"Fred the Red Shirt" wrote in message
om...
nt (Krztalizer) wrote in message
...
I thought the main issue wasn't that he served, but that he didn't
complete his
obligation of service?

There were three points of contention that weren't on their face
absurd.

1) He took a position in AL working on the Senatorial Campaign staff
for a family frend. (Some sources say he was in charge which seems
unlikely given his age). So he applied for a tranfer from the TX
NG to the AL NG. That transfer was denied, but he went to AL and
(one supposes) wokred on the campaign anyhow. It is argued that
since he did not return to duty in TX when his transfer to the
AL unit was denied, he was AWOL. Sometime later, his commander
in TX was contacted because he had not sent in a rating for GWB
and his commander wrote back saying the GWB had transferred to an
AL unit. Now, if in the opinion of his TX commander Bush was AWOL
one supposes that he might have said so. I infer from this that the
TX commander gave Bush permission to go to AL in anticipation that
the transfer would be approved and either was never informed
that the transfer was turned down. THere is no evidence that
Bush was ordered to return to duty in TX befor he actually did.
Now, if he was paid for serving in the AL guard then I guess
that at some point his tranfser was approved even if documents
directly confirming that have not surfaced.

You have discounted another very real probability; he could indeed have
subsequently been allowed by his commander to conduct training with that
Alabama unit while still assigned to his TXANG unit--known nowadays as
"equivalent training", at least on the ARMG side of the NG house. Happens
quite frequently.


Even if there was no evidence that he put time in while he was
in AL, without evidence that his TX commander had called him back,
it would seem that he did nothing worse that take advantage of
having fallen through the cracks for a few months.

But there is evidence he performed duty in Alabama; though his worst
detractors refuse to admit it, he could only have received the dental exam
(which record was released yesterday) at that ALANG facility had be been in
a duty status.


2) While he was in AL Bush was grounded for 'failure to accomplish'
his annual physical exam. THe document I have seen that states
this also lists a scond officer grounded for the same reason. Now,
I've had civilian physical examinations and never thought of them
as much of an accomplishment but there's military lingo for you.
Some cite this as evidence that Bush was AWOL saying he didn't
show up for his exam as ordered. Problem is, there is no evidence
that he was ordered to 'accomplish' that exam. It may be that
since he was with a non-flying unit there was no reason to
maintain his flying status, but he remained eligible until that
date.

One of his fellow TXANG pilots has provided a more reasonable
explanation--the exams were given at the unit during a particular drill
period, and since this occured during the period he was drilling in Alabama,
he was not there to get it. The Alababma unit he was drilling with was a
non-flying outfit, so would have been unlikely to have had any flight
physicals scheduled at that location.


3) He was discharged form the guard a few months early so he could attend
school that Fall. That may have been leaving the guard earlier than
normal, but if he had enough points to his credit, it surely was not
a failure to fulfill the obligation.

Exactly. And any way you cut it, his early release was no less acceptable
than that accorded to Kerry by his boss so that he could run for office and
spend his time trashing the efforts of those who were still in Vietnam.

Brooks

--

FF