Man named in Bush memo left Guard before document was written

Dallas Morning News ^ | 9-10-04

[ambrose]

Posted on Fri, Sep. 10, 2004

Man named in Bush memo left Guard before document was written

BY PETE SLOVER

The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas - (KRT) - The man named in a disputed memo as exerting pressure to "sugar coat" President Bush's military record left the Texas Air National Guard a year and a half before the memo was supposedly written, his own service record shows.

An order obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows that Col. Walter "Buck" Staudt was honorably discharged on March 1, 1972. CBS News reported this week that a memo in which Staudt was described as interfering with officers' negative evaluations of Bush's service, was dated Aug. 18, 1973.

That added to mounting questions about the authenticity of documents that seem to suggest Bush sought special favors and did not fulfill his service.

Staudt, who lives in New Braunfels, Texas, did not return calls seeking comment. His discharge paper was among a packet of documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News from official sources during 1999 research into Bush's Guard record.

A CBS staffer stood by the story, suggesting that Staudt could have continued to exert influence over Guard officials. But a former high-ranking Guard official disputed that, saying retirement would have left Staudt powerless over remaining officials.

The authenticity of the memo and three others included in Wednesday's "60 Minutes" report came in for heavy criticism Friday, prompting an unusual on-air defense of the original work. Experts on typography said they appeared to have been computer-drafted on equipment not available in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

And the family of the officer who supposedly wrote them, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who died in 1984, said it wasn't his nature to keep detailed personal notes.

In its network news broadcast Friday, CBS said the documents were supported by both unnamed witnesses and others, including document examiners.

Earlier, CBS anchor Dan Rather told The Dallas Morning News that he had heard nothing to make him question the legitimacy of the memos. He attributed the backlash to partisan politics and competitive journalism.

"This story is true. The questions we raised about then-Lieutenant Bush's National Guard service are serious and legitimate," he said, expressing confidence the memos are authentic. "Until and unless someone shows me definitive proof that they are not, I don't see any reason to carry on a conversation with the professional rumor mill."

The interview concluded before The Dallas Morning News determined the date of Staudt's departure, so that issue was not included. But a CBS staffer with extensive knowledge of the story said later that the departure doesn't derail the story.

"From what we've learned, Staudt remained very active after he retired," the staffer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "He was a very bullying type, and that could have continued."

In the "60 Minutes" report, Rather said of the memo's contents: "Killian says Col. Buck Staudt, the man in charge of the Texas Air National Guard, is putting on pressure to `sugar coat' an evaluation of Lt. Bush."

Staudt was the person Bush initially contacted about Guard service, and he was the group commander at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston when Bush arrived there to fly an F-102 jet. He later transferred to Austin, where he served as the chief of staff for the Air National Guard.

In the disputed memo, Killian supposedly wrote "(another officer) gave me a message today from group regarding Bush's (evaluation) and Staudt is pushing to sugar coat it."

It continues: "Austin is not happy either."

The CBS staffer said that the memo appears to recognize that Staudt has retired, since it differentiates between his displeasure and that of Austin, where he served his final Guard stint.

But another Texas Air National Guard official who served in that period said the memo appears to wrongly associate Staudt with his group command in Houston, and - based on that mistake - the memo distinguishes his views from that of the Austin Guard headquarters.

Retired Col. Earl Lively, who was director of Air National Guard operations for the state headquarters during 1972 and 1973 said Staudt "wasn't on the scene" after retirement, and that CBS' remote-bullying thesis makes no sense.

"He couldn't bully them. He wasn't in the Guard," Lively said. "He couldn't affect their promotions. Once you're gone from the Guard, you don't have any authority."

The report about the memos originally appeared to stir anew longstanding questions about Bush's Guard service, including whether he defied a direct order to take a physical exam, and whether his suspension from flying was partly for failure to meet military performance standards.

The campaign of Bush's Democratic rival, John Kerry, stood mostly mum, saying Bush should answer all questions about his service. Earlier this year, though, Kerry aides raised the exact points the memo seemed to address.

Bush has not commented publicly about the CBS report, and aides say his honorable discharge proves he fulfilled his obligations.

But the White House, which contends that all known records of Bush's service have been released, also took the unusual step of distributing the CBS memos to reporters the night of the broadcast.

"We don't know whether the (CBS) documents were fabricated or are authentic," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Friday.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

I agree with you. The fact that they haven't denied it nags at me too.

[EdReform]

BTTT

[Ann Archy]

Hey Staudt....the staffer at CBS said you were "the bullying type"....are you??? If not, you better stand up to CBS!!

[Ann Archy]

Howlin posted a link to the DNC that asked abut these very questions about Bush's Nat'l Guard service and VOILA! all the questions were "answered" in this forgery!!

