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Dubya conveniently sat out the Vietnam War, not as a protester or Rhodes Scholar, but with a rich boy’s “in” to the National Guard? And he couldn’t even hack that for the length of his sign-up, so he went AWOL his last year to run a Republican campaign in Alabama. He was never punished, as a regular soldier would have been, and even got an “honorable” discharge.

What is the story on this? Does anybody know the facts?

What is the story on this? Does anybody know the facts?

It is a lie that has been circulated widely on the internet by the DU.

All lies:

Bush volunteered for the Texas ANG (as a single-seat air defense F-102 pilot during a period when fully 1/4 of all ejection seats were actually being used: over the lifetime of a jet fighter, i/4 of them crashed or were shot down!). Flying was/still is extrememly dangerous duty.

When he volunteered, the unit was active in Vietnam, but transferred to home defense while he was in training: he made no effort to find a position 9unlike Gore's "newspaper behind-the-lines duty made as a result of his dad's pull!) Bush didn't "avoid" duty. (His style of fighter (a rocker equipped supersonic interceptor) was used for home defense, not for ground bombing in Vietnam: and there only a few enemy fighters in North Vietnam. tha's why he didn't deploy.)

Bush flew MORE active days overall than he was required by the regulations, and was praised for his flight time and duty: Gore was excused EARLY from Vietnam, and ended up with only 30 more DAYS of active duty as a newspaper "writer" than Bush did as a pilot! (No stories written by Gore have ever been found: it's not clear what he actually did.)

The demo's ONLY complaint about Bush was ONE "duty weekend" period that he asked for (and received permission to substitute!) drill time in Alabama rather than Texas so he could work during the week on a Senate campaign in Alabama. The demo's "claim" that Bush was AWOL stems ONLY from information that this AL USAF (regular) CO didn't remember Bush being on base during that time; but Bush didn't report to the USAF commanding officer; as a junior reservist, he would NEVER have been in contact with a base CO!

In fact, his girlfriend at the time remembers Bush specifically talking about training on base, so there are "witnesses" that show he WAS training.

After returning to TX after the election, he made more flight time in Houston (reasonable - AL wouldn't probably let a TX reservist take an expensive fighter jet up fo rgrins and giggles!) and finished the year with all his required flight hours.

This "attorney general" had better get his facts better organized in his cases than he did reading his demo faxed lie sheet....

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By the way, that "smart TN boy" this democrat lawyer is praising flunked out of not only law school in TN, but also out of "divinity school" !

There's a curious fact about Clinton's Rhodes Scholarship experience...in that wonderful turn of understatement, Oxford records report that he "...failed to complete his studies."

Bush's ANG experience has some small concepts that simply seem to escape notice in the DU talking points. The F-102 (his aircraft) was being phased out of service in the Guard, and he was granted an "early out". Aside from that, the Guard being the Guard, service is measured in the number of duty days required per year. In those days, as far as a I can remember, you could "bank" your days and legitimately get out of the ANG earlier than anticipated.

Dubya conveniently sat out the Vietnam War, not as a protester or Rhodes Scholar, but with a rich boy’s “in” to the National Guard? And he couldn’t even hack that for the length of his sign-up, so he went AWOL his last year to run a Republican campaign in Alabama. He was never punished, as a regular soldier would have been, and even got an “honorable” discharge.

What is the story on this? Does anybody know the facts?

Check this 2000 thread out. http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39ea05224b3e.htm