COL Gene COL Gene

The real issue about the Bush National Guard Service

The real issue about the Bush National Guard Service

What does it mean today?

As usual, the political pondents, as well as the president avoid the real issue about the National Guard service of George W. Bush. The focus is on the CBS documents not the truth of the president's service and his truthfulness about that service today.

First is how Bush got into the Guard. He contends he got in through his own merits. That has been shown to be untrue. The former Speaker of the Texas House, Ben Barns has admitted a friend of the senior Bush asked him to get George W. into the guard. The president's former professor at Harvard, Yoshi Tsurumi, has come forward and told CNN that George W. admitted his father had a family friend get him into the Guard to avoid service in Vietnam. In adition, his flight aptitude test scores have been found and George W. scored in the bottom 25% and would never have been sent to flight school and given a direct commission without the help of Ben Barns. George W. was also placed ahead of 100 other young men that did not have the pull George W. had. Inspite of all this, President Bush doen not come clean as to how he got into the Guard and that is the real significance in 2004.

The same problem exists with the President's fulfillment of his responsibilities to the Guard. Although CBS used documents that were not authentic, the facts were TRUE. Lt. Bush failed to take a required physical and was grounded. The tax payers spent lot of money to train George W. to be a pilot and when he did not obey regulations and lost his ability to fly he DID NOT MEET HIS RESPONSIBILITY. He did not obey Air Force Regulations and it does not matter where he was attending drills. In addition, his commander's secretary stated that Geoerge W. Bush was ordered to take the required physical by LTC Killian. The pay records of Lt. Bush show for five months he did not attend the required monthly drills at ANY LOCATION. His Officer Efficiency Report confirms Lt. Bush did not attend drills. The policy at that time for members of the Guard and Reserve that did not attend drills was for the member to be put on active duty. George W. was allowed to miss drills with no penalty. Today George W. says he met his responsibilities and he received an Honorable Discharge. It is true he some how received an Honorable Discharge but he did not meet his obligations or obey the regulations when he did not get a physical and attend required drill.

If the members of the military today did the same things as Lt Bush, we would not have an effective military. There is nothing more important to a military organization than for the members to obey their orders. In 2004, our Commander -in-Chief is not telling the truth about how he got into the Guard of the fact he did not fulfill his obligations or obey the oath he took when he was commissioned!
14,311 views 46 replies
Reply #26 Top
mmm. Well, back to the "What the hell does this have to do with anything" question...

Reply #27 Top
Failure to obey a lawful order or regulation is a violation of Article 95 of the UCMJ. Bush did not obey the regulation to take the physical and was grounded. It is a great question as to why he was not punished. The Air Force also requires a rerport when ever a pilot is grounded. That report can not be located - WHY?
Reply #28 Top
drmiler:

So, you can HONESTLY say that in 6 years in the navy you saw no favortism for promotion or placement? Were you permanently on "sleep guard"? I mean, do you actually read what you write BEFORE you post?

You know, it really makes me wonder where you are coming from asking for proof! Even the most Republican of Republicans admits in the case of W that he received favorable placement and treatment. Or is "working on a political campaign" for someone something they assign people "normally" in the National Guard, or for that matter, the Navy?

Why do you think W just says "he served honorably" and nothing else? Why doesn't he say he was "top-notch" or "decorated?" Hmmm.....?
Reply #29 Top
For me the only real importance of the Bush Guard service in 2004 is that he continues to lie about how he got into the guard and his contention he met ALL his responsibilities while in the Guard. It is time for him to fess up to his conduct and move on. He will not do that.

As to reelecting him there is a wealth of data on that subject. Read, "Four More For George W?" which documents the impact of the Bush policies. There are many specific references on the data used. Look at Amazon.com and reader comments about the book.
Reply #30 Top
Kerry states that he committed acts that were contrary to the Geneva convention while in Vietnam. You can't be excused by saying "I was following orders". Do you really wanna start nitpicking who did what illegally 30 years ago? Maybe we should rethink putting a village burner out there to heal our international wounds. Maybe we should look at Kerry's role in Wintersolder, or his meetings with the North Vietnamese while the war was still going on? Should Kerry release his medical records? Do you want to start the whole purple heart thing again?

