Lt Bush's direct comission

[Counselair]

Re: Ejection Seat Qualifed

Just think he was the only president who was ejection seat qualified prior to comming into office., I wonder if he did his recurrent?

True... Not that it's a fun ride but his father didn't have the "luxury" of an ejection seat.

 

[kelbill]

Not sure about the commission source, but I flew with a SWA Captain who was in Bush's UPT class. Said he was very competitive, very nice, and finished 2nd, so he earned his fighter. As for the carrier landing, from what I know he just sat back for that and let the Squid do the landing right? I don't think he was flying then, but that is what most the media is implying. Regardless, it was pure leadership, and by golly, if the Commander in Chief can't get a ride onto one of his carriers, who the heck can?

 

[Chunk]

I don't think the media implied anything. It was quite clear that he wasn't flying the aircraft.

 

[ShawnC]

Re: Re: Ejection Seat Qualifed

True... Not that it's a fun ride but his father didn't have the "luxury" of an ejection seat.

I would give my right leg (after the flight, I still need to work the rudder) to fly his fathers airplane.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Bush was transferred to an AL unit, but he never showed up. He was AWOL for over a year. Other guard members who did what he did were put into the draft lottery, which was standard procedure.

Bush, Jr. (as opposed to his dad, the war hero) was given a slot in the guard because of his dad, as many rich kids were at the time. He was then given a pilot slot. He scored VERY low on the pilot exam, I believe around a 25%.

He was not punished for being AWOL for a year, and he wasn't put into a draft-elligible category because he was a rich man's kid.

Clinton and Bush did the same thing-they avoided the draft, which I think makes them poor candidates for president. McCain is a true American hero, and I believe he would've served his country well. Bush, Jr. is doing an excellent job serving his rich friends well, at the expense of everyone else.

If Kerry is nominated to run against Bush, I will vote for Kerry because he is a war hero, and not a draft-dodging rich kid.

Cliff
GRB
Air Medal, Iraq War I

 

[JimNtexas]

You're mistaken Cliff. I've looked at the actual documents carefully. Lt Bush has documentation in the form of signed OERs for his training during the year that the Bush haters wish he'd been AWOL.

 

[Spur]

Cliff
GRB
Air Medal, Iraq War I

Is that some kind of new duty title??? Or do you think for some reason we would give any more credence to your insane ideas because you were a copilot in Desert Storm and your AC managed to get you to show up for 20 missions.

 

[scarface]

In reference to Bush's alleged AWOL of approximately one year,I would think some logged F102 time during the disputed period would put the matter to rest.
As to the statement that those who missed their drills for a year were put into the draft lottery, I know that the Marine Corps, and I assume they reflected DOD policy, cut you a set of active duty orders if you owed them time.
There were some Air Force and Navy aviation reserve units called up during Vietnam during the Pueblo crisis. I believe some of those units were Air National Guard.
I served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps helicopter pilot and if I had been offered an opportunity to fly F anythings in the Reserve/Guard I'd have jumped on it My experiences in the military were quite ordinary but I don't think I had a draft evader mentality; I just didn't know about the program and thus didn't apply for it.

 

[Singlecoil]

You're mistaken Cliff. I've looked at the actual documents carefully. Lt Bush has documentation in the form of signed OERs for his training during the year that the Bush haters wish he'd been AWOL.

Can you provide a link to those? I've seen the ones that say he failed to complete his physical in August '72 and was grounded in Texas. Then he was assigned to duty in Alabama, where coincidentally he was working on a campaign for a friend of the family. Bush supporters have yet to find anyone who saw him perform any duty in Alabama, or any additional duty in Texas after that suspension. His medical records are sealed, so we don't know if he didn't take the physical or flunked it for some reason.

 

[Singlecoil]

Re: Re: Ejection Seat Qualifed

True... Not that it's a fun ride but his father didn't have the "luxury" of an ejection seat.

Especially unfortunate for the two guys in his airplane that day who were killed in action. Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross for that mission.

 

[JimNtexas]

Singlecoil, I could give you the links, but I won't because I know from past experience that irrational people like you will carrry this smear to your grave.

