Posted on 08/27/2004 3:46:59 AM PDT by kattracks
This is the only place that you will get the full and true story of President Bush’s Air National Guard service. There are no UNANSWERED questions. There are no missing records. He did not miss any meetings. The truth is known. You can find everything in this article, in other publications but none of the others are complete. You have to put them all together to get the full story. It is a shame that our national "objective" media refuse to do their job and put the whole story together.First, in answer to the charge that Bush was AWOL or missed meetings, George Bush was NEVER assigned to the Alabama Guard. This is a myth promoted by the "objective" media. Here is what really happened. Here is what the head of the Alabama Guard said.
Turnipseed states Bush was never ordered to report to the Alabama Air National Guard. He points out that Bush never transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. He remained in the Texas Guard during his stay in Alabama. This was confirmed by the Texas Guard. And Turnipseed added that Bush was never under his command or any other officer in the Alabama Guard.
Turnipseed added that Bush was informed of the drill schedule of the Alabama Guard as a courtesy so he could get credit for drills while in Alabama for his service record in the Texas Guard. There was no compulsory attendance. This was also confirmed by the Texas Guard.
This was reported in the Chicago Sun-Times and has never been picked up by any other news organization. Turnipseed then also added.
For Bush to be "AWOL" or "away without leave," he would have had to have been assigned to a unit and under its command.
For the liberals reading this, go back and read it again. You see, Bush did NOT miss any meetings. The whole argument is nonsense. He got permission from his commanding officer to go to Alabama and attend meetings as a courtesy so he could attend when he could. Another part of this attack is that no one saw Bush at the meetings he did attend. It was reported that Turnipseed never saw Bush. Read what was reported about that.
Turnipseed reversed gear after retired Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun went public to say that not only did he remember Bush in Alabama, but that it was Turnipseed himself that introduced the two. Oops. And really...the media is completely asleep at the switch on this one. How many people that you saw a few times do you remember from 30 years ago?
Why didn’t fellow pilots see Bush in Alabama? The planes being flown by the Alabama Guard were not the same as the F102 that Bush was trained on. Why would pilots see him if he was not flying? That is why Lt. Col. Calhoun came forward to say that was Bush was in his office for study and drill time. Remember he was not assigned to the unit, he did NOT have to be there.
The following is from a letter by Col. William Campenni Ret. published in the Washington Times.
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 2½½ 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.
Here is some information that the "objective" media avoids telling you. John Kerry joined the Navy Reserve, he did not JOIN the Navy. The Reserve was just like the National Guard. Kerry did NOT know he would be sent to Vietnam.
George Bush joined the Guard for a SIX-year term. If you are drafted, you only have to serve TWO years. Bush probably did not need to pull strings to get into a jet fighter unit. Jets required a greater time commitment than normal Guard postings. Pilots from the unit that he joined were being sent to Vietnam. All the publications that have researched this have concluded that there is NO evidence that he used any influence to get into the Guard. The liberal publications will say that there is no evidence, but it is still suspicious. That is a good journalistic standard? So, do you get it, Bush joined a unit that at the time was serving in Vietnam.
The following is research from aerospaceweb.org ........
Nevertheless, we have established that the F-102 was serving in combat in Vietnam at the time Bush enlisted to become an F-102 pilot. In fact, pilots from the 147th FIG of the Texas ANG were routinely rotated to Vietnam for combat duty under a program called "Palace Alert" from 1968 to 1970. Palace Alert was an Air Force program that sent qualified F-102 pilots from the ANG to bases in Europe or southeast Asia for periods of three to six months for frontline duty. Fred Bradley, a friend of Bush's who was also serving in the Texas ANG, reported that he and Bush inquired about participating in the Palace Alert program. However, the two were told by a superior, MAJ Maurice Udell, that they were not yet qualified since they were still in training and did not have the 500 hours of flight experience required. Furthermore, ANG veteran COL William Campenni, who was a fellow pilot in the 111th FIS at the time, told the Washington Times that Palace Alert was winding down and not accepting new applicants.
As he was completing training and being certified as a qualified F-102 pilot, Bush's squadron was a likely candidate to be rotated to Vietnam. However, the F-102 was built for a type of air combat that wasn't seen during that conflict, and the plane was withdrawn from southeast Asia in December 1969. The F-102 was instead returned to its primary role of providing air defense for the United States. In addition, the mission of Ellington AFB, where Bush was stationed, was also changing from air defense alert to training all F-102 pilots in the US for Air National Guard duty. Lt. Bush remained in the ANG as a certified F-102 pilot who participated in frequent drills and alerts through April of 1972. ... By this time, the 147th Fighter Wing was also beginning to transition from the F-102 to the F-101F, an updated version of the F-101B used primarily for air defense patrols. Furthermore, the war in Vietnam was nearing its end and the US was withdrawing its forces from the theater. Air Force personnel returning to the US created a glut of active-duty pilots, and there were not enough aircraft available to accommodate all of the qualified USAF and ANG pilots. Since USAF personnel had priority for the billets available, many of the Air National Guard pilots whose enlistments were nearly complete requested early release. The ANG was eager to fulfill these requests because there was not enough time to retrain F-102 pilots to operate new aircraft before their enlistments were up anyway. Bush was one of those forced out by the transition, and he was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in October 1973, eight months before his six-year enlistment was complete. Bush had approximately 600 flight hours by the time he completed his military service.
The folks at aerospaceweb concluded.........
