Posted on 08/24/2004 3:06:29 PM PDT by A Navy Vet
Letters to the Editor
'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.
It is quite frustrating to hear the daily cacophony from the left and Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, et al., about Lt. Bush escaping his military responsibilities by hiding in the Texas ANG. In the Air Guard during the Vietnam War, you were always subject to call-up, as many Air National Guardsmen are finding out today. If the 111th FIS and Lt. Bush did not go to Vietnam, blame President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, not lowly Lt. Bush. They deliberately avoided use of the Guard and Reserves for domestic political calculations, knowing that a draftee only stirred up the concerns of one family, while a call-up got a whole community's attention.
The mission of the 147th Fighter Group and its subordinate 111th FIS, Texas ANG, and the airplane it possessed, the F-102, was air defense. It was focused on defending the continental United States from Soviet nuclear bombers. The F-102 could not drop bombs and would have been useless in Vietnam. A pilot program using ANG volunteer pilots in F-102s (called Palace Alert) was scrapped quickly after the airplane proved to be unsuitable to the war effort. Ironically, Lt. Bush did inquire about this program but was advised by an ANG supervisor (Maj. Maurice Udell, retired) that he did not have the desired experience (500 hours) at the time and that the program was winding down and not accepting more volunteers.
If you check the 111th FIS records of 1970-72 and any other ANG squadron, you will find other pilots excused for career obligations and conflicts. The Bush excusal in 1972 was further facilitated by a change in the unit's mission, from an operational fighter squadron to a training squadron with a new airplane, the F-101, which required that more pilots be available for full-time instructor duty rather than part-time traditional reservists with outside employment.
The winding down of the Vietnam War in 1971 provided a flood of exiting active-duty pilots for these instructor jobs, making part-timers like Lt. Bush and me somewhat superfluous. There was a huge glut of pilots in the Air Force in 1972, and with no cockpits available to put them in, many were shoved into nonflying desk jobs. Any pilot could have left the Air Force or the Air Guard with ease after 1972 before his commitment was up because there just wasn't room for all of them anymore.
Sadly, few of today's partisan pundits know anything about the environment of service in the Reserves in the 1970s. The image of a reservist at that time is of one who joined, went off for six months' basic training, then came back and drilled weekly or monthly at home, with two weeks of "summer camp." With the knowledge that Mr. Johnson and Mr. McNamara were not going to call out the Reserves, it did become a place of refuge for many wanting to avoid Vietnam.
There was one big exception to this abusive use of the Guard to avoid the draft, and that was for those who wanted to fly, as pilots or crew members. Because of the training required, signing up for this duty meant up to 2½ years of active duty for training alone, plus a high probability of mobilization. A fighter-pilot candidate selected by the Guard (such as Lt. Bush and me) would be spending the next two years on active duty going through basic training (six weeks), flight training (one year), survival training (two weeks) and combat crew training for his aircraft (six to nine months), followed by local checkout (up to three more months) before he was even deemed combat-ready. Because the draft was just two years, you sure weren't getting out of duty being an Air Guard pilot. If the unit to which you were going back was an F-100, you were mobilized for Vietnam. Avoiding service? Yeah, tell that to those guys.
The Bush critics do not comprehend the dangers of fighter aviation at any time or place, in Vietnam or at home, when they say other such pilots were risking their lives or even dying while Lt. Bush was in Texas. Our Texas ANG unit lost several planes right there in Houston during Lt. Bush's tenure, with fatalities. Just strapping on one of those obsolescing F-102s was risking one's life.
Critics such as Mr. Kerry (who served in Vietnam, you know), Terry McAuliffe and Michael Moore (neither of whom served anywhere) say Lt. Bush abandoned his assignment as a jet fighter pilot without explanation or authorization and was AWOL from the Alabama Air Guard.
Well, as for abandoning his assignment, this is untrue. Lt. Bush was excused for a period to take employment in Florida for a congressman and later in Alabama for a Senate campaign.
