Calpundit: Bush sent to disciplinary unit to make up AWOL time...

[Teaser]

You know the mysterious torn document? It's torn no longer. And it ain't a Texas Air National Guard document:


http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003220.html

As it turns out, though, we have traded one mystery for another. It's now clear that the document is genuine, but what exactly does it tell us? In particular:


The first listed date is October 29, not November 29 as we had theorized before. But George Bush was still in Alabama in October. What exactly was he getting attendance credit for?


This is neither a Texas Air National Guard document nor an Alabama document. What is it?


The answer, as you can see from the top line, is that it is an ARF document, as is this record from 1973


...


ARF is a "paper unit" based in Denver that requires no drills and no attendance. For active guard members it is disciplinary because ARF members can theoretically be called up for active duty in the regular military, although this obviously never happened to George Bush.

To make a long story short, Bush apparently blew off drills beginning in May 1972, failed to show up for his physical, and was then grounded and transferred to ARF as a disciplinary measure.

Mod's please forgive the extensive quoting, and the fact this is from a blog. But it's important.

[Rebellious Republican]

1. Well, thats one piece of evidence in favor of shrub shot down!

:kick:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Wellll....that certainly puts a Junior in the ointment, doesn't it?

[grytpype]

3. CHECK THIS OUT!!!!

A document signed by young George W. Bush stating:



Wow. This is really big.

The good news: Georgie spent a significant part of the war in a disciplinary unit for failing to show up.

The bad news: He wasn't really AWOL or deserted, because his disciplinary unit does not have active drill requirements. That is, he was "present" at his disciplinary unit on paper.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

4. See where it says "Signature of Enlistee"? I wonder if ...

...Junior was busted down to enlisted rank status as part of his disciplinary "tour" in Colorado?

[grytpype]

5. No, I think this was signed when Duhbya first enlisted.

[RobertSeattle]

9. Good catch

Where's the date on this thing?

It may be some standard thing someone signs to insure they know their will be punishment if you don't fulfil you NG obligations.

[54anickel]

33. Date = 23 February, 1967 from what I can see.

Unless that's the date of the directive?

[freestatevet]

37. You are right

the second time. It's the date of the directive.

[freestatevet]

36. But he didn't enlist

He was commissioned. Big difference. What's up with this document?

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[freestatevet]

45. Really?

I didn't (Academy). Neither did my wife (ROTC). Are you sure he did? I would think that if he went to OTS, he did, (But as an E-5, not an E-1).

[Zero Gravitas]

51. he didn't go to OTS

he got awarded a commission after pilot training because he came from a wealthy aristocratic family with political connections. As usual junior was treated differently than an ordinary citizen would have been.

[freestatevet]

53. That's my point

He was directly commissioned and was therefore never "enlisted."

[LiberalFighter]

64. National Guard Timeline 1968- Nov 1969

17 Jan 1968 -Air Force officer and pilot qualification tests
25 May 1968 -Enlisted Texas Air National Guard @ Ellington AFB TX
27 May 1968 -Begin 147th Cmbt Spt Sq @ Ellington AFB TX
13 Jul 1968 -End 147th Cmbt Spt Sq @ Ellington AFB TX
14 Jul 1968 -Begin 3724 BAMILTRARON @ Lackland AFB TX
25 Aug 1968 -End 3724 BAMILTRARON @ Lackland AFB TX
26 Aug 1968 -Begin 147th Cmbt Spt Sq @ Ellington AFB TX
3 Sept 1968 -End 147th Cmbt Spt Sq @ Ellington AFB TX
3 Sept 1968 -Discharged from enlisted status
4 Sept 1968 -Commissioned in Texas Air National Guard
4 Sept 1968 -Begin 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron @ Ellington AFB TX
20 Nov 1968 -End 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron @ Ellington AFB TX
 4 Sept 1968*-Takes an 8-week leave to work on a Senate campaign in Florida for Edward J Gurney
21 Nov 1968 -Begin Pilot Trainee, 3550 Stu Sq @ Moody AFB GA
29 Nov 1969 -End Pilot Trainee, 3550 Stu Sq @ Moody AFB GA
30 Nov 1969 -Begin 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron @ Ellington AFB TX
   July 1970 -300 appr 300 hours training flight time in F-102
   July 1970 -Short of the 500 hours of experience required for volunteer active duty combat operations in Vietnam
   July 1970 -Severe shortage of F-102 pilots in Vietnam
 7 Nov 1970 -First Lieutenant
15 May 1972 -Lieutenant Colonel William D. Harris Jr reports cleared base
15 May 1972 -Cleared 111th TexANG Ellington AFB

