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Not really new news, but to summarize: Kerry signed up
for what was supposed to be water taxi and coastal patrol
with minimal risk of actual combat. It later turned into
up-river patrol & more hazard.

Bush, by contrast, signed up to fly F-102As, which were
being used in combat in VN at the time, and which were
very dangerous to fly at any time. He knew he was at
risk of going in harm's way, and applied to switch
to a different a/c type when the '102 was withdrawn from VN.

Both guys were mistaken when they enlisted, as pure luck
would have it. But whose intentions are the less flattering?

Anyway, here's a useful resource for those discussing
GW's service: F-102, Vietnam & George W. Bush

"Not really new news, but to summarize:"

I disagree. This is potentially very big. I personally think this sould be elevated to breaking news and made sticky to raise it's viewability. We do have media types that lurk here. Make sure they see it.

HOLY CRAP! This doesn't sound like Dubya was lookin' for an easy gig!

From F-102, Vietnam & George W. Bush I was shocked to read this:

Even in peacetime conditions, F-102 pilots risked their lives on every flight. Only highly-qualified pilot candidates were accepted for Delta Dagger training because it was such a challenging aircraft to fly and left little room for mistakes. According to the Air Force Safety Center, the lifetime Class A accident rate for the F-102 was 13.69 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours, much higher than the average for today's combat aircraft. For example, the F-16 has an accident rate of 4.14, the F-15 is at 2.47, the F-117 at 4.07, the S-3 at 2.6, and the F-18 at 4.9. Even the Marine Corps' AV-8B, regarded as the most dangerous aircraft in US service today, has a lifetime accident rate of only 11.44 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours. The F-102 claimed the lives of many pilots, including a number stationed at Ellington during Bush's tenure.

Of the 875 F-102A production models that entered service, 259 were lost in accidents that killed 70 Air Force and ANG pilots.