Excusals for employment were common then and are now in the Air Guard, as pilots frequently are in career transitions, and most commanders (as I later was) are flexible in letting their charges take care of career affairs until they return or transfer to another unit near their new employment. Sometimes they will transfer temporarily to another unit to keep them on the active list until they can return home. The receiving unit often has little use for a transitory member, especially in a high-skills category like a pilot, because those slots usually are filled and, if not filled, would require extensive conversion training of up to six months, an unlikely option for a temporary hire.
As a commander, I would put such "visitors" in some minor administrative post until they went back home. There even were a few instances when I was unaware that they were on my roster because the paperwork often lagged. Today, I can't even recall their names. If a Lt. Bush came into my unit to "pull drills" for a couple of months, I wouldn't be too involved with him because I would have a lot more important things on my table keeping the unit combat ready.
Another frequent charge is that, as a member of the Texas ANG, Lt. Bush twice ignored or disobeyed lawful orders, first by refusing to report for a required physical in the year when drug testing first became part of the exam, and second by failing to report for duty at the disciplinary unit in Colorado to which he had been ordered. Well, here are the facts:
First, there is no instance of Lt. Bush disobeying lawful orders in reporting for a physical, as none would be given. Pilots are scheduled for their annual flight physicals in their birth month during that month's weekend drill assembly — the only time the clinic is open. In the Reserves, it is not uncommon to miss this deadline by a month or so for a variety of reasons: The clinic is closed that month for special training; the individual is out of town on civilian business; etc.
If so, the pilot is grounded temporarily until he completes the physical. Also, the formal drug testing program was not instituted by the Air Force until the 1980s and is done randomly by lot, not as a special part of a flight physical, when one easily could abstain from drug use because of its date certain. Blood work is done, but to ensure a healthy pilot, not confront a drug user.
Second, there was no such thing as a "disciplinary unit in Colorado" to which Lt. Bush had been ordered. The Air Reserve Personnel Center in Denver is a repository of the paperwork for those no longer assigned to a specific unit, such as retirees and transferees. Mine is there now, so I guess I'm "being disciplined." These "disciplinary units" just don't exist. Any discipline, if required, is handled within the local squadron, group or wing, administratively or judicially. Had there been such an infraction or court-martial action, there would be a record and a reflection in Lt. Bush's performance review and personnel folder. None exists, as was confirmed in The Washington Post in 2000.
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.
It didn't happen by accident. It happened because back at the nadir of Guard fortunes in the early '70s, a lot of volunteer guardsman showed they were ready and able to accept the responsibilities of soldier and citizen — then and now. Lt. Bush was a kid whose congressman father encouraged him to serve in the Air National Guard. We served proudly in the Guard. Would that Mr. Kerry encourage his children and the children of his colleague senators and congressmen to serve now in the Guard.
In the fighter-pilot world, we have a phrase we use when things are starting to get out of hand and it's time to stop and reset before disaster strikes. We say, "Knock it off." So, Mr. Kerry and your friends who want to slander the Guard: Knock it off.
COL. WILLIAM CAMPENNI (retired)
U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard
Herndon, Va.5
In my world, it was "Rescue from Above," although I also served with rhe bomber and tanker people.
Cool. One out of four. There's a trick to that as you probably know.
"Wiseass aviation officer candidate"
"Wiseass primary flight student"
"Wiseass basic flight student"
"Wiseass advanced flight student"
"Wiseass military aviator" ("wiseass pilot")
You forgot "Wiseass" Subic Bay "wiseass".
Bump!
This picture is BOGUS. The following is from the history of the 5th FIS, (note the markings on the nose which alludes to the Spittin Kittens) and the name on the canopy.
In June 1948 the unit transitioned into F-82s. In the fall of 1949 the unit moved to McGuire AFB. In August of 1955 the 5th FIS designation was transferred to Suffolk County AFB. In the spring of 1957 the unit transitioned into F-102As. In February 1960 the 5th FIS moved to Minot AFB, North Dakota and transitioned into the F-106A. An interesting thing about the 5th, was their mascots, two live Linx kittens that produced several offspring which were kept on base. In the mid 80's the 5th FIS converted to the F-15 Eagles. The F-15s only flew over Minot until the spring of 1988, when the 5th FIS was deactivated. After the unit inactivated, their two Linx kitten mascotts were donated to the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, where they're still living today.
note that the squadron moved to Minot in 1960 and were equipped with F-106s. Therefore an F-102 at Suffolk AFB in Ny in 1970 just didn't happen.