[SOS]

48. From the original Globe article in 2000:

"The ease of Bush's entry into the Air Guard was widely reported last year. At a time when such billets were coveted and his father was a Houston congressman, Bush vaulted to the top of a waiting list of 500. Bush and his father have denied that he received any preferential treatment. But last year, Ben Barnes, who was speaker of the Texas House in 1968, said in a sworn deposition in a civil lawsuit that he called Guard officials seeking a Guard slot for Bush after a friend of Bush's father asked him to do so.

Before he went to basic training, Bush was approved for an automatic commission as a second lieutenant and assignment to flight school despite a score of just 25 percent on a pilot aptitude test. Such commissions were not uncommon, although most often they went to prospective pilots who had college ROTC courses or prior Air Force experience. Bush had neither."

Other sources report that despite the 25% test score, Bush's rise to officer was the fastest in US military history. Another interesting point is that all members of Bush's "champagne" unit had parents who were members of the same country club.

[freestatevet]

52. That doesn't make sense

How could it be faster than anyone else in history when he came in as a 2Lt like almost all other officers?

[SOS]

55. Timeline

Bush graduated Yale in May 1968. He was not in ROTC.
He was sworn into the Guard on May 27 1968. Six weeks later he was a 2 Lt.
Six weeks from civilian with no military experience to 2Lt.

More on 2 Lt. commission:

"By means of a 'special appointment' by the commanding officer of his squadron, with the approval of a panel of three senior officers.
* Normally required eight full semesters of college ROTC courses or eighteen months of military service or completion of Air Force officer training school.
* Texas National Guard historian said that he "never heard of that" except for flight surgeons."

[freestatevet]

56. Your timeline is valid

However the statement you made that "Bush's rise to officer was the fastest in US military history" is false. Direct commissions, while rare, do occur, especially for those attending UPT.. Bush seemed to benefit from that.

[LiberalFighter]

83. Who were those 3 senior officers?

[Merlin]

58. He DID enlist -- in the Guard

True, he may technically have become a commissioned officer. But he was still serving a term of enlistment in the ANG.

[freestatevet]

59. Okay

if you say so. I was never in the ANG (21 years AD). I didn't think one had to enlist, if one received a direct commission. It doesn't work that way for AD.

[Merlin]

63. Agreed. I was drafted, then commissioned via OCS.

I'm surmising however that NG is different since it's clearly something nobody is ever drafted for, nor do they wind up there as a result of attending a military school. All NG members must sign up. All are therefore enlistees.

It would, of course, be far better to hear from somebody who actually was NG in that time period and might be willing to look up some of their old docs.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

94. It is still considered an enlistment until his commission date

which was at the end of basic training.

[Merlin]

60. This is clearly a disciplinary warning letter.

It may have been a standard letter, but he was clearly required to sign it for disciplinary reasons. The language is way too full of insider lingo to expect any new enlistee to understand what it means. Plus it has a decidedly warning tone about it. This was no doubt a warning he received at some point when he was still in good standing. That means he must have later violated the warning.

[burrowowl]

7. Had he been anyone else

His a$$ would have been sent to Vietnam ilico presto.

[westcoastbias]

14. What about his claim that he reported to duty

If this is real, wouldn't it expose Bush for the liar that he is, when he said he reported to duty in Alabama, although there were no records to support this. This record implies he never reported to duty in Alabama.

Please help me because I'm not sure this document is real and I'm not sure I understand the story.

[thebaghwan]

25. That doesn't make a lot of sense though does it? You get placed on

disciplinary action for missing drills and they put you in a "paper unit" that has no drills?? You might be subject to being forced into active duty from the disciplinary unit but think about that a little. He was a trained F-102 pilot who for whatever reason lost flight status. How is he goung to get the flight status back and be able to do anything in Nam if there are no drills??

