Bush and I were Lieutenants (Fellow Pilot Comes to Bush's Defense)

The Washington Times Letters to the Editor ^ | 2-11-4 | Col. William Campenni (ret.)

[Petronski]

'Bush and I were lieutenants'

George Bush and I were lieutenants and pilots in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS), Texas Air National Guard (ANG) from 1970 to 1971. We had the same flight and squadron commanders (Maj. William Harris and Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, both now deceased). While we were not part of the same social circle outside the base, we were in the same fraternity of fighter pilots, and proudly wore the same squadron patch.

[Sabertooth]

Thanks for posting this.

Now let's put this AWOL crap to rest and move on to the next non-issue.

Dang but the Democrats are lame.

[kitkat]

Thanks, Petronski.

BUMP to spread the word.

[Don Carlos]

Bump for later. Betcha this is not the last former comrad-in-arms we hear from!

[GeorgiaDawg]

Outstanding! Except....you know the mainstream media will NEVER pick up on this. We need for several of these types to step forward and defend the President. It's time for Condi, Cheney, and other administration officials to dig their heels in...the RATS are going to get very nasty on this because they despise Bush.

[rintense]

DUI rehash is next. Just watch.

[goodnesswins]

The media are following the Dems into the abyss.....LOL. THIS is great.....the media AND Kerry now look like the FOOLS they ARE!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks, Petronski.

Finally, the Kerrys, Moores and McAuliffes are casting a terrible slander on those who served in the Guard, then and now. My Guard career parallels Lt. Bush's, except that I stayed on for 33 years. As a guardsman, I even got to serve in two campaigns. In the Cold War, the air defense of the United States was borne primarily by the Air National Guard, by such people as Lt. Bush and me and a lot of others. Six of those with whom I served in those years never made their 30th birthdays because they died in crashes flying air-defense missions.

While most of America was sleeping and Mr. Kerry was playing antiwar games with Hanoi Jane Fonda, we were answering 3 a.m. scrambles for who knows what inbound threat over the Canadian subarctic, the cold North Atlantic and the shark-filled Gulf of Mexico. We were the pathfinders in showing that the Guard and Reserves could become reliable members of the first team in the total force, so proudly evidenced today in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Thanks to tic toc

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

This is great.
The F-102 2 seater used to train Pilots was very dangerous.
As far as I know anytime they had to bail out, The senior pilot bailed out last and was killed.

[GOPJ]

bump

[RichardW]

"Good. Where have you placed today's goalposts?"

Somebody made the point here that this was a mountain out of a molehill (paraphrasing) and that there was no reason for the liberal press to be hammering on this subject. I would ask this. If it weren't a big deal why is everyone here so apopletic. My point all along, in case anyone missed it, is that if a candidate is defending his records he is not on the attack. A defensive candidate is going to lose an election everytime because he can't get his own message out.

But to answer the specific question posed, I would say to put this to bed with finality, it would be a good thing if someone who actually served with him in Alabama would come forth and say clearly, yes he was there. Am I wrong?

[MJY1288]

Gold indeed

[Coop]

Emily Marks Curtis.

Yeah, I went to post a link, but somebody beat me to it.

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Outstanding, Mo1!!!
Thanks for the ping!
Ms.B

[Petronski]

If it weren't a big deal why is everyone here so apopletic.

It's not a big deal because he completed his service and this issue was put to rest by the Boston Globe four years ago. Any apoplexy is a result of frustration with the Dems' continuing lies/smear on this already-resolved issue.

[InShanghai]

This is gold.

Bump for Veterans! I did active duty in the USN, but my father was in the ANG for 25 years. From conversations with him, Col. Campenni is right on target.

[AlexW]

Well, the media will bury this, and continue to build J Fing Kerry to be the greatest war hero of all US history....puke

[windchime]

Harold Ford, Jr. is the name and, yes, that's his game.

[cyncooper]

Kerry's slam against the Guard vets is a slam against millions of us who served in the reserves as well as the various guard programs.

MSNBC received an email from me yesterday after the embedded ditz they call a reporter with the Kerry campaign came on to rah rah for Kerry and claimed he has stayed away from the National Guard issue.

I provided documentation for their perusal that he most certainly has talked about it, and in fact lumped in those in the National Guard with those who went to Canada.

[Valin]

Thanks for the ping.
Question, when will the dems put this to rest.
they want to keep bring up Viet-Nam in regard to John Kerry (D France), I say bring it on!

[Gritty]

I can vouch from personal experience that everything Col. Campenni says is correct.

If anything, he is understating the personal hazards involved.

The Democrats and their scum-sucking Media whores are beneath contempt.