CSM
Senior Member
So it is your position that if a pilot told his commanding Officer he no longer wanted to fly and was not going to take the flight physical that he could be forced to take it anyway?
It is my position that it was sleazy of George Bush to slide into the national guard while his less affluent peers were being sent off to Nam... allow the military to train him to fly... and then not complete his commitment.... and then, years later, let his unsavory cohorts denigrate the service of a man who did two tours in the war zone and was highly decorated for that service.
Two tours? when was that?
And your cute little Bush love poem commentary by the air force colonel in the republican propaganda website failed to point out that Bush, after basic flight training, got to chose his aircraft... and the F-102 that he chose had ALREADY been earmarked for removal from overseas service and he, therefore, KNEW that he would be able to avoid Vietnam by chosing that aircraft... and then, he STILL felt no compunction to stay and finish his tour - all the while, his peers were dying inthe jungle.
Ya forgot to mention that the F-102 was the ONLY fighter aircraft available to him in that particular unit. Kinda hard to volunteer to fly something that isn't there.
In Bush's case his command allowed him to finish service and made NO official comments about his loss of flight status. Instead allowing him BY order to finish his obligation with desk duty and then authorizing him to leave service early. AND gave him an Honorable Discharge.
ALL of which was standard practice for ANYONE in the Air National Guard and during that time period the Air Force also.
I do not believe that it was standard practice for ANY branch of the military to not give a shit about pilots who cavalierly refused to take their flight physicals and instead to reward them for such disobedience by giving them early outs. I believe that Dubya had a little help in that regard, just like he had a little help jumping over hundreds of more qualified appicants to get into the TANG in the first place. Hmmm...care to tell us which applicants were passed over in deference to Bush? How were they more qualified and can you prove that claim? Just because you say so doesn't make it true. And some of us veterans look askance at such behavior (that would be ME) Yet some don't mind embracing those who went to Canada to avoid the draft or got college deferments ... while others chose to deify him and excuse and minimize any failings in his past simply because of his party.... Oh, you mean like ignoring Kerry's traitorous actions as a Naval Reserve Officer in making false accusations regarding atrocities in VN or in giving aid and comfort to the enemy in a time of war (that would be YOU - and you have the gall to call ME a partisan hack!)
But you ARE a partisan hack...you admit to being one!
Kerry served TWO tours???? I musta missed that one...I am under the impression that he served a total of 5 months. Less than a full tour.