VERY IMPORTANT--REBUTTAL. BUSH'S NATIONAL GUARD YEARS (Byron York)

The Hill ^ | Sept. 08, 2004 | Byron York

[Joann37]

Please keep this article and forward to those who have been taken in by the media's spin on Bush's service in the National Guard. Even I, a loyal supporter of the President, was led to believe that he just showed up for a couple of weekends or something. But Byron York spells out exactly how the President served in the guard, not just on weekends, but on a FULL TIME basis for TWO YEARS.

Bush’s National Guard years Before you fall for Dems’ spin, here are the facts BYRON YORK

What do you really know about George W. Bush’s time in the Air National Guard? That he didn’t show up for duty in Alabama? That he missed a physical? That his daddy got him in?

News coverage of the president’s years in the Guard has tended to focus on one brief portion of that time — to the exclusion of virtually everything else. So just for the record, here, in full, is what Bush did:

The future president joined the Guard in May 1968. Almost immediately, he began an extended period of training. Six weeks of basic training. Fifty-three weeks of flight training. Twenty-one weeks of fighter-interceptor training.

That was 80 weeks to begin with, and there were other training periods thrown in as well. It was full-time work. By the time it was over, Bush had served nearly two years.

Not two years of weekends. Two years.

After training, Bush kept flying, racking up hundreds of hours in F-102 jets. As he did, he accumulated points toward his National Guard service requirements. At the time, guardsmen were required to accumulate a minimum of 50 points to meet their yearly obligation.

According to records released earlier this year, Bush earned 253 points in his first year, May 1968 to May 1969 (since he joined in May 1968, his service thereafter was measured on a May-to-May basis).

Bush earned 340 points in 1969-1970. He earned 137 points in 1970-1971. And he earned 112 points in 1971-1972. The numbers indicate that in his first four years, Bush not only showed up, he showed up a lot. Did you know that?

That brings the story to May 1972 — the time that has been the focus of so many news reports — when Bush “deserted” (according to anti-Bush filmmaker Michael Moore) or went “AWOL” (according to Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee).

Bush asked for permission to go to Alabama to work on a Senate campaign. His superior officers said OK. Requests like that weren’t unusual, says retired Col. William Campenni, who flew with Bush in 1970 and 1971.

“In 1972, there was an enormous glut of pilots,” Campenni says. “The Vietnam War was winding down, and the Air Force was putting pilots in desk jobs. In ’72 or ’73, if you were a pilot, active or Guard, and you had an obligation and wanted to get out, no problem. In fact, you were helping them solve their problem.”

So Bush stopped flying. From May 1972 to May 1973, he earned just 56 points — not much, but enough to meet his requirement.

Then, in 1973, as Bush made plans to leave the Guard and go to Harvard Business School, he again started showing up frequently.

In June and July of 1973, he accumulated 56 points, enough to meet the minimum requirement for the 1973-1974 year.

Then, at his request, he was given permission to go. Bush received an honorable discharge after serving five years, four months and five days of his original six-year commitment. By that time, however, he had accumulated enough points in each year to cover six years of service.

During his service, Bush received high marks as a pilot.

A 1970 evaluation said Bush “clearly stands out as a top notch fighter interceptor pilot” and was “a natural leader whom his contemporaries look to for leadership.”

A 1971 evaluation called Bush “an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot” who “continually flies intercept missions with the unit to increase his proficiency even further.” And a 1972 evaluation called Bush “an exceptional fighter interceptor pilot and officer.”

Now, it is only natural that news reports questioning Bush’s service — in The Boston Globe and The New York Times, on CBS and in other outlets — would come out now. Democrats are spitting mad over attacks on John Kerry’s record by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

And, as it is with Kerry, it’s reasonable to look at a candidate’s entire record, including his military service — or lack of it. Voters are perfectly able to decide whether it’s important or not in November.

The Kerry camp blames Bush for the Swift boat veterans’ attack, but anyone who has spent much time talking to the Swifties gets the sense that they are doing it entirely for their own reasons.

And it should be noted in passing that Kerry has personally questioned Bush’s service, while Bush has not personally questioned Kerry’s.

In April — before the Swift boat veterans had said a word — Kerry said Bush “has yet to explain to America whether or not, and tell the truth, about whether he showed up for duty.” Earlier, Kerry said, “Just because you get an honorable discharge does not, in fact, answer that question.”

Now, after the Swift boat episode, the spotlight has returned to Bush.