[aquart]

28. He could have taken the physical.

He lost his flying privileges for failure to take a required physical.

[IndianaGreen]

42. There were no F-102s in Vietnam (Did Bush crash a jet for being drunk?)

The F-102 was a supersonic interceptor whose only mission was to shoot down Soviet bombers.

There were no F-102s in Vietnam. Now, had Bush been qualified for the F-105, he would have sent to 'Nam. The F-105 was the Air Force's workhorse in Vietnam, being used to bomb targets in both North and South Vietnam.


F-102


F-105

As he well knew, I had already heard all of it through the media grapevine. "You missed one," I said. "You crashed a jet while you were in the National Guard because you were drunk."

http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/bush102.htm

[DemoTex]

71. Slight correction, IG. No F-102s in RVN when Bu$h joined the guard ...

However, the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, was re-organized in Apr 1966 at Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, replacing the 6252d Tactical Fighter Wing. The 35th TFW controlled two F–4C squadrons, two rotational B–57 squadrons, and F–102 flights of the 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in combat operations in Southeast Asia (RVN). The F-102s left Vietnam in 1967 or 1968, before Bu$h qualified on the aircraft in his TANG unit.

[wicket]

34. This is huge!

kick

[Guaranteed]

82. No it's not. It's an "I've been informed of the consequences" document,

signed Feb. 23rd 1967.

That doesn't mean that Bush wasn't assigned to the ARF, though....the web site from the original post on this thread seems to have some interesting information.

[LiberalFighter]

84. That is the date of the directive

bush* didn't enlist until May 1968

When the directive/order is revised then it will have a different date and used as reference point.

[DemonFighterLives]

35. Interesting line K on the document

45 day tour for someone with satisfactory attendance but failed to progress in specialty training.
I don't understand the provision conpletely, but love the "failed to Progress" part that really fits our shrub.
He can't fly a plane, but he wears the flight suit well!

[LiberalFighter]

65. In other discussion postings

Air National Guard Vets have stated that making Captain by the 5th year of their 6 year service was standard. Bush* left as a 1st Lieutenant.

Commissioned Officer Ranks

O-1 Second Lieutenant
O-2 First Lieutenant
O-3 Captain
O-4 Major
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel
O-6 Colonel
O-7 Brigadier General
O-8 Major General
O-9 Lieutenant General
O-10 General
General of the Army

[LiberalFighter]

88. Air Force Application Process

The application process for becoming an Air Force officer and airplane driver was intense and took many months. I first completed a lengthy application. I passed the first round of cuts and had to take several tests such as an aptitude test, general knowledge and eye-hand coordination. After passing the second round of tests, I was given a very comprehensive flight physical, including an eye exam. A common mis-conception is that you cannot become a military pilot if you do not have 20/20 vision. Only a select few (such as Air Force Academy cadets) know that it is possible to get a waiver of the 20/20 requirement from the Surgeon General of the Air Force. I also had to complete a detailed Department of Defense questionnaire about my entire life, which would be used by the FBI to investigate me to determine if I was eligible to hold a Top Secret security clearance. After passing the FBI background check, the last stage of the process was to be selected by a selection board.

I began the USAF application process in the fall of 1969, but did not get notice of my acceptance until May of 1970, about the same time I got a notice from my draft board to report for a draft physical. When an Army recruiter told me that I had a good chance of being drafted into the Army and being sent to Vietnam, I elected to accept my USAF slot and go to Officer Training School and flight school. I goofed off the summer of 1970 in Westport, Connecticut, were my parents lived. In early September of 1970, I took the oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States and became an E-4 (for pay purposes) and reported to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for three months of OTS.

http://www.keytlaw.com/F-4/draft.htm

[PartyPooper]

87. That signature is NOT the same signature from the presidential auto-pen

which "signed" and acknowledged my father's distinguished military service...sent from the WH after my father's death 3 years ago.

I wonder if Junior changed his signature as an "adult"! The one on this document is considerably different from the one I saw more recently.

Sorry, I don't have a copy of Junior's contemporary signature. But, I'm sure some DU'er does.

Why would he change his signature?

[LiberalFighter]

95. Maybe bush* is faking himself??

Clone?
Double?
Sleeper agent for the Russians?

