Debunking The Bush AWOL Story - From The Horse's Mouth

Brig. Gen. Turnipseed | February 6, 2004 | Hon

[Hon]

I just got off the phone about an hour ago with Brig. Gen. William R. Turnipseed. He is the sole source for the four year old story that Bush was AWOL during his National Guard service.

Mr. Turnipseed is very unhappy with the way what he said "casually" four years ago has been twisted by the "Bush haters" (his words) in the media, especially the Boston Globe (who first reported the story) and the New York Times.

In a nutshell here is what happened, according to Turnipseed. Back in 1972 his Alabama National Guard unit received a letter from Bush (who was in the Texas Nation Guard) asking if he while he was in Alabama do some equivalancy training with the Alabama unit.

Turnipseed said that this request was as a matter of routine turned over to his administrative assistant, Lott, who wrote back to Bush, giving him the dates of the next unit drills. Lott told Bush he could report for those dates.

Neither Turnipseed nor Lott can now remember whether Bush appeared for these drills or not. Turnipseed says he himself might not have even been around the base at the time, so he wouldn't know one way or the other. And he says he has always said this.

The points Turnipseed wanted to stress are these: Bush was never ordered to report for duty to his unit. Since Bush was in the Texas National Guard and Turnipseed was in the Alabama National Guard, he couldn't have ordered him even if he had wanted to. But he didn't want to.

He (or his assistant, Lott) simply gave Bush the dates he could report if he wanted to do equivalency training with them. There were no orders given. If he showed up or didn't show up, it wasn't their concern.

Additionally, Turnipseed says that he never once said anything about Bush being "AWOL." He said it isn't even a term used in the National Guard. And anyway, as already noted, Bush's training record was not his concern, but the Texas National Guard's.

He said that since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge it shows that he fulfilled his training requirements.

Turnipseed said that the media has constantly misrepresented what he said and edited him so as to make Bush look bad.

He also said that he had no idea who Bush was, and that he certainly didn't do him any special favors. Nor would he have.

He said that when he first spoke to the Boston Globe reporter about this four years ago he didn't realize he was talking to a "Bush hater."

Turnipseed is a strong Bush supporter. He said that he has been contacted many times especially recently, by "Bush haters" in the media, who try to get him to say that Bush was AWOL. Once they realize that he won't cooperate they lose interest in talking to him. When they do quote him, they say he is backpedaling--even though he is still saying the same exact thing he told them four years ago.

He has been recently asked to go on with Peter Jennings and NBC's Dateline, but he is concerned that they will edit him in such a way as to misrepresent his story again. I have been in touch with Fox news, in hopes that they will have somebody talk to him and try to present his story fairly.

Bottom line, this whole AWOL story was media spin from the git-go. The Boston Globe reporter simply cherry picked Turnipseed's comments and totally misrepresented him--to make Bush look bad.

And the media are still doing it four years later. They should be ashamed--but they have no shame. They have only their agenda.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Get real.

I'm looking at his OER for that time. It's his official fitness report for the year.

It reports EXACTLy what is expected for remote duty, non-flying duty. His official record says he served correctly for that whole year. No "AWOL" No problems. No excuses.

Which is EXACTLY what he did. He (BUSH) DOES have credible witnesses for his reserve time that quarter, including civilians.

It is Kerry who dodged out of Vietnam on an unwritten (technically it didn't exist!) excuse to leave.

It was Kerry who got a medal for shooting a wounded civilian in the back.....

It was Bush who was flying satisfactorily and credibly in a dangerous aircraft. (One in 4 fighters crashed over time: that make Bush's duty more dangerous than sitting in Kerry's air-conditioned frigate for a few months. Which he also left early.) A lot longer than "just flight school."

A lot more than Kerry's 48 days of combat duty. Gee. Just 48 days. And Kerry got out of Vietnam.

Heck..

Gore spent a whole 6 months. (It was in rear duty, as a news reporter. But is was twice as long as Kerry.)

[PROUDAMREP]

Fox is in the middle of the media parade to help the dems on this. I quit watching them because I could not take Kerry's sound bites about Bush any longer. Fair and balanced? I'll believe it when I see President Bush sound
bites in a favorable way. Till then, I'll get my info from other sources. At least they don't pretend to be fair and balanced.

[Defender2]

Hon, Here is some previously unpublished information you might find very interesting. I have posted this on three other threads this evening. Very Best Freegards, Defender2 D2

Enough is Enough!!!! President Bush early in his young carrer served with the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 147th Fighter Interceptor Group, Aerospace Defense Command(ADCOM) Gained/Air National Guard unit tasked as part of Our Air Defenses at the time with F-102A/TF-102A Interceptor aircraft pulling Air Defense Alert Duty as part of Our Nation's then Prevalent Air Defense. At the same time, the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group was also partly responsible for training F-101B/F A.N.G Interceptor Pilots initially assigned to other ADCOM/ANG assinged Air Defense Units. The President today, said His unit was assigned was assigned to Aerospace Defense Command.

