Former Dannelly worker: Bush not AWOL [another eyewitness steps forward]

THE DECATUR DAILY ^ | 2.16.04 | Eric Fleischauer

[ambrose]

Former Dannelly worker: Bush not AWOL

By Eric Fleischauer

DAILY Staff Writer

eric@decaturdaily.com · 340-2435

Retired Master Sgt. James Copeland does not care so much whether people think President Bush went absent without leave in 1972, but one thing he hears bothers him plenty.

"Maybe the Bush family was well known in Texas, but we didn't know who he was here. He was just another guy in a flight jacket," Copeland said Sunday.

Copeland, who lives in Hartselle, retired from the Air Force on Jan. 31, 1980. He was the disbursement accounting supervisor, a full-time position, for Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Montgomery from Oct. 28, 1971, to Oct. 27, 1975. His office was less than 100 yards from the hangar where Bush performed drills.

Rumors say Bush went AWOL while assisting Winton "Red" Blount in an unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate focus on 1972 and 1973.

Copeland, 65, remembers meeting Bush on two occasions. He does not remember the precise dates. On one occasion, Copeland said, Bush and Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun came to Copeland's office with a question about Bush's pay. Copeland is not sure, but he believes the question had to do with where to mail Bush's checks.

Bush was never a member of the Alabama National Guard, he just did his drills here. For that reason, Copeland thinks he referred the pay question to the paymaster for the Texas National Guard.

The other time Copeland remembers meeting Bush was at the base canteen. Bush was there drinking coffee or a soft drink, Copeland said.

Copeland stressed that Calhoun's account of Bush's service in Montgomery would be accurate because Calhoun was in a position to work with Bush during every drill. Calhoun told The Associated Press last week that he saw Bush every drill time, which was one weekend each month.

Not only was Calhoun in a position to know of Bush's service, Copeland said, but Calhoun "was an ethical and honest officer."

No easy treatment

The suggestion that he or anyone else gave Bush a break because of the family legacy bothers Copeland.

"You hear people saying that everybody (at Dannelly) knew the Bushes. Well, that's just a lie," Copeland said. "He was just another pilot. No one paid any more attention to him than to anyone else. There was no hoopla."

Copeland said Bush trained on an F-106 fighter plane in Texas, so he was not qualified to fly the planes at Dannelly. Dannelly had F-84 Thunderjets and, later, F-4 Phantoms.

The issue of whether Bush skipped his Air National Guard duties is not a new one.

Some Democrats have long questioned whether Bush continued his drills while absent from Texas for Blount's campaign.

Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Friday that the White House is making no effort to locate people who could document Bush's service.

Joe Holcombe, 71, of Joppa worked with Bush on the Blount campaign. He told THE DAILY last week that he remembers Bush missing at least one campaign meeting because of his National Guard drills.

While Copeland said he thinks claims that Bush was AWOL are baseless, he said one thing puzzles him.

"All Bush would have to do to get proof of his Alabama service is pick up the phone and contact military records," he said. "It seems a little odd that he hasn't done that."

Copeland also is puzzled by dental records that Bush produced as evidence of his duties at Dannelly.

"We had no dentist at Dannelly Field," Copeland said. "The only dentists were at Maxwell (Air Force Base)."

[hobbes1]

Which is close, but not quite.

I believe that Kerry wanted to wait, until around Halloween to bring the charge, so that it would take so long to be refuted, the damage would last past election day. (remember the Friday DUI story...?)

However, it is abundantly clear that those with an interest in '08, did not want that club still in the bag.

[EllaMinnow]

The left still doesn't care about AWOL, desertion or draft dodging, they just hope to supress conservative turnout.

Bingo.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Hey, I don't care about the President in Alabama or Texas, but saying there were "zero" eyewitnesses to Kerry's actions in getting the silver star is just bullbleep

I understand loyalty to your party and all that, but have you actually looked into this? You should. Kerry is a fraud, in more ways than one.

[EllaMinnow]

I think optimal timing for the DNC/Kerry to achieve the results they were seeking would have been from the middle of September - right after the Republican convention - till the middle of October - to give the drumbeat time to strengthen.

But McAwful couldn't keep his mouth shut.

[hobbes1]

That would be close, but it leaves too much time for eyewitnesses to rebut the charge.Just like we are getting now. The Count is 4, already, including a doctor that examined the man.....

[jackbill]

but saying there were "zero" eyewitnesses to Kerry's actions in getting the silver star is just bullbleep

Who were the eyewitnesses? The rest of the crew that apparently got Bronze Stars? Could it possibly be quid pro quo?

[oldgrunt]

Maybe you should read this letter:

COL. WILLIAM CAMPENNI (retired)
U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard
Herndon, Va.5

www.washingtontimes.com

---

Letters to the Editor
Published February 11, 2004

---

[DallasMike]

Bump for later investigation

[deport]

BS made a post and hasn't been seen since..... guess it's off looking for an eyewitness or two to cover up the bullbleep........

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Well, I'm anxiously awaiting a reply. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up. : )

[dalebert]

People should not have to come forward to defend Bush's service in the guard. His record should be enough. The press should be looking for more Kerry bimbos.

[deport]

High hopes........ He's got high hopes..........

Nope wouldn't expect much from BS.... BS has changed its course now that the Military records have been released... For a while that was the theme of its post....

[Ruth A.]

I will admit that the President looks particualrly stud in the second pic. Rummy in his youth gets to me, too. The fantastic thing is that they both emit masculinity then and now--no Botax, special haricuts for them.

[Destructor]

Read later.

[timydnuc]

The President sure as hell wasn't AWOL on 9/11/2001. He was the President and he led us into the war on the enemy that will have us dead or slaves. Thank you Mr. President, I will follow you into hell for our security.

[SuziQ]

preventing Kerry from making more effective use of a potent issue later this year if he is the Democratic nominee…

Yeah, like the week before the election when the news media would be all over it like white on rice, and there wouldn't be TIME to get records or find people to refute it!

Tuffski sh*tski, John F'ing Kerry!

[lonestar]

At that time, GHWB was just a former Representative from Houston, who had lost a race for the Senate and no one but Houston Republicans (there weren't many then) knew who any of them were.

I was one of the few. Went to precinct meetings with the Bushes in the old fire station on Westheimer.

[Cloud William]

Kerry aides were not upset about McAuliffe's negative tone, Democratic sources said. Instead, they were worried that the party chairman had raised the charge too early -- preventing Kerry from making more effective use of a potent issue later this year if he is the Democratic nominee…

I swear, some days I really think that McAuliffe is a Republican covert operative.

[Cloud William]

As to the dentist. Bush just had his teeth cleaned. You only need a dental hygienist to do that. Was there a traveling dental hygienist who made stops at Donnelly?

Dental hygienists - in the Air National Guard - in the early 1970s? Nope, a dentist would've handled even the basic procedures.

[Nix 2]

Hey, hey, hey!!! They used these pics on Fox and Friends this morning. The one in the cockpit had a caption:

"Call off the Dogs!"

Eehaw! Kerry=doggiedoo!!!