[RobertSeattle]

6. Kick - needs to be rekicked tomorrow morning

Manu DU'ers already in bed...

Gee, wonder if Drudge will run this...Not

[The Zanti Regent]

12. KICK!

Got to keep this kicked up

[NNN0LHI]

8. Junior said today on MTP that his records were in Colorado somewhere

I thought that was odd, until now.

Don

[Snazzy]

15. wow--cool pathological liar psychology. Also, CO not TX is good.

Don't they always hint at evidence that will be their undoing? Something like that--been a while.

But perhaps most significantly, this puts these records outside of the evil empire known as Texas (no offense intended to DU'ers and normal human beings who live there).

Recall the bit about orders once he became Gov to scrub his records. Bet that didn't happen in CO. And who pulled strings once he got disciplined to make sure he didn't ship out?

THAT'S the record we want.

FOIA to Colorado ARF anybody?

[bvar22]

10. What the HELL kind of discipline is this????

bush* defies direct orders to report for his physical. Then, bush* defies orders to report for duty in Alabama. When he is caught and disciplined, his punishment is he doesn't have to report for ANYTHING.

Boy, I'll bet he really learned his lesson this time!!!!

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alittlelark]

26. Rincon's cruisin the posts tonight!

You will get few here who would shoot him. You never told me who you voted for in 2000....I keep askin' when I see your posts.

[Teaser]

20. The punishment is...

ARF (Air Reserve Force) might actually get sent into combat, unlike Air National Guard.

[LiberalFighter]

96. Too bad it didn't happen about 1 or 2 years earlier

so that chimp would get sent to Vietnam

[patriotvoice]

11. Reference on the whole situation

http://americanassembler.com/almanac/truth_about_bush_military.html

Note, firstly, that Gore and Kerry are proudly displayed in their military days.

Note, secondly, this source makes specific reference to the ARF, and includes specific cross-references.

[SidDithers]

16. Another thing...

It was posted in another thread, i think in GD, that it is pretty well standard that a pilot who is honourably discharged and has fulfilled all of the requirements of his NG service is discharged with the rank of Captain. If I'm not mistaken, Bush was let out as a 2nd Lt.

Guess there's not much advancement in those disciplinary units.

Sid

[TacticalPeek]

18. first louie

by one socalled discharge doc

[SidDithers]

19. Thanks for the correction... nt.

Sid

[LiberalFighter]

66. Here is that thread

A Question for my Fellow Veterans

[JohnyCanuck]

17. Freeps can't decide if to switch to panic mode or just stay in denial. LOL

A couple of freeper responses to this story posted at the www.calpundit.com web site.

Quote:
You people are soo stupid!!!. What about Kerry??? He wrote an awful book (with an upside down flag on the front)about the Vietnam War. He is so crooked yet all you people care about are things that you can not prove!!!!This document is not valid and doesn't prove a thing!!!!

Posted by: Jean at February 8, 2004 08:44 PM | PERMALINK
---------------------------------------------------------------------
what a load of liberal crap. Bush won. get over it.

Posted by: raf hound at February 8, 2004 08:47 PM | PERMALINK
---------------------------------------------------------------------

[Snazzy]

21. Worked on campaign of Winton M. "Red" Blount--bio

This is the guy * "worked" for--senate campaign, '72. Air Force link and wired into Nixon, Bush, Johnson. Probably pulled the strings to prevent active service.

Note Gulf War I payback, sounds like Halliburton test run:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/01bios/blount01.htm

Pilot, CEO, public servant, Winton M. "Red" Blount ...

The 1980s saw Blount International flourish with the completion of the world’s largest fixed-price contract, $2 billion, for the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Following Operation DESERT STORM, Blount International "turned the lights back on" in Kuwait by rebuilding its infrastructure. Blount served in prominent political posts including President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for President Johnson and Postmaster General under President Nixon.

....

But now the records are in CO not TX!!

[TacticalPeek]

23. Fascinating info!

We are living the dream of some bad dreamers. And dying their dream.

[Snazzy]

76. of course you have the assassination tie-in

The BFEE making moves in Alabama.

Just about the time. +/- a week, that Bush goes to Alabama, George Wallace is shot by a guy named Bremmer (in Maryland, where L. Paul calls home; no, I have no idea if there is a relation).

