Why didn't GWB join the U.S. Air Force ?

On 13 Jul 2004 09:24:01 GMT, (WalterM140) wrote:

So do flying officers in the US Air Force go through six weeks of training --
as enlisted men -- and then are commissioned as officers?

Since 1962 all entries to USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training enter as
commissioned officers. Since 1964 all entries to Navigator training
enter as commissioned officers. (Prior to that the Aviation Cadet
program allowed for two years of college to qualify and a dual
training program that resulted in both a commission and an
aeronautical rating, AKA "wings.")

Do -any- Air Force officers do that?

USAF line officers are commissioned through USAFA, AFROTC and OTS.
Officer Training School requires a four-year college degree to enter.
The cadets are subject to the UCMJ and are paid at enlisted rates.
While they do not hold a specific enlisted rank, they are considered
to be enlisted. On completion of the program they are commissioned as
USAF officers.

Bush's military resume clearly states that he was an enlisted man one day and a
commissoned officer the next.

Day before completion of OTS, you're enlisted. Get sworn in and handed
the commission, you're officer.

There has been a lot of back and forth on this, but no consensus on through
which means officers are accessed into the ANG vice the Air Force.

There is no requirement for "consensus." Facts do not require
consensus. Get out your Funk & Wagnall's and look up the word.

I'd really be surprised to find that the Air Force runs potential officers
through a six week program in which they are considered enlisted men. In the
Marine Corps, officer candidates are NOT considered enlisted men. I know
there are some differences between the Guard/Reserve and also between the
Army/Air Force and the Marine Corps/Navy way of doing things.

Great. You've had a breakthrough. There are differences between USMC,
Army, USAF, Guard, Reserve. Good.

But going straight from being an enlisted man, as Bush did, to being an officer
the very next day seems pretty strange.

Virtually everyone who ever went through OTS/OCS did exactly that.

And here's the link to Bush's military resume:

http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/doc14.gif

I can tell by some subsequent follow on notes, that people are not going to
these links I post, but I can't help that.

I go to some, but quite often the domain indicates that the
information is biased at best and falsified at the worst. A "users"
domain is for individual bloggers. It doesn't connote any great degree
of credibility. Sorry about that.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8