You are the acuser. The burden of proof is on you. You claim that Lt Bush was "AWOL". That's a serious charge, and a serious person would not make it without substantial evidence.

You show me some proof of any adverse action taken by the Air Guard against Lt Bush.

There are no documented adverse actions, as you well know. Instead there are OERs and an honorable discharge that certify satisfactory service.

Well, maybe you should go to Dallas and look in the trash cans around the grassy knoll. You might find something there, if the UFOs didn't get it first.

 

[ShawnC]

If Kerry is nominated to run against Bush, I will vote for Kerry because he is a war hero, and not a draft-dodging rich kid.

Cliff
GRB
Air Medal, Iraq War I

Oh yes Kerry the war hero that threw his Medals back at the Capitol... oh wait he didn't he threw someone elses medals and his ribbons because he was too proud of the ones he earned.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Apparently, the "Boston Globe" was the media outlet that did the most investigating of Bush's military service, or lack thereof.

Here is a short synopsis of the situation from salon.com:

"Trail Mix: Did Bush go AWOL on Guard?

Rick Lazio's running start leaves Hillary Clinton at a loss for a target and voters cautiously optimistic.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Alicia Montgomery

May 25, 2000 | George W. Bush didn't just dodge duty in Vietnam, he apparently skipped out on his stint in the National Guard as well.

The Boston Globe reports a one-year gap in Bush's military records after he went to work for a political campaign in Alabama in May of 1972. Though Bush promised to continue his service while stationed in that state, there is no evidence that he ever showed up for Alabama Guard duty.

"Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not," said retired Gen. William Turnipseed, who commanded the Alabama unit at the time Bush claims to have served. "I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered."

Furthermore, Texas National Guard records indicate that Bush failed to return to service there even after the Alabama campaign ended in November 1972.

Bush, however, insists that his military service is complete. The candidate told the Associated Press, "I served my full obligation with the Texas National Guard. That's why I was honorably discharged."
http://archive.salon.com/politics2000/feature/2000/05/24/guard/

Here is the Boston Globe search page with a number of articles on the subject:
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we..._dispstring=bush texas alabama guard AND date(1/1/1998%20to%2012/31/2000)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=1/1/1998%20to%2012/31/2000&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date&xcal_useweights=no

I prefer to have a president that legitimately served in the US Military, or at least served our country in government service at some point (and not JUST as a politician!).

Maybe it's just because I served in the military, but I feel that our country would be way better off now if McCain was President.

Cliff
GRB

 

[Singlecoil]

Singlecoil, I could give you the links, but I won't because I know from past experience that irrational people like you will carrry this smear to your grave.

You are the acuser. The burden of proof is on you. You claim that Lt Bush was "AWOL". That's a serious charge, and a serious person would not make it without substantial evidence.

You show me some proof of any adverse action taken by the Air Guard against Lt Bush.

There are no documented adverse actions, as you well know. Instead there are OERs and an honorable discharge that certify satisfactory service.

Well, maybe you should go to Dallas and look in the trash cans around the grassy knoll. You might find something there, if the UFOs didn't get it first.

Thanks for the flamebait, JackA$$. Don't bother trying to refute anything I said, just attack me as being irrational. Cute. Look at my post. Where does it say AWOL? Bush was removed from flying status for failure to complete a physical. Even he doesn't deny that. He went to Alabama, but can't remember what he did, nor does his C.O. ever remember seeing him there.http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...ode=&contentId=A59151-2000Jun25&notFound=true
WTF are you being so defensive about?

 

[GCD]

WTF

Do you know how many times I've been counted AWOL in the Guard becasue of the Guard's own FU's? Even my XO during this AT, which started Saturday, was counted as AWOL because no one told him he was transferred into the unit. This is common in the Guard.

It usually takes a letter to explain the Guard's FU by the Guardsman, which the news agencies fail to explain.

My XO, a shaved head, O4, ring knocker stated he would place himself in jail for being AWOL for two days. I told him to just go home to his wife for the night. That's enough punishment.

Geesh, does anyone really believe that GW was really AWOL?