Just a wild coincidence, for sure, that jr's on the periphery in that particular election upset via wako lone gunman.



>> :tinfoilhat: << (there! but only as a courtesy)



Edit for factoids: George Wallace was Alabama's Gov, and Nixon won. Watergate break in was next month. Jr's candidate lost senatorial election but ran Alabama for the pugs; Rove was spotted in the neighborhood. That guy's son is a subcontractor for Halliburton in Iraq today.

[lebkuchen]

22. Thank you Michael Moore!

[truthisfreedom]

24. no kidding.

[rocktivity]

47. Also thank

Peter Jennings for media whoring above and beyond the call of duty by trying to embarrass Wesley Clark with what Moore said; and Wesley Clark for not backing down--if he'd agreed with Jennings it would have been all over. Too bad Clark has received so little media coverage since then.


rocknation

[grasswire]

27. we've known this for four years

Martin Heldt (an Iowa farmer) discovered four years ago that Bush was detailed to the Denver assignment -- which is a PAPER-ONLY assignment -- to make it appear that he had fulfilled his commitment.

[aquart]

29. Yes, we have. But the slant here is different.

Personally, I never understood until today that the Colorado unit was a punishment unit and SOP. (Although they may still have been covering up his non-compliance.)

That's obviously why the page had to be torn, so we wouldn't know it was a no-show punishment unit.

[RapidCreek]

38. Yea this is not new at all

it has been pointed out before that Bush's assignment to the Colorado Unit was a "punishment"....it just wasn't paid much mind.

RC

[underpants]

41. It's going to be new to some people

I knew he had been assigned to a "punishment unit" in Colorado (which always seemed strange to me him being in the TANG) but several questions pop up from this document.

Where were you form MAy -OCtober of 72?
Why were you sent to a punishment unit? Failing to take a physical and being GROUNDED? If you did nothing wrong and did your service why would you be sent to a punishment unit?

How did you still get an honorable discharge? Did you get an honorable discharge from the same unit that let you skip over ~147 other candidates with your lowest possible passing score on the aptitude test?

I think people are going to want answers to these and other questions.

[Teaser]

43. I don't think you even have to be *at* the punishment unit.

From the description, it exists on paper, as a bureaucratic catch-all for Guard delinquents. The real punishment is that you stand a chance of being called up for active duty from this "fictitious unit" to a real unit. Probably somewhere in Southeast Asia...

[LiberalFighter]

67. If that is the case... then some investigation needs to happen

We need someone to check out at least two different cities for this time period. Denver and Houston?

What needs to be researched?
Telephone books
City Directories (Polk or whatever company did those cities)

Where to do the research?
Public Libraries

Time Period?
1972
1973

Other records to research?
Court for drunk driving in Denver and Montgomery

[tkmorris]

30. Interesting

One well-delivered kick.

:kick:

[displacedtexan]

31. kick

n/t

[0007]

32. I'm not sure at this point what this all means -

[Teaser]

39. Morning auto-kickery

kickety kick kick.

[UTUSN]

44. "as delivered to Bob Fertik in response to a FOIA request in late 2000"

So this has been out there since 2000 but "disappeared" by our crack, investigative media.

[Robb]

50. Not clear

It's not clear how long the FOIA request process took for Fertik. In my experience it can take years. :shrug:

[Stephanie]

54. Write to Bob and ask him

He will answer you - contact him via www.democrats.com

[Endangered Specie]

46. I have a good idea for a disciplinary unit... Vietnam!

[NNN0LHI]

49. Vietnam for "The Fortunate Son"? Never

Bush was too busy working on some Repugs political campaign to waste is valuable time in the jungles of Vietnam.

Don

[Jackpine Radical]

57. Kinda like Janet Jackson--

he had udder priorities.

[kurtyboy]

61. I'm just realized this much

And it may not have any meaning in terms of the discussion. But how in the heck does ANYONE get to be on combat-crew status without EVER having some form of basic military training. No BMT at Lackland, no OCS anywhere, no ROTC in his history, nothing. If he really did fail as an airman, it seems pretty predictable. Could he have ever faced the rigors of BMT or OCS?

I doubt it, even though I always thought Air Force BMT was pretty easy (I did mine in 1981...).