No, this is just more steam. If you guys wanna ape Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, that's fine, but as I have said in a couple of recent articles, you are just being hypocrites.
Reply #31 Top
Reply #27 By: COL Gene - 9/27/2004 6:57:18 AM
Failure to obey a lawful order or regulation is a violation of Article 95 of the UCMJ. Bush did not obey the regulation to take the physical and was grounded. It is a great question as to why he was not punished. The Air Force also requires a rerport when ever a pilot is grounded. That report can not be located - WHY?


I'm betting COL Gene is another name for Bill Burkett, Ben Barnes, or Terry McAuliffe.

I really shouldn't respond to the trolling, but the bias is obvious, even when shown proof that the comments you've posted are incorrect.

The AWOL claims are nothing more than unproven accusations.

The claims that G.W. Bush should have been in any other branch of the "armed services" could also apply to John F. Kerry, who applied for -- and was denied -- a deferrment. Remember, J.F. Kerry also choose to serve in a branch where he could expect the least amount of contact with the enemy, and it was NOT UNTIL his second tour that he actually served in Vietnam. Even then, his service record is questionable, as his own biography and information from his own journals and official records dispute the stories that have since been told.

Churn away at the windmills, as discussion of Bush's guard record does absolutely nothing to hurt his chances of being relected, and definitely distracts from any message that J.F. Kerry and friends wants out there for the public to react to.
Reply #32 Top
BakerStreet:

Well, not knowing if you were around during and after the war in the 1970's I can't comment on who you knew or when other than to repeat what I said. The war was brutal to the soldiers and their mental state. Many are still in psychiatric care still for the damage it did to their beliefs and personality. The war was like a sieve for patriotism because as time went on it became more and more obvious we didn't have the will to fight it.

That becomes pretty damning to the soldier, not in terms of civilian support though. There is no credible evidence that protests in the U.S. had any effect on the government's "execution" of the war. The "silent majority" of the 60's was the parents of the soldiers who served in WWII and Korea who saw war is something we had to do. That Johnson or Nixon heard the protests as anything other than "communist inspired" is comical.

Kerry overcame a great deal of personal angst after his service. I would recommend books like Going After Cacciato and others by Tim O'Brien about the Viet Nam experience to see what it meant to the soldiers.

I hope O'Brien doesn't have too much material from the Iraq experience for a new series of books but I think he probably does.
Reply #33 Top
Though I have nothing but admiration for those of you pursuing this topic, it is time to let it go. 
Reply #34 Top
Reply to drmiller proof Bush failed to take physical and attend drills.

The most recent documentation were the records that were released by DoD as a result of a Lawsuit. It was reported by the Associated Press Sept 8, 2004. The records released by DoD establish the following:

The last flight forLt Bush was April 1972 which is consistant with his pay records.

His pay records show he had a lapse of duty from April to October 1972.

He missed his required annual physical in August 1972

On Sept 29, 1972 Lt Bush was officially suspended from flying for failure to take his physical. An investigation was directed as to why
Lt. Bush failed to take his physical. No record of that investigation can be located.

On October 6, 1972 his unit joined a 24 hour active alert mission to safeguard against surprise attack. Lt Bush failed to participate.

The Officer Efficiency Report of Lt Bush covering the period May 1972- April 1973 states,"Lt Bush has not beed observed at this unit for the period of this report"

If you want copies of the actual documents I suggest you contact the Associaterd Press. This story was on the Web at the earthlink URL on September 8, 2004. This should end the questions of him not taking his physical and not attending drills for Five months. Now we need to find out HOW HE GOT AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE?
Reply #35 Top
The real issue is between Kerry and Bush is war record. Bush wriggled out of serving in Vietnam by pulling strings at the Pentagon and got himself a safe and it seems quite unrewarding posting in the Home Guards. Kerry served under fire and is a decorated war hero in spite of himself. For Kerry war is not a picnic and he will not take recourse to war in a hurry.
Reply #36 Top
" The real issue is between Kerry and Bush is war record.'


So in THIS election, Dems think someone who supposedly dodged the draft is somehow worse than someone who burned villages, killed livestock, and admittedly acted counter to the Geneva convention. Nice foot to put forward. I wonder how long it will take for our "alleis" and other to make us of Kerry's own statements about his behavior in Vietnam?
Reply #37 Top
BakerStreet:

In Viet Nam burning villages and killing livestock was the only way to find the enemy who hid in caves in fields during the day. Did we use too much force? I think we did, but the soldier in the field obeyed an order from a commander who was responsible. But, he obeyed an order.

