Signature on CBS documents don't match original

The signatures on the CBS documents do not appear to be authentic. Check out the two signatures below, courtesy of Michele Catalano of The Command Post. The one on the left is an actual signature of Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. The one on the right is from one of the CBS documents. It's not even close; in fact, it doesn't even look like the person who signed it made any attempt to copy Killian's signature:

Since I posted this, a number of readers have written to disagree with me--they think the signature on the right is a crude effort at forgery. Dafydd ab Hugh's characteristically thorough and brilliant analysis is too long to include here, and Diana Magrann also argues persuasively that the signature is an attempt at a forgery.

IMHO, the K gives it away. If you closely examine the originals, the left leg of the K is created by the downstroke of the Y (no loop), and then the top right half of the K is created by an upstroke and finishes with a very tiny downstroke to the right. The bottom half of the K is created with a new stroke (pen was lifted from the paper to begin a new stroke) and then continues on to form the second letter (e) in the 2nd example where there is no loop from the bottom of the K right leg and an obvious incomplete loop in the 1st example. Both examples, however do show that the e is part of a continuous motion, not a new stroke.

The "memo" signature (or initials) have none of these characteristics. Neither does the only other "memo" which contains a signature, shown on http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/BushGuardmay4.pdf (2 of the 4 memos were unsigned) And that memo doesn't have the TX ANG designation, either.

In this 2nd "memo", it is obvious that the K does NOT start with the downstroke of the Y, but is a completely new downstroke. The upper right half of the K is also obviously an incomplete large loop which continues on into a small loop to form the bottom half of the right leg. Instead of a large loop, this should have been closer to a tight V for the top half and ending with a tiny downstroke to the right, NOT as part of a loop into the bottom half.

This is completely uncharacteristic of the signatures on the originals.

The only logical conclusion is that these are forged, faked.

Anyone see any flaws in my analysis?

"What is also key here is the CBS docs show that after the typed rank - there is NO designation indicating TX ANG - which is standard (OR USAF, etc)"

Exactly! The first thing I noticed was the signature block was wrong. No officer(I'm one, too) would permit such a flaw on a written document. And one doc says "Memo to file". In the ANG (I am, too) and USAF, the Tongue and Quill standard is "Memorandum for Record". Killian (or his secretary) was a stickler for form. These are obvious forgeries.

No kidding. I used to sit in my high school lunchroom before class and sign absence slips for other students. They'd bring in a copy of mom or dad's signature, I'd practice it 5 or 6 times 'til I got it right and then did the doo. These people are comparative amateurs.....;^)

I know what you mean. In elementary school (about 30+ years ago) I used one of my mom's old cancelled checks and some carbon paper to sign report cards and/or parent-teacher conference requests. Those were masterpeices compared to this poor Rat attempt.

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