Posted on 09/07/2004 4:46:21 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
AP: Lawsuit Gets Bush Guard Papers Out
2 minutes ago
By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) was ranked in the middle of his Air National Guard class and flew more than 336 hours in a fighter jet before letting his pilot status lapse and missing a key readiness drill, according to his flight records belatedly uncovered Tuesday under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) and Bush's campaign have claimed for months that all records detailing his fighter pilot career have been made public, but defense officials said they found two dozen new records detailing his training and flight logs after The Associated Press filed a lawsuit and crafted new requests under the public records law.
"Previous requests from other requesters for President Bush's Individual Flight Records did not lead to the discovery of these records because at the time President Bush left the service, flight records were subject to retention for only 24 months and we understood that neither the Air Force nor the Texas Air National Guard retained such records thereafter," the Pentagon told the AP.
"Out of an abundance of caution," the government "searched a file that had been preserved in spite of this policy" and found the Bush records, the letter said. "The Department of Defense (news - web sites) regrets this oversight during the previous search efforts."
The records show Bush, a lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard, was ranked No. 22 in a class of 53 pilots when he finished his flight training at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 1969.
Over the next three years, he logged 326.4 hours as a pilot and an additional 9.9 hours as a co-pilot, mostly in his the F-102a jet used to intercept
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
What George Soros and his money has done is promote the publication of all these left wing books that attack George W. Bush and Left Wing Talk Radio. None of which has done what he hoped.
Never in my life have I seen anything close to level of Michael Moore's film that attacked a sitting president. There is at least 20 books out right now that slander this President far more than anything ever written about Bill Clinton.
But George Soros is much too late. The U.S. Media sold out to the Communist over 40 years ago
#174. As a little info addendum to your good post, here's some interesting info I would like to share. F-102 Units that served in Southeast Asia were the 509th F.I.S., 64th F.I.S., 16th F.I.S.. The longest serving F-102 unit in Southeast Asia was the 509th F.I.S.. It's alert commitment with the F-102 in SEA ended in 1970. 1970 was the last year that the F-102 served in Southeast Asia. It's commitments were replaced by F-4C and F-4D units as well as other units flying F-4Es'.
Just thought I'd share that little tidbit.
D2
That info coincides with what I've researched on my own, with no help from the media itself. The F-102 was being phased out of service, in lieu of the F-4 series of fighters that were going into service. Rather than take weeks and months to train the F-102 pilots to fly the F-4's, the F-102 pilots (President Bush being one at the time) was honorably discharged from the service.
#183. Exactly. Good post!!!!
D2
Clicked on your screenname. I'm also very fond of your state's Air National Guard Unit at Great Falls. Top Notch Unit!!!! During an earlier time frame when they were flying F-106s', they took very great pride in the care and maintenance of their aircraft and were the envy of many!!!!
Your state's A.N.G. Unit scored two William Tell victories back to back, '74 and '76.
Best Freegards,
D2
. . . WITH PERMISSION.
The implication is that the Bush administration "hid" the records for some nefarious purpose. They were not "forthcoming" when earlier demands for Bush's records were made.
Its more grist for the Liberal mill.
They don't realize that ergot plagued grain cannot make good bread.
But what does the media gain by allowing Fox to take away market share? What do they gain by destroying the perceived reputation as "news reporters"? What about their credibility in their own business - news?
With all the corruption in corporations, politics, why would the media be adverse to accepting bribes or payoffs? Then they would not care that they lose market share, advertising revenue, etc.
I just feel there is a little more behind all of this than the political mindset of the media. They must gain something if liberals are back in power. What is that something?
We have reporters putting in articles that will reflect errors in reporting. Why? Why ruin a reputation as a reporter?
Their dream of the "SOCIALIST UTOPIA"
The newly released records do not include any from five categories of documents Bush's commanders had been required to keep in response to the gaps in Bush's training in 1972 and 1973. For example, National Guard commanders were required to perform an investigation whenever any pilot skipped a medical exam and forward the results up the Air Force chain of command. No such documents have surfaced.
However, I doubt a commander of the TEXAS ANG would need to investigate a pilot's not showing up for a physical exam when he knew said pilot was on a permitted sabatical to another state.
Nor would a flight physical be required by the Alabama ANG for a someone flying a desk on weekends, working off his committment in a non-flying job, ESPECIALLY when the unit the desk pilot is assigned does not fly the aircraft said pilot is trained and qualified to fly!
The desire of the author and/or editors to imply doubt about Bush's whereabouts. The first makes it plain where he was, the second doubts the veracity of Bush's statements. Subtle but vile.
Please not that "vile" has an interesting anagram...
No, he signed a Presidential order...
You may want to look at the following ...
It seems Bush tried to go to Vietnam
-A former senior Virginia Air National Guard commander, who served with George W. Bush in the Texas Air Guard, says Bush volunteered for Vietnam combat service but was turned down because he did not have the required flight experience.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031773659263&path=!news&s=1045855934842
ALSO-It appears that Bush knew there was a good chance he could go to Vietnam...because he joined a squadron that was sending groups to Vietnam when he signed up...
It also seems that Kerry signed up for the Reserves...was sent to Vietnam...HE DID NOT KNOW HE WOULD BE SENT TO VIETNAM...Does not look like he volunteered for it.
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=9259
"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."
snip-
"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."
Yep...there has been way more info released by Bush than what is standard.
.
Who gives a rip what Kerry does. By Kerry not being willing to release his docs, it shows the public he has something to hide.
With that in mind, imagine what people are thinking now that the Clinton wing of the dem party has taken over the Kerry campaign. Hmmmmm?
The Press will try. BUT,They can't make that claim fly.
The Pentagon pulled the records... When records were not originally released...it was the Bush Admin. who told the Pentagon that they need to be found and released...as requested.
CNN talked about this quite some time ago.
The Bush Admin had nothing to do with the Pentagon losing documents. That's just the Pentagon...and its nothing new.
Simple. When a government agency releases information voluntarily or under mere request, they release what can be found easily.
When an FOIA suit requires release, they have to show due dilligence in a search for such records.
mass55th,
What all do I have to do to file an FOIA for the complete set of John Kerry's military and military related medical records?
I'm serious.
Boy, you read through 179 posts to a thread, thinking you have a gem to impart; then comes #180, and takes the words out of your mouth--and then some!
I mentioned this thread to Mr. Tart (Vietnam vet) and the notion that the AP was pushing the idea that President Bush was average or mediocre. His learned reply, "Don't these people know how hard the F102 was to fly, compared to the other jets?"
Another provably cheesy "statistic" by the @ssclowns at AP. They oughta redo their figures, including the crashed pilots, the washouts, etc.
The "motor boat" remark was icing on the cake--I never thought of that, LOL!
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