BTW I was stationed at Perrin AFB from 1966 to 69. Although I never met him, Wubya and I were on the same station since ALL F-102 pilots would have to take their training at Perrin AFB. The F-102s were phased out in 1972 and the base was closed. I do believe that the F-102s were sold to either Greece or Turkey!
"twice"
THAT'S NOT FAIRRRRRR!!!
Just let me know where you're aiming after coming out of the O'Club so I can get the hell outta the way. Thanks. Appreciate it. And so does my SO.
is that a West Hampton plane
Yup, it's true. However, they went thru basic training and sacrificed much for their country. I give them credit for not running to Canada, burning their draft cards, and not being assured they wouldn't see combat. Best to them.
Actually, I doubt the aircraft stenciled with New York on it while GW flew it for the Texas ANG. That was what I meant.
Thanks very much for the thread. Bumping this one for future reference.
Thanks blackie!
And the left says it was a popcorn and pretzels job..
*snort*
Nevertheless. I get to vote once in my home precinct and I get a bonus absentee ballot for Palm Beach County. All because I learned to filter unpleasant truths from my giant Dimocrap brain.
An interesting modern side point to Naval service is that with todays high-tech weapons, a Naval vessel is a sitting duck, unlike ground-pounders who can hide, dig foxholes, or retreat to regroup. If there is ever another major naval engagement, it will be a catastrophe. All hands, whether 300 personnel on a destroyer, or the thousands on a carrier will go down. There is nowhere to escape.
Although I admit it is a highly unlikely scenerio, that's how it would pan out. Ever seen the movie, "Sum of All Fears", and the strike against one of our carriers? The boys and girls in the Navy are not as "secure" as you may think.
And on a personal side note...I remember clearly playing chase with Soviet subs during the Cold War era. Point being, ALL military personnel are at risk, unless stateside or at an obvious low risk area oversees.
They are all heros in their my mind. Give them a break.
That's right, so why weren't college grads flocking to join the National Guard before the draft loomed? Except for prior military members, many Guard slots remained vacant in the fifties and early sixties. College grads weren't racing to fill them. They only became a premium choice for military service when the draft for service during the Viet Nam War seemed a real possibility.
The entire viability of National Guard units changed dramatically after Viet Nam. Before National Guard units changed, we dreaded having them visit our active duty bases during their annual two week training. As a unit, too many were inept, and it wasn't due to the active duty veterans among their numbers. It's only now that people make the generalization that men that choose to enter the National Guard during the Viet Nam War did so to serve their country. That wasn't the prevailing attitude at the time. Granted, there were some, but they were a small percentage. It was the prior service members that were the glue of the National Guard and filled the year round slots.
"Yes indeed VN is THE most venemous legacy in our history & I for one think it's time to lance that boil & reassess what really happened."
Then open it all the way. I personally know guys that suffered worse than Kerry, yet received no citations. They never felt they were serving our country for medals or citations. And I know others that embellished their wartime experiences, just like Kerry. It was widely practiced, but this aspect would cause great harm to the vast majority of veterans that embellished nothing.
Olongopo Wiseass?
Okay...so I forgot how to spell Subic Bay's town. You know my comments about being a flyer "wiseass" is a compliment. You know how much I respect you and have treated you in person.
I apologize if I haven't shown the proper respect...sincerely.
But-then again--WHO would Believe that!
FOR SURE, the "Relative Risk" that "JAWN'" & "W" were exposed to during the Vietnam War were "GASP!!" EQUAL!!!!!
I SERIOUSLY DOUBT that "JAWN" could have survived an attepmt to fly an F102!!
ANY "JERKWEED" can Drive a Boat!!
OOPS!!
Doc
I don't know about "embellishing nothing", but I do agree with the rest of your post.
Some went because they were called (drafted); some went because they felt the duty; and some went to further their political aspirations. Make your choice.
"The first one is the Air Force Citation ribbon. I am uncertain about the second without a color picture."
Appears to be marksmanship. That's my best guess, and he should have had one, too.
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