While Bush did not see combat in Vietnam, it is also obvious he was not seeking a way to avoid the risk of being sent to Vietnam. At the time he was training to be an F102 pilot, ANG units and that aircraft type were based in Vietnam.
In conclusion, there is no evidence Bush got special treatment to join the Guard. He did NOT miss any meetings, he was not assigned to the Alabama Guard. The reason the so called "objective" media holds on to this myth is that it lets them keep asking, where was Bush? The issue of his being grounded is also answered because he would no longer be flying since his plane was obsolete and he did not have enough Guard time left to train in a new jet. You don’t need to report for a physical if you are not flying. Duh!
Kerry joined the Navy Reserve and did not expect to go to Vietnam. When Kerry did go to Vietnam the swift boats were not during river patrols. They were doing coastal patrols and were not in much danger. That is when he volunteered to join the Swiftee’s. The assignment of those boats was changed after he was accepted for the duty. Surprise, he got action and the rest is disputed history.
The information in this article was published in "George Magazine", "New York Times", "Washington Times", "Chicago Sun-Times", "Washington Post" and aerospaceweb.org.
About the Writer: Gordon Bloyer has been called a Renaissance man by Ronn Owens of KGO radio in San Francisco. Rush Limbaugh read from a letter by Gordon on his national radio show. President Ronald Reagan invited Gordon to the White House to thank him for his support. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows. The Gordon Bloyer Show can be seen at http://gordonbloyershow.com .
I don't see it either
Looks like he could have been drafted if they called him up
And he didn't even do like Bill Clinton and leave the country!!!!
That only applies to Republicans ... Democrats were allowed to get deferments
Maybe we need someone that is more informed in this area
But the way I am reading this .. Cheney only rec'd 1 deferment when he first went to college after graduating from high school
The same as Kerry when he went off to college back then
I believe that's the one that I linked in #42.Whoops! You are right! My bad. (Doh!)
Anyway, I have collected the info/links to this article and the ones you and
Howlin have posted here now, for future reference. Only I have included the
dates of the articles and the titles now as well .....I am willing to bet that Kerry brings this cra* up again, even though it has
been rehashed and rebutted to the end of the earth and back already.
Yes, a lot of us are waiting impatiently to find out why Edwards didn't volunteer.
That baby face is fooling a whole lot of people.
Correction .. that would be 2
Love the way the WP gets this in there at the very top .....
George W. Bush, right, during his Harvard Business School years. (Harvard Yearbook)
It goes into why he wasn't drafted, the lottery, etc., but of course he could always have volunteered, and didn't.
Starting with this post #76 and following, including mine and kabar's on the next page of posts over at the link.
Be sure to check out kabar's posts 109 and 111 for further information.
I still say Edwards shouldn't be let off the hook, and should not be allowed to criticize those who enlisted and volunteered, when he didn't lift a finger!
I'm told ANG jet fighter plane training takes a year. Apparently, during that year GWB was himself given a nickname by some in his unit, Captain Data. He spent a great deal of time studying the F102, becoming so thoroughly knowledgable with every detail that his fellow trainees came to him for help in understanding the aircraft and its capabilities.. Now, that doesn't sound like someone who tried to avoid service, just the opposite, in fact.
Moreover, we know the President not only loves his father but has enormous respect for him, his accomplishments and the way he has lived his life. There is no way GWB would not have tried his very best to be a pilot his dad could be proud of and more than ready had he been called up. This is a loser issue for the dems just as Kerry's 4 months in VN has been.
bump and bookmark
Well, look at that thread now; I made some comments.
And Edwards WAS elgible for the draft from June 10, 1969 until the end of the draft; he had a student deferrment.
Cheney and Bush Campaign Distort Record of Cheney's Deferments. The Washington Post reported in 1991 that Cheney received five deferments, four 2-S student deferments and one under the 3-A classification -- "registrant with a child or children; or registrant deferred by reason of extreme hardship to dependents." In his Senate confirmation hearing, Cheney said he "would have obviously been happy to serve had I been called," which contradicting his earlier statement, "I had other priorities in the '60s than military service." Bush staff members said Cheney received only three deferments, two for school and one for being a new father. [Washington Post, 4/3/91; Des Moines Register, 8/2/00]
Now here we have John Edwards' bio:
Education: JD, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 1977 BS, North Carolina State University, 1974.
So, according to this, since John Edwards graduated from high school in 1969 and there most certainly WAS a draft then, we can assume that John Edwards was elgible for the draft in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1972, and 1973.
So, following along, does that mean that John Edwards received 4 2-S deferments, too???
Am I right in that thinking??
I forgot to include you in post 94.
Thats how I read it. The Breck Girl refused to serve.
Am I reading this right??
They are they counting 1 deferment per year he attended college?
Also .. if they are counting 1 deferment for each year they attended college .. then wouldn't that mean Kerry rec'd 4 2-S deferments between 1962 to 1966?
Here's a link
http://www.sss.gov/lotter1.htm
posted by kabar over on that other thread, which shows who was eligible to be drafted each year, according to their lottery number. (Other links at the bottom of that link.)
I think Edwards was only eligible to be drafted one of those years, but I may be reading it wrong.
He had high enough numbers otherwise, so was not drafted, in which case he didn't need the deferments, and I believe kabar said in that post that Edwards was only eligible the one year, 1973, at which point no one was being drafted anymore.
However, Edwards could have volunteered at any time! But did not. Chose to sit it out drinking beer in college with his pals.
That's what I'm seeing. Could we ALL be that wrong?
If they want to count legitimate 2-S deferments, let's count everybody's!
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