I never missed a single ANG drill, except for my last one, when I had to jump through hoops to get excused (I had just taken a job with FEMA and had to attend training out-of-state). BUt I know lots of guys who did, a lot, and they still got their Honorable Discharge (Even the ones who were known to use drugs). It seemed to me that the ANG admin folks found it easier to process than a General or Less Than Honorable, or maybe they were just charitable. Either way, the Honorable Discharge ain't proof of much.

[NNN0LHI]

62. I have a good friend who pissed hot twice and still got an Honorable

He was in the Army stationed in Germany, but I would have thought he would never have received an Honorable Discharge after that. But he did.

Don

[LiberalFighter]

68. Would this be his BMT?

14 Jul 1968 -Begin 3724 BAMILTRARON @ Lackland AFB TX
25 Aug 1968 -End 3724 BAMILTRARON @ Lackland AFB TX

[Turley]

69. This is not a "Disciplinary" unit

or a "punishment" unit. It's the ANG's version of the I.R.R. It's the place that reservists go when they're not actively drilling (for whatever reason). Everyone I ever knew who went IRR did it voluntarily.

If a unit is short strength, some soldiers will threaten to go IRR just to get a plum assignment or maybe a promotion. It is true that you can get yanked out of the IRR for wartime deployment. Unfortunately it doesn't work too well. I saw this first hand during GW1 when we put drill sergeants in charge of IRR call-ups and tried to get them in fighting shape. That didn't work at all, although I must say it was very entertaining to watch from afar.

[Teaser]

70. It is *not* de jure a disciplinary unit...

but you can get sent there (at least in name) for failing to show up for drills. So for *some* it is de facto act of discipline.

The question is: is that why George was in this unit (which he never mentioned before at all?)

[TacticalPeek]

74. 'NG discipline' . . .eewwwwww!

Probably a net good thing they stayed home.

Given Clark, Kerry, Bush: Who do want in the foxhole?

[Turley]

78. Agreed

Obviously his service record is not, shall we say, impressive. I just wanted to make it clear that the IRR is not disciplinary in nature. I was a reservist and my contract called for six years of Active Reserves and two years of IRR. That's why I object to people here calling it a disciplinary unit. It is perfectly normal for many reservists to spend some time in the IRR.

Bush OTOH, was pretty much a slacker.

[JPace]

72. As this story stays out in front of the news....

there are people in AWOL's past who know
something about what really happened and
maybe they will start coming forward with
the truth. I wish there were a reward to
encourage those who may be afraid to come
forward.

[DemoTex]

73. Protection from BFEE retribution might bring them forward.

There are people who know what really happened with Lt. Bu$h's AWOL. They know, too, that they wouldn't get much chance to enjoy the reward money.

[JPace]

75. The bush family seems to have keys to every file cabinet

in American. They make all kinds of embarrassing
documents and records disappear. They seem to
be smart enough to know that forgeries can be
detected so they just make them go away. That
way it is for us to prove it while they just
pretend that none of that old stuff is important
anymore.

Dealings with Nazi's, banking scandals, drug
arrests, DWI's, AWOL activities, prostitution
services and other sordid activities leave no
paper trail or a tattered and smudged one with
vitals that are unreadable.

Then they go around pretending to be special
and our moral leaders.

Crap I am glad I am a liberal....somehow not
pretending to be perfect is cleaner.

[0007]

80. Was Laura's vehicle accident that caused a death in Midland scrubbed?

We must get the keys from the monkeys, and put ther monkeys back into their cages.

[David Zephyr]

77. Kick!

Thanks, Teaser! Great stuff! Great stuff! :thumbsup:

[Zech Marquis]

79. so here it is I guess

apparentlly he WAS charged with going AWOL, he did NOT take his physical, did NOT show up for drills in 1972, and he WAS punished for it by being transferred to this paper unit which sounds like the last stop for dead enderswho have fucked up in the Air national Guard. Maybe this was a real life "chicken hawk squadron" :evilgrin:

meanwhile, Kerry , Cleland, and Clark were in numerous battles in Vietnam, with the medals, wounds, and records to prove it all.

