[meandog]

Bush then racked up another 56 points in June and July of 1973, which met the minimum requirement for the 1973-74 year, which was Bush’s last year of service. Together, the record “clearly shows that First Lieutenant George W. Bush has satisfactory years for both ‘72-’73 and ‘73-’74, which proves that he completed his military obligation in a satisfactory manner,” says retired Lt. Col. Albert Lloyd, a Guard personnel officer who reviewed the records at the request of the White House. All in all, the documents show that Bush served intensively for four years and then let up in his fifth and sixth years, although he still did enough to meet Guard requirements.”

What it means is that he MISSED scheduled drills--there is no other way to cut it he admitted missing drills--gaining good years only due to the gratuitous points that the Reserve and Guards hands out to members.)

And, in fact, 60 points is the credited amount required for retirement purposes of a member desiring to have a successful career in the Reserve but, realistically, a member should try to get as many points as possible as the points translate into the retirement check you'll get once you turn 60. Currently, our Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guards reservists are gaining 365 points per year--one for every day (rather than the one for every four-hour drill that someone in a non-combat unit earns.

Go back and read the oath of enlistment that Bush made as a Guardsman click here and tell me that he really bore "true faith and allegiance to the State of Texas" by abandoning his F-102 Texas Air Guard unit to do some campaigning for a politician in Alabama at a base in which he never flew again and most in his unit don't even remember him showing up for drills.

[ansel12]

What it means is that you are out to smear Bush with your nonsense, he didn’t “abandon” someone, he transferred, and missing some drills and doing makeups is not a great sin, and the end of the Vietnam war was a time when everything in the military was shutting down, units were overmanned with nothing to do, officers were being driven from the service or busted back to enlisted rank by the hundreds or thousands.

I left the army pretty close to when Bush left the Guard but ten years later I joined a high speed Guard Company and spent a few years there, missed drills were accommodated as were transfers, in fact I remember when a less desirable unit was trying to steal away some of our guys. My company was desirable enough that we had guys flying in from distant parts of the country to attend but if that became too much trouble then they could transfer to another unit in their home state.

Don’t be trying to convince this audience that if they join the Guard that they are signing their life away, if they want to move to another state or if they have to miss a few drills then the Guard is fine with that.

I wonder if Bush’s Guard duty might have been a little more intense than yours, what did you do in the navy reserves?