnipseed. Back in 1972 his Alabama National Guard unit received a letter from Bush (who was in the Texas Nation Guard) asking if he while he was in Alabama do some equivalancy training with the Alabama unit.

Turnipseed said that this request was as a matter of routine turned over to his administrative assistant, Lott, who wrote back to Bush, giving him the dates of the next unit drills. Lott told Bush he could report for those dates.

Neither Turnipseed nor Lott can now remember whether Bush appeared for these drills or not. Turnipseed says he himself might not have even been around the base at the time, so he wouldn't know one way or the other. And he says he has always said this.

The points Turnipseed wanted to stress are these: Bush was never ordered to report for duty to his unit. Since Bush was in the Texas National Guard and Turnipseed was in the Alabama National Guard, he couldn't have ordered him even if he had wanted to. But he didn't want to.

He (or his assistant, Lott) simply gave Bush the dates he could report if he wanted to do equivalency training with them. There were no orders given. If he showed up or didn't show up, it wasn't their concern.

Additionally, Turnipseed says that he never once said anything about Bush being "AWOL." He said it isn't even a term used in the National Guard. And anyway, as already noted, Bush's training record was not his concern, but the Texas National Guard's.

He said that since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge it shows that he fulfilled his training requirements.

Turnipseed said that the media has constantly misrepresented what he said and edited him so as to make Bush look bad.

He also said that he had no idea who Bush was, and that he certainly didn't do him any special favors. Nor would he have.

He said that when he first spoke to the Boston Globe reporter about this four years ago he didn't realize he was talking to a "Bush hater."

Turnipseed is a strong Bush supporter. He said that he has been contacted many times especially recently, by "Bush haters" in the media, who try to get him to say that Bush was AWOL. Once they realize that he won't cooperate they lose interest in talking to him. When they do quote him, they say he is backpedaling--even though he is still saying the same exact thing he told them four years ago.

He has been recently asked to go on with Peter Jennings and NBC's Dateline, but he is concerned that they will edit him in such a way as to misrepresent his story again. I have been in touch with Fox news, in hopes that they will have somebody talk to him and try to present his story fairly.

Bottom line, this whole AWOL story was media spin from the git-go. The Boston Globe reporter simply cherry picked Turnipseed's comments and totally misrepresented him--to make Bush look bad.

And the media are still doing it four years later. They should be ashamed--but they have no shame. They have only their agenda.

[DrDeb]

Thank you for both investigating this baseless AWOL charge and sharing your interview results with FR/other news outlets!!!!! KUDOS FOR A JOB WELL DONE!

[windchime]

Your persistence and ultimate success in pursuing the truth regarding Brig. Gen. Turnipseed's role in the AWOL story is amazing! Congratulations!

[Hon]

That explains the "AUTH:" before it.

Would it be expected to list his equivalency training in Alamba on that form? Or would they not bother?

[Robert A Cook PE]

To abort his first tour, he volunteered for Swift boat duty: A good position at the time, because the Swift boats would give him a "command-tour" (promotion bait!) and they were serving way off-shore. After he got Swift boat duty (2nd tour) the boats were in the middle of real tough duty riverine duty.

This was the period he began complaining vigorously in meeting with Zumwalt and Abrams, and others above his chain of command, about US policy.

When he got the three minor wounds (none of which even required a day off!), and petitioned his commander to go home based on the three wounds, his CO was happy to get rid of him by approving the the US admiral's aide assignment back in Mass.

Kerry's Silver Star was for shooting a wounded VC in the back as the VC was running away from the boat during a fire fight. Few other details are released.

[YaYa123]

From The Washington Post:

"According to the records, Bush had been instructed to report to William Turnipseed, an officer in the Montgomery unit. "Had he reported in, I would have had some recall and I do not," Turnipseed, a retired brigadier general, told the Globe in 2000. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered." .....

"....Reached in Montgomery yesterday, Turnipseed stood by his contention that Bush never reported to him. But Turnipseed added that he could not recall if he, himself, was on the base much at that time."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7372-2004Feb2?language=printer

[txradioguy]

I was in the TX National Guard working in their public affirs office during the 2000 election. THere were over two THOUSAND FOIA requests filed for Pres. Bush's 201 File (official military records). They were digging for some kind of dirt, including the AWOL myth. Nothing was found. Wonder how many FOIA requests were made for Algore's or are being made now for John F'n Kerry's?

[Democratshavenobrains]

Eventhough the Rats have been talking about this nonstop lately, I think its a good thing for all this to come out 9 months before the election. Crucify them with it!

[txradioguy]

Yeah and two years later the NY Times, the owner of the Globe did their own investigation and found the original AWOL story to be false. THough lately the Times has seemed to have "forgotten" about that in their reporting of the story.

[Hon]

"Wonder how many FOIA requests were made for Algore's or are being made now for John F'n Kerry's?"

Funny you should mention that, because the Boston Globe claims that they did try to get Kerry's military medical records, to check on the severity of his wounds (for which he got three purple hearts)--but Kerry REFUSED to waive his privacy rights. So the records are still sealed.

[ohioWfan]

EXCELLENT! THANK you for this stellar investigative reporting!

[txradioguy]

Umm explain to me exactly what does your length of time registered have to do with anything? What if Hon heard about FR from Hannity or Rush and decided to check it out? I've only been here a little over a year as a registered memeber? Does that mean I have less credibility in what I say on here than someone who's been ehre 2 years?...or 3 years?

Your implying that becasue he's only been here 3 months he's not credible and that's silly. If he were a DU mole don't you think that the Administrator would have dumped him by now. And why are you acting so suspcious of a story that shows that our President was in fact NOT considered AWOL like the "mainstream" media is claiming? What are YOUR motives?

[Fighting Irish]

MAJOR PINGGSSS!!!!!!

[txradioguy]

If they really tried they could do a FOIA request and get them from St. Louis where the military records repository is. And they would get a copy of his 201 file. The only files that Kerry, IMHO as a journalist, could claim privacy rights is if they were papers in his personal poession. The 201 file is still DN (Dept. of the Navy) property. The Globe is just, yet again, doing sloppy journalizm.

[Hon]

Here's an excerpt from the article I mentioned:

"Kerry had been wounded three times and received three Purple Hearts. Asked about the severity of the wounds, Kerry said that one of them cost him about two days of service, and that the other two did not interrupt his duty. "Walking wounded," as Kerry put it. A shrapnel wound in his left arm gave Kerry pain for years. Kerry declined a request from the Globe to sign a waiver authorizing the release of military documents that are covered under the Privacy Act and that might shed more light on the extent of the treatment Kerry needed as a result of the wounds."

http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml

[Sans-Culotte]

Typical democrat answer would be "because W was priveleged and Daddy and a sinister republican cabal "pulled some strings".

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the information!

[3catsanadog]

How does one get a last name like Turnipseed????

[txradioguy]

Oh ok...yeah if it's his medical records then does have control over their release. Medical records are seperate from the 201 file and are usually given to the soldier upon their release from service.

[bjcintennessee]

ping