What Bush did was not obey orders, do whatever he wanted and then says "now I want soldiers to do and live through the Viet Nam experience" in Iraq. Can't you see the irony in that?
Reply #38 Top
No one cares about this, why talk about it?\

People care about Kerry in nam cuz he made it a benchmark reason to elect him (though again I could care less.) Lets talk about issues, that would be fun!

Wardie
Reply #39 Top
You are correct. Lets talk about issues. Read," Four More For George W?" and than lets talk!
Reply #40 Top
As usual, the political pondents, as well as the president avoid the real issue about the National Guard service of George W. Bush. The focus is on the CBS documents not the truth of the president's service and his truthfulness about that service today.


As well it should be. For all the smoke and mirrors, the simple facts are:

1: Bush has an Honorable Discharge.
2: People dont like him and are telling different stories about his service
3: someone did break the law. Forgery is against the law
4: Whether it was CBS, Bill Burkett or some other hack, the law was broken, CBS, Dan Rather, and Bill Burkett, in their blind hatred of Bush, propigated the felony.

The first 2 happened 35 years ago, the latter 2 happened within the past 4 years. An open criminal case should always trump a 35 year old rumor and innuendo, unproven, and hotly debated by people as equally as reputable as those pushing the charges.

BTW: Knox was not Killian's secretary. She was a pool typist. If you are going to try to slander someone, at least get all your facts correct.
Reply #41 Top
Please read my reply to drmiller posted 27 Sept. This information came from his records released by DoD and documents that Bush did not obey Air Force Regulations and did not attend drills from April to Oct 1972. Bush had an obligation to the Guard until summer 1974. This has nothing to do with liking George Bush. These are the facts and the issue in 2004 is that the President is not telling the truth about what he did when it was his turn to serve in the military. If the current members did the very same thing George W . did in 1972-73, we would not have a military. There is NOTHING MORE BASIC than members of the military to obey orders and requlations. That is especially true of the Officer Corps! Bush failed that most basic obligation, and how he got an Honorable Discharge should be investigated.
Reply #42 Top
"This has nothing to do with liking George Bush."


Then you should have a lot of work on your desk, keeping up with all those people that disobeyed orders 30 years ago... you ARE pursuing this against other people, too right? Since it isn't about the election or Bush or anything...
Reply #43 Top
All those people are NOT asking to be reelected President of the United States. How can you respect a Commander-in-Chief that expects the military to obey him when he did not obey the Commander-in-Chief when he was in the military! This is about George W. Bush and no one else!
Reply #44 Top
OH, I'm sorry, when you said:

""This has nothing to do with liking George Bush."


I didn't get the subtle nuance of the statement. It has everything to do with NOT liking George Bush. Well, then, carry on your bizzaro -Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smear. .
Reply #45 Top
The issue is Bush and what he did not if anyone likes him as a person. Bush has a track record as President and part of that is his inability to admit when he is wrong. Supporters say he a strong leader. Well, Napoleon was a strong leader but he was a disaster for France. If you look over the past four years at how Bush delt with the economy, the deficit, trade, Social Security and Medicare as well as the War on Terrorism, one can see a lot of errors. Most Americans are saying in the polls they want change if Bush has a second term. In fact 89% said that. Over 60% want major change. Anyone that believes Bush will change is kidding them selves. He will stay the course (his favorate saying) and we will get four more years of no jobs, high debt, and continued conflict at home and abroad. Those are facts and have nothing to do with if you like or dislike George W. Bush!
Reply #46 Top
Wouldn't it be interesting to get Marian Knox, the secretary for Col. Killian, and Janet Linke, whose husband replaced Lt. Bush in the Guard, together to let the two women talk about what they remember regarding Lt. Bush? Mrs. Knox says the info contained in the CBS memos is accurate, even though memos may be fake. Mrs. Linke of Jacksonville Florida (see Folio Weekly article by Susan Eastman) says she met Col. Killian along with her late husband at a party at which time she learned that the reason for Bush being grounded was he became AFRAID OF FLYING. (Remember the flight exercises just before his last flight when he missed the landing approach twice (as documented)? Remember right before he was grounded Lt Bush was reassigned to two-seater fighter trainer jets so another pilot would be there with him in flight (as documented)?) I would just love to hear these two ladies talk about their contacts with Col. Killian. And I'd like to ask Mrs. Knox if she can remember what Air Force regulation forms would have been filled out after Bush missed his mandatory annual flight physical. You know, the forms that are missing from his personnel file.