Military Service of Bush and Kerry

Bush"s National Guard Service

Bush Refused Guard Physical*

Bush was accepted into the Guard, he failed to live up to the requirements of his service, including following an order. And we also reported that the documents were written by Lt. Bush's National Guard squad commander, Col. Jerry Killian, who passed away in 1984. . .Col. Killian's secretary, Marion Carr Knox, describes herself as Col. Killian's "right hand" during much of the 1970s. . .“I did not type those memos. . . says Knox. “I know that I didn’t type them. However, the information in those is correct.” . . Knox says the information in the four memos that CBS obtained is very familiar, but she doesn't believe the memos are authentic. She does, however, remember her boss, Col. Jerry Killian, being upset over Mr. Bush's failure to take a physical . . . She told 60 Minutes again and again that she believed President Bush refused a direct order to take a physical.CBS, 9/15/04 MORE

SEE 60 Minutes Interview HERE

Bush: Not Your Average Poor Boy*

[D]uring the final two years of his obligation, Bush did not comply with Air Force regulations that impose a time limit on making up missed drills. What's more, he apparently never made up five months of drills he missed in 1972, contrary to assertions by the administration. . . Some experts say they remain mystified as to how Bush obtained an honorable discharge. Lawrence Korb, . . says. . . that Bush . . . "should have been called to active duty." . .He also missed his flight physical. By May 2, 1973, his superiors said they could not evaluate his performance because he "has not been observed." . . .adds James Currie, . . "Clearly, if you were the average poor boy who got drafted and sent into the active force," he says, "they weren't going to let you out before you had completed your obligation." Kit R. Roane, U.S. News & WR, 9/20/04 Issue MORE

Bush Shirked Military Duties*

The controversy continues over the authenticity of memos obtained by CBS News that show President Bush's National Guard commander believed Mr. Bush at times shirked his duties and used his political influence. . . The network is adamantly defending the authenticity of the memos, . . .saying experts who examined the memos concluded they were authentic documents produced by Mr. Bush's former commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. . .What the Killian memos purport to show is that Mr. Bush defied a direct order to appear for a physical exam, that his performance as an officer was lacking in other ways and that Mr. Bush used family connections to try to quash any inquiry into his lapses.. . In a separate development, . . .Bush promised to sign up with a Boston-area unit when he left his Texas unit . . .. Mr. Bush never signed up with a Boston unit.(CBS/AP), 9/10/04 MORE

Bush Guard Service Incomplete*

President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the National Guard came under renewed scrutiny on Wednesday as newfound documents emerged from his squadron commander's file that suggested favorable treatment. At the same time, a once powerful Texas Democrat came forward to say that he had "abused my position of power" by helping Mr. Bush and others join the Guard. Democrats also worked to stoke the issue with a new advertisement by a Texas group that featured a former lieutenant colonel, Bob Mintz, who said he never saw Mr. Bush in the period he transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Air National Guard. . . Colonel Killian [Bush's commander] also wrote in a memo that his superiors were forcing him to give Lieutenant Bush a favorable review, but that he refused.
KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and RALPH BLUMENTHAL, NY Times, 9/9/04 MORE

Bush Daddy Helps W. Become Sky Pilot *

In 1968, former Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas, fresh from voting to send other men’s sons to Vietnam, enlisted his own son in a very special affirmative action program, the ‘champagne’ unit of the Texas Air National Guard. . . This week, former Lt. Governor Ben Barnes of Texas 'fessed up to pulling the strings to keep Little George out of the jungle. . .Barnes appears to have made lucrative use of his knowledge of our President’s slithering out of the draft as a lever to protect a multi-billion dollar contract for a client. That's the information in a confidential letter buried deep in the files of the US Justice Department that fell into my hands at BBC television. . . And so it came to pass that the governor's commission reversed itself and gave GTech the billion dollar deal without a bid. Greg Palast, 8/28/04. MORE

READ THE LETTER AND MORE HERE

The Media Blinks*

[T]he media blinked this weekend, doing its collective best to ignore an embarrassing new revelation by the prominent Texas politician who says he landed President Bush a coveted pilot spot in the Texas Air National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War, and is now "ashamed" of his actions. The explosive comments from a central player in the National Guard drama -- captured on video and available online -- have received just cursory coverage in the mainstream media . . .The [NY] Times' story was buried deep inside, next to a big takeout on GOP-connected Swift Boat Vets leader John O'Neill. . . It's also worth noting that the Democrats haven't been aggressive in pushing the Barnes story to the media, either. (Imagine how GOP attack dogs would hype a revelation from a politician who pulled strings to get Kerry his medals.) Eric Boehlert, Salon, 8/30/04 MORE

On Friday, February 13, 2004, the White House released what it described as all the documents in Bush’s personnel files. These documents prove the following:

1) “Points” records showing that for two straight years, Bush did not perform the training that was mandated by law, and which could not be excused by his superior officers. (See The Points Scam)

2) Payroll records showing that Bush requested and received pay and point credit for which he was ineligible under Air Force policy (See Fraud—The Secrets of Bush’s Payroll Records Revealed)

3) Documents related to Bush’s attempted transfer to the “9921st Air Reserve Squadron” showing that the request was an attempt by Bush to fraudulently escape his obligations as a member of the United States Armed Forces (See The Transfer Scam)

4) Documents showing that Bush’s superior officers attempted to cover up for Bush being “AWOL”, but eventually had to admit that they had lost track of Bush for an entire year. (See The Cover-up in Texas).

5) Documents showing that Bush intended to desert the Armed Forces with almost a year of his statutory six year participation requirement unfulfilled (See Discharge, or Desertion?)

6) Documents showing that the Air Force understood that Bush was a “deserter”, and had taken the steps necessary to deal with someone in Bush’s position who had abandoned their commitment to the US Government. See (Deserter: Bush After TXANG)

The Bush documents also reveal that

1) Bush’s personnel files were tampered with to disguise what had occurred.

2) The person upon whom the media has relied upon for its interpretation of Bush’s military records (an individual who was specifically engaged by the 2000 Bush campaign to “clear” Bush) was directly involved in providing Bush with favorable treatment as a member of the Texas Air National Guard, and

3) This person has lied about the nature of Bush’s records, and made claims regarding Bush’s obligations as a member of the United States Armed Forces that have absolutely no basis in fact

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