That’s fine. We should know as much as we can.

And perhaps someday Kerry will release more of his military records as well.

Byron York is a White House correspondent for National Review. His column appears in The Hill each week. E-mail: byork@thehill.com

[Petronski]

BC04 needs to get these points coming out of Republican mouths on TV ASAP. Put out the sparks before a real fire starts.

[SW6906]

Finally, someone gets to the truth. BTTT!!

[FlashBack]

E-mailed to my contacts as well!!!
The 'Rats keep bringing up the same old tried and disproven arguments time and time again...
They're going down in flames!!!

[Boundless]

> BC04 needs to get these points coming out ...

BC will not officially do that. In fact, it seems to be
up to the base to handle anything prior to 1972.

I just today wrote up a Guard/Reserve run-up comparison
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1210270/posts

And I can assure you I'm not on the WH fax list.

[MEG33]

The Facts about Bush and the National Guard
The Democratic charges fall apart.

http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/york200408261025.asp

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1209878/posts

Here Is Why The Boston Globe Guard Piece is a Smear

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1082753/posts

Joppa man: Bush served in Guard in '72
THE DECATUR DAILY ^ | Eric Fleischauer

[DouglasKC]

Bump all you need to know...emailed to Washington Post, Boston Globe and 60 minutes...

[kAcknor]

Bump for Reference.

[PhatHead]

"Texans for Truth" says they can't find anybody who served with Bush in Alabama. I can help.

Here's a guy who "saw him each drill period":

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-02-13-bush-military_x.htm

And how about the dentist? Bush's records show a dental exam in Alabama:

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gwbush/gwb10673dent.html

BEN BARNES

Here's an easy fact check - Ben Barnes says he helped get Bush into the Guard while he was Lt. Governor. Barnes became Lt Gov in January 1969. Bush joined the guard in May, 1968

[bjcintennessee]

ping

[SirChas]

The dems don't understand what it's like in a fighter.

I was active duty in the early 70's, also under the Air Defense Command, and worked with the radar/computer/fire control systems on the F-106. This was the fighter that replaced the F-102.

I got a training sortie in a 2 seater as a back seat "weapons officer". While flying at close to mach 1 and performing some very tricky maneuvers, I was able to lock on and perform a simulated "hit" on another F-106. It took everything I had just to stay awake during high G's as well as operating all of the electronic weapons system.!
The pilot I was with made the next intercept with very little effort. He flew the plane, operated the weapons, and did all so fast, your head would spin!

My point to all of this is that I know what Pres Bush did, and I challenge Kerry or any other dem just to ride in the back seat of any fighter while on a training mission!
They would be crying like school girls!

[TheGhosts]

Everyone should help in getting these facts out. Cut and paste into email and send off to family and co-workers.

[Snake65]

Thanks and bookmarked.

[K1avg]

Bookmark for later.

Have to send this to some libs on another forum. Very good stuff...

[Boundless]

> The dems don't understand what it's like in a fighter.

Particularly this fighter. This was back before the
days of PC promotions of incompetents. If you weren't
up to the F-102A, it would happily kill you.

Here's a link:
http://timworstall.typepad.com/timworstall/2004/08/bush_and_the_f1.html

Closing (facetious) comment:
"The lousy damn coward. He went and hid in a unit, one
which had active service members actually in Vietnam,
one where the death rate in training and peacetime from
accident alone was damn nearly the same as active service
in Vietnam for all troops. Sheesh."

[sport]

Bump

[kpp_kpp]

fr needs to add an "email this page" feature so we can "ping" non-freepers more easily.

[gov_bean_ counter]

All this is great info, however it is probably too much for the sheeple to follow. The WH should stick with the "Honorably Discharged" statement. If the Dems are stupid enough to argue the validity of official military documents, they do so at Kerry's peril since that is what his defense is based on.

[MEG33]

I'm a Texan..I don't need any of this...but I enjoy the research people do and some freepers need it to arm themselves against lib family or friends.

"Honorably discharged" are two words the media cannot comprehend.....

We have had a LOT of threads on this today and some people get nervous...They don't understand the Guard...nor do they understand "honorably discharged".

[ride the whirlwind]

My point to all of this is that I know what Pres Bush did, and I challenge Kerry or any other dem just to ride in the back seat of any fighter while on a training mission!

They would be crying like school girls!

Now, now, we mustn't insult school girls like that. LOL