Bush credited for Guard drills (Kapow!)

The Boston Globe ^ | 2/10/04 | Walter V. Robinson

[The G Man]

President Bush received credit for attending Air National Guard drills in the fall of 1972 and spring of 1973 -- a period when his commanders have said he did not appear for duty at bases in Montgomery, Ala., and Houston -- according to two new documents obtained by the Globe.

[Finalapproach29er]

W flew fighters. Chrissy joined the Peace Corps. LMAO

[CMClay]

Mark Levine interviews First Lieutenant Robert A. Rogers, the former fighter pilot in the Air National Guard who analyzed these records in a 2000 report:
http://www.radioinsidescoop.com/wst_page12.html

[antiRepublicrat]

This has been explained hundreds on times. If you would do a Google on it, you'd see that it was standard procedure for people who were on their way out to just skip the bother of a physical.

Not a good explanation, as he was far from his out time. He didn't request to stop flying, he just missed his physical. There should have been some type of investigation, or at least questioning, for a pilot losing his flight status, especially in wartime. You don't have the government spend a million dollars to train you, and then just say "I don't feel like flying anymore." He had an obligation to fulfill, and he didn't do it.

[Trust but Verify]

Yep, they are perpetuating a known lie.

[Safetgiver]

I lost my flight status because I was in the hospital with strep throat when the physical came up. They rescheduled me After I went home on leave and didn't reschedule me for a year after. What standard investigation are you braying about? He lost his status and his pay. So what?

[hchutch]

A number of Clintonistas are connected with Democrats.com, IIRC.

[kaboom]

Fertig called for an independent investigation.

An investigation of what? How he obtained retirement documents of military personnel? Are these supposed to be public?

[cyncooper]

There was flak back then.

Gads. MSNBC infobabe asking Mike Allen about "these documents which may show the president was NOT AWOL"

Where is there any indication he ever was AWOL, you stupid bimbo, except in the fevered rantings of democrats?!

I can't stand the way the media is carrying the water for the dems on this. It is really very wrong what they are doing here.

[OldFriend]

Sorry, Ann Compton of WABC radio news at the top of the ten o'clock hour said it's not good enough because it doesn't show WHERE he served.

It's time to say enough is enough!

[cyncooper]

Well, I'm on pins and needles to hear what YOU think of it.

Don't keep us in suspense! Share!!!

[Howlin]

Poor Tim Russert (D-NBC). Looks like his big story was shot out from under him.

Bush hooks another one!

[MJY1288]

That Blog you linked is a pack of leftist scumbags, not much different than those drueling vegetables over at DU, But thanks for your concern

[Howlin]

Yes, they are. Really close ones, too.

I think kcvl has the data on that.

[cyncooper]

Chris Matthews outright said on his show yesterday that he joined the Peace Corps to avoid the draft and "everybody knows" that the National Guard was a way for "rich kids" to avoid the draft, and he wanted to know why "everybody can't just admit that".

He refuses to grant President Bush any credibility, honor, skill, service.

[The South Texan]

Of course you know the leftist Rats will say that President Bush had the Defense Dept fix the records.

When and if we catch Bin Laden, thye will also say we have been hiding and bringing him out for political reasons. Hopefully this will happen during the Rat convention. OOO , wouldn't that be sweet!

[cyncooper]

He did?! I wish I'd seen him looking deflated. That is good to hear.

I can see the media will continue flaying for a bit longer,though.

[Hon]

Weren't you just apologizing for being wrong about all of this? LOL.

You don't know what you are talking about, and you don't seem worth the trouble to try to educate.

[Vineyard]

WHAT IS MISSING - Sometimes the Services Let People Go - or Even Push them Out:

After GW Bush qualified as a pilot, the Air Force and Air Guard made a decision to retire the F-102 airplane. When this happened, GW Bush became one of many pilots whose presence was no longer "essential".

THIS IS KEY: The Navy and Air Force have many times "RIF'ed" (Reduction in Force) - i.e. "laid off" pilots who no longer had a plane to fly! The services might select some pilots to go through retraining to qualify on a different plane; those pilots must accept the additional committed time to serve if they want the retraining. And if the service has sufficient inventory of pilots, then the pilots who flew retired planes might be forced to go elsewhere - perhaps go serve on surface ships, take some desk job, etc. Many times, the services have separated the pilots from service, discharging them into the civilian world.

In 1978 - the Air Force did a RIF, and hundreds of pilots who were in basic flight trainining or had just completed basic flight school were discharged from the service. The Navy and Air Force RIF'd pilots (and many other officers) in the 1993 - 1994 initial "gutting of the military" when Clinton took office. As the services have retired planes - pilots become surplus (and many times, are let go, or even forced out!)

EVEN NOW - force "shaping" can take place. The Navy just RIF'd 1000 junior officers. (This - in spite of the fact that the military is mobilizing and sending reserves and guard over to Iraq!!) These cuts are aligning the Navy Officer Corp. with the smaller but higher tech force that is being developed. The Navy is changing from destroyers and cruisers that used to have a crew of nearly 500 persons to 350 persons (present) toward 95 (the goal in about 5 - 10 years). Privitization is shifting shore-based jobs that might have been done by the military - to civilian/contractor jobs. The goal is to trim personnel costs and buy more hardware - more ships and planes.

SO **********

When the F-102 was retired, GW Bush became "excess". He wouldn't be sent to fly another plane without retraining. He would not be qualified to do many jobs without additional training . . . so he would be allowed to do "make work" jobs - such as training and administration of reserves, writing up reports, etc. He would have no critical skills, and there would be no critical tasks where his presence would be essential. The Reserves/Guard would be very flexible in rescheduling of drills with someone like this. (I have seen Direct Commissioned Reserve Officers STOP drilling after 3 - 4 years because their work/family schedules conflicted, and they were not doing anything critical . . . and the Navy Reserve did not have any critical need for them). (I have also, as CO of reserve units, allowed flexible drilling to help reduce potential work or family conflicts, and usually this allows me to get efficient work - especially if they do a block of

AND FINALLY - IF THERE IS NO PLANE TO FLY ... THEN THERE IS NO NEED TO KEEP CURRENT WITH FLIGHT PHYSICALS!!! As CO of a Navy Unit with several aviators, I have seen some drop their flight physicals (the A-6 plane they flew was retired ...so no more flying) while others kept current with their flight physicals (perhaps wasting taxpayer dollers and drill time getting an extensive medical checkup to maintain a flight status, when there was no plane the person would be qualified to fly!!)

Mike

[jmstein7]

BUMPaRoo!

[Tribune7]

-- a period when his commanders have said he did not appear for duty at bases in Montgomery, Ala., and Houston

In Montgomery, Bush was supposed to do periodic drills with another Guard unit. But its commander has said Bush never appeared.

False, false, false.