The Last "True To The Faith" Air Defense Commander, General Daniel "Chappie" James was appointed to NORAD/ADCOM C in C
status by then President Gerald R. Ford in 1973. The U.S. Congress(Democratically controlled at the time) and Then President James Carter fired general James in 1978 as General James was Adamantly fighting to keep Our Nation's Air Defense (ADCOM) intact as a Major Direct Reporting Unit in the U.S. Air Force. President Carter appointed "Yes Man", General James E. Hill as General James Replacement. Aerospace Defense Command was abolished, 1 september, 1979. Thus the seeds of September 11th, 2001 were planted!!!!

Many lessons some of which were learned by the English during WWII, including Air Vice Marshall Kieth Park's, "Two Minute Scramble" lesson during the Battle of Britain where many of Our Air Defense were lessons were learned, were subsequently thrown away!!!!

Air Defense continued to Dwindle under President William Jefferson Clinton to the point where under 10 Air Defense Sites on duty at the time of September 11th, 2001. Also Under President Clinton, Strategic Air Command and Tactical Air Command were abolished and assets were then assigned to the new austere Air Combat Command. While Our Defenses were cut to the bone. The Pork Barrels rolled in Congress and we gave millions to rogue nations we face as possible adversaries today.

President Bush Served Honorably in Our Nations Air Defense.

As a 28 year Veteran of the U.S.A.F. recently returning from Afghanistan and who also Devotedly served in Our Nation's Air Defense Command, I am Very Proud To Call President George W. Bush as my "Commander in Chief"!!!!

I thank the Lord Above for Him and so should
ALL of America. In these trying times We ALL have been Blessed with his Presidency!!!!

[Hon]

Thanks for posting that.

[baseballmom]

marking for later read

[Defender2]

Your Very Welcome, Hon, Very Best FReegards, Defender2 D2

[cyncooper]

President Bush gave an interview to Tim Russert which aired on Meet the Press this morning.

During that interview the subject of his service same up and President Bush pointed out that ever since he first ran for Governor his record has been examined and these questions asked and answered. He said he served his time and was honorably discharged.

Tonight on Dateline they showed excerpts of the interview and after that Russert appeared on screen with Stone Phillips. Phillips asked about the service questions and is that now put to rest. Russert said NO. I was stunned. Russert said the president will release records the dems will pour over. That is false. The president, in answer to Russert's phrasing of "will you release records" said they've been available.

Russert is not handling this subject in a fair or honest manner, to say the least. He assured Stone Phillips this issue is not going away (he may as well have added "If I have anything to say about it"). Furrowed brow and all.

Disgraceful.

[MoralSense]

b

[elbucko]

And yes, Turnipseed would like his side to get out.

If Gen. Turnipseed wants his side of the story to get out, he is going to have to do it on broadcast media, either radio or TV. Newspaper reporter interviews by phone or Internet postings are irrelevant for this purpose.

[Mr.Atos]

bump and ping!

[TruBluKentuckian]

The b&w picture of Kerry and Fonda is a very obvious fake. I enlarged it and you can see the edit marks quite plainly.

We don't need this kind of trickery on this issue because it will just taint any real pictures found.

[KQQL]

relax it's for fun.........I didn't make it...I found it here....

[KQQL]

Orginally it was posted by John Jorsett @

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1074019/posts

[TruBluKentuckian]

Not saying you made the picture or anything, just pointing out that it weakens the validity of any REAL photos that show up on here.

If one is an obvious fake, then why not claim they all are. This is a very important issue in this election in my opinion and we don't need to provide fodder for the other side to use to debunk it.

It taints the evidence.

[KQQL]

RUSH HAS the real pic @ his site

[Hon]

Not to nitpick but the photo was found by Hillarys Lovely Legs and the background to the event was posted here:

John Kerry At Valley Forge (With Jane Fonda)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1074369/posts?q=1&&page=1

Limbaugh got it from that thread.

[KQQL]

looks that way too. but he seems to have got paid version of it...

[Dog]

Looks like lake 5732 found it.

To: kennedy I found a pic on http://pro.corbis.com/ using a search on Fonda and Vietnam. The picture has Fonda attending an anti war rally with Kerry in the background. To go directly to the photo do a search on the photo’s inventory #: EF001345. Corbis is a free-to-search site and pay-to-download.

62 posted on 02/08/2004 5:31:00 PM EST by lake5732

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Lets give credit where credit is due.

[Hon]

You're right. Righteous props to lake 5732!