[DallasMike]

Here's an e-mail that I wrote to Pete Slover at the Dallas Morning News on Thursday evening. It looks like he took my suggestion.

------------

Dear Mr. Slover,

It now appears that these documents have been faked. If you want to win a Pulitzer, find out who gave these phony documents to CBS.

Best regards,

-Mike

- Michael XXXXXXX

  XXXXXXXXXXXX

  Garland, Texas 75044-2002

  972-496-XXXX

  XXX@comcast.net

[chudogg]

The left has always been saying that Staudt was the guy that gave Bush preferential treatment. Thats a green light that they are fake.

Kind of like when some media outlet got a report from the Iraqi Governing Council that tied Iraq to Both Niger Uranium and Mohammed Atta. Too good to be true.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[tuesday afternoon]

bump

[Mitchell]

Earlier this year, though, Kerry aides raised the exact points the memo seemed to address.

Which aides?

[battlegearboat]

The kool ones.

[Khan Noonian Singh]

<< I suppose if one wanted to do research, a way would be to see when the "Bush failed an order to take a physical" meme popped up first. That angle, about an "order" to do it, seems unique to the CBS memos. >>

The earliest reference to this meme I have found is from 30 June 2004, http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=nuo6e01usbas8kiedqt2oo1ck38gmfh6hr%404ax.com.

It quotes from a web page. Here is an excerpt:

---

... Regardless of what actions ARPC contemplated when reviewing Bush’s
records, all options required that Bush be certified as physically fit
to serve, or as unfit to serve.   

ARPC thus had to order Bush to get a physical examination, for which
Bush did not show up.  

ARPC then designated Bush as AWOL and a "non-locatee" (i.e. a
deserter) who had failed to satisfactorily participate in TXANG, and
certified him for immediate induction through his local draft board....

---

The web page this is from is http://www.glcq.com/bush_at_arpc1.htm, but this newsgroup post nicely dates it at least to 30 June 2004 & may-be earlier.

[Cboldt]

That discussion is "looking for" the order. It does not say that an order existed.

Others have pointed out that most of the holes in the "Bush was AWOL" story were conveniently filled in by the CBS forgeries. Every person that studied the issue knew which holes needed to be filled.

[Khan Noonian Singh]

Here's an earlier one. From 30 December 2003, http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=lEmIb.189045%24PD3.5896144%40nnrp1.uunet.ca:

---

In the fall of 1973, as an automatic disciplinary action, Bush was
reassigned to the Obligated Reserve Section in Denver, because he disobeyed
orders to show up for a mandatory flight physical and therefore was unable
to fulfill the last two years of his six-year obligation as an Air National
Guard jet fighter pilot.

---

[Khan Noonian Singh]

There are people then who were stating as fact that Bush was ordered to take a physical and refused. I do not know what they thought their documentation was.

Who was the first person to say this as if it were a truthhood? IOW, Shermy's question - from where did the idea come?

[Cboldt]

That is also a conclusory statement, very similar to statements made by various accusers over the past years. Again, no reference to having the oorder in hand, just that he "disobeyed orders to show up for a mandatory flight physical." As others have pointed out, annual physicals were mandatory. Were written orders prepared for mandatory actions? Do service people get written orders to get a haircut?

Anyway, the statement "he disobeyed orders to show up for a mandatory flight physical" is most likely, in this case, sloppy expression. If there was a writen dated order (e.g., the 4 May 1973 letter), the discussion would have referred to the memo, at least generall. "He disobeyed a written order to show up ... "

[Cboldt]

Who was the first person to say this as if it were a truthhood? IOW, Shermy's question - from where did the idea come?

The idea comes from a document that says Bush was disqualified from flight, in part for not showing up for a physical. These facts were contained in documents "released by Bush." It was wishful thinking that there was a direct written order that Bush ignored.

http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/grounded.gif <-- See #6.

[PhiKapMom]

That is weird -- Bush wasn't transferred to Denver -- his pay records were in Denver and my guess is that they went from the section that did the flight pay to the section that had the pilots on desk duty. Whoever is doing this knows little about the military. In that time period, all AF military pay records were in Denver.

He did not have to fly to fulfill his obligation. The Dems/CBS forget that he was on active duty for two full years and if you had all the points he received, he would have had 15 or 16 years. That seems conveniently lost in all of this. Pilot training and all that goes with it to fly fighters is not a piece of cake.

[ZOTnot]

DARN! I was SO proud of it. I will defer to you. I'll change mine (but, if you defer, let me know: I want it BACK!) And to think, I was so original.....

[Mamzelle]

re: But the White House, which contends that all known records of Bush's service have been released, also took the unusual step of distributing the CBS memos to reporters the night of the broadcast. )))

--snicker--

[Mitchell]

The kool ones.

LOL. Or is it kewl? I'm not 3liT3 enough to answer this one.