Bush met military obligation [Bush Was At Alabama Base, Says Ex-Guardsman ]

The Birmingham News ^ | 02/11/04 | MARY ORNDORFF and BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE

[GretchenEE]

I actually thought I was pinging everyone to a different article with an ex-Guardsman, retired Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun, stating he remembers seeing Bush each drill period, reading training manuals and safety regs in the office, eating lunch and shooting the breeze with him, on at least six of his weekends.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040213/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_military_records_56

“He was very aggressive about doing his duty there. He never complained about it. ... He was very dedicated to what he was doing in the Guard. He showed up on time and he left at the end of the day.”

You could get dizzy from the spin, but it's worth reading.

[GretchenEE]

You'll enjoy reading the article linked in post 61, if you haven't seen it already.

[Lucy Lake]

A person only had to sign up in the NG for two years, but because Lt. Bush decided to be a pilot, the training extended his service at least a year.

If the President had been looking to shorten his military assignment, applying for pilot training was NOT the way to do it. Pilot training extended his commitment by over 50%.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Outstanding work!!!

[maica]

But reporters aren't too bright as a rule.
***

You are concerned that a witness has come forward and it is not top of the news. Relax, please.

Nothing less than an apology from GWB for moving into the White House will satisfy these "journalists." Until then everytime he responds to a specific request, some of his enemies will say - see - you still have something to hide.


This accusation will never go away, for some people!

[Hon]

"A person only had to sign up in the NG for two years, but because Lt. Bush decided to be a pilot, the training extended his service at least a year.

If the President had been looking to shorten his military assignment, applying for pilot training was NOT the way to do it. Pilot training extended his commitment by over 50%."

Excellent point!

I would also think it was more likely you'd get sent to VN if you were a pilot than say just a grunt.

[speekinout]

If the President had been looking to shorten his military assignment, applying for pilot training was NOT the way to do it. Pilot training extended his commitment by over 50%

Stories from 2000 said that this is why he got the NG spot. It wasn't preference because of his father - it was that he was one of the few who would commit to 6 years and the year or two of full time training required.

[Jaguar Girl]

"They're so anxious to defeat the President that they've lost their collective minds"

I agree with you OhioWfan, they HAVE lost their minds.

[ohioWfan]

Why do I get the distinct impression that, regardless of how much evidence is presented, the Dems and the media will never be satisfied?

The American people will, however, and the more the left pounds this drum, the better it will be for the President.

[StopThePress]

"Bush did not receive military pay from May to September of 1972, according to the documents, and the former commander of the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron said Tuesday that Bush didn't show up during those months."

"He never did come to my squad," said retired Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, who lives in Montgomery. "He was never at my unit."

Why would he report? According to the Washington Post, this is what happened:

May 24, 1972 Bush requested transfer to Alabama

May 26, 1972 Units commander Lt. Col. Reese Bricken accepted him saying "The continuation of this type unit is uncertain at this time and we may last 3 months, 6 months, a year or who knows! With this in mind, if you are willing to accept assignment under these circumstances, welcome! We're glad to have you."

July 31, 1972: Air Force Reserve Personnel Center overruled Bricken and returned Bush's application, calling him "ineligible for assignment to an Air Reserve Squadron."

So why would bush report to Bricken when his application was denied?

Then what happened was this:

September 5th, 1972: Bush requests permission to perform "equivalent duty" with the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Montgomery, Ala.

September 15th, 1972: Bush requests for equivalent duty approved and directed him to report to Lt. Col. William Turnipseed.

The liberal media is trying to emphasize so- called "gaps in time" when the important factor is the 50 or more points you must earn inside of a year

.

[GretchenEE]

Q. "Why do I get the distinct impression that, regardless of how much evidence is presented, the Dems and the media will never be satisfied?"

A. Because the dems' goal is not finding the truth or exposing a scandal, if one exists; it is to keep the accusation alive.

[Hon]

"Because the dems' goal is not finding the truth or exposing a scandal, if one exists; it is to keep the accusation alive."

And by Dem's you mean the media as well, of course.

What is hilarious about this, is that ANYTHING negative about Kerry is immediately called a Republican smear by the med--no matter if they know it came from Chris Lehane.

But the media have never once accused the Dems of being behind the "AWOL" LIBEL, even though the head of the DNC is one of the people doing the LIBELING.

The media are worse than whores. At least whores do it for money. The media does it because they hate this country, I believe.

[ohioWfan]

Right. It's not the innocence or guilt. It's the seriousness of the charge.

RAT talking point. Keep up the AWOL accusation and something will stick.

Only I don't think it's going to work this time, any more than the 16 words did, or the Bush knew accusation did, or any of the other lies they've told have.

[AHerald]

Bumping an old article for obvious reasons.

[Bob]

...leaving their boat crew to face the VC with a far less experienced leader.

I've seen reports here on FR that Kerry got his entire PCF-94 crew rotated out of Swift boat duty (if not Vietnam entirely) when he left.

While I haven't been able to confirm it, it's supposed to have been described in "Tour of Duty" that he 'took care of' his crew. That sounds like a pretty good trick for a junior O2 to pull off (except that he was a Ted Kennedy protege).