[UTUSN]

81. Kick for Media Lurkers (and Media Slackers) n/t

[Big_Mike]

85. By what I'm reading...

the guy was a no-show. I evaluated NG units my last few years on AD. In the Actives, if a guy is a no show, then it is AWOL, then Deserter, then Dropped From the Rolls (DFR). I was told by the USAR and the NG types that they just dropped the guy into the great computer list of Service Members called the Irregular Ready Reserves (IRR).

There is no criminality assigned. There is no specter of AWOL Apprehension looming over their shoulders. They are just duds that didn't fulfill the contract.

And BTW, don't check just the type of Discharge. Look at the Separation Code (post '75 or so) or the SPN Number. This characterizes the exact circumstances of discharge. Also look at the discharge authority box. Guys who were put out for drugs got an Honorable Discharge, just with a Drug/Alcohol abuse characterization of service.

[scottxyz]

86. No need to apoligize in this case for quoting a blog

From what I've been reading, the general consensus on this particular case (George W going AWOL) is that the BEST reporting is coming precisely from the guy you quoted at calpundit.com:

As blogger/journalist Josh Marshall says at:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_02_08.html#002544

First, if you're following this Bush military service issue, you should be reading Kevin Drum's column. Kevin's all over the nitty-gritty details of the relevant documents. And while some of his points -- as he himself says -- remain speculative, he's on a trail that could turn this whole story upside-down.

In any case, be sure to visit his site:
http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003220.html

(At the talkingpointsmem.com website linked about, Josh gives a long transcript of the DC press corps for once doing its job, grilling Scott McClellan about the AWOL questions.)


And another excellent blogger gives high marks to calpundit.com for covering the AWOL story:

Check out Calpundit's latest information about the Bush National Guard service record. It's stunning, suggesting that Bush may have been in disciplined in 1972, transferred to a "paper unit" and was quite vulnerable to Vietnam service. Calpundit doesn't answer all the riddles, but he has taken this farther than any mainstream media source. For one thing, he has physical evidence and real analysis backing up his claims.

http://rpayne.blogspot.com/2004_02_08_rpayne_archive.html#107636139705159160

Also, check out the great headline here:
GEORGE W. BUSH RELEASES MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS: GUILT PROVED
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=9275

Pat yourselves on the back, people. If we hadn't being pressuring lazy, timid corporate reporters, letting them know that we're onto their puff-pieces and lobbed questions, then (1) maybe Russert wouldn't have brought up the AWOL story at all on MTP Sunday morning, and maybe he wouldn't have pursued the particular talking point developed mainly on the web (ie, if you have nothing to hide, then are you going to release all your military records Mr. President, like all major canidates before you have done), and (2) maybe the DC press corps wouldn't have hounded Scott McClellan so relentlessly today.

Remember, all Monday the consensus on the web was: "Bush may have hemmed and hawed, but the hook for the press is that he DID promise to release the records. THIS is what the reporters need to focus on."

I really think that sometimes the corporate media listens to the bloggers and the posters. I think this was one of those times that WE THE NET USERS may have made a difference.

Thanks also to Michael Moore of course!

[JoFerret]

89. Good research. Thanks.

.

[0007]

90. Lots of excellent information in these blogs - I love it!

[Peeance Freeance]

91. Pound that AWOL drum

love it.

[JoFerret]

93. AWOL???....I thought it was

deserter!

[nolabels]

92. What was the question again?

http://www.thetip.org/art_AWOL_II___Silver_Spoon_Service769_icle.html
(snip)
In an NBC interview broadcast on Sunday, Bush acknowledged he had not volunteered for the "political war" in Vietnam, but said he supported the government and would have gone had his Guard unit been called. "I put in my time, proudly so," he said.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, front-runner in the race for th

e Democratic presidential nomination who volunteered for and was decorated for his duty in Vietnam, has said Bush should answer questions over his military record.

He declined to comment on the new records, saying: "It's not my story. It's not my question."

The Bush team has responded aggressively to the criticisms that could tarnish the president's portrayal of himself as a "war president" leading the country in a fight against global terrorism.

McClellan said the payroll records were proof of Bush's service.

But Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen, writing of his own Guard service, said: "For two years or so, I played a perfectly legal form of hooky. To show you what a mess the Guard was at the time, I even got paid for all the meetings I missed."
(snip)