[Rhodes22-list] Bush's Service Record

[brad haslett]

OK boys and girls, I just sent Ed Kroposki an e-mail a
few days ago explaining why I didn't want to rejoin
the list but I've been following the thread anyway and
I just can't take it anymore.  You're talking bad
about my man W and some things just need to be said.

Hello old friends!

I never spent a single day in the service but I've
been working in a para-military organization for
twenty years with over 80% of my co-workers
ex-military and about 30% currently in the national
guard or reserve.  

Here's the poop (and my spin) on guard pilots.  Some
join to keep scoring points to retirement after
leaving active service, while others make an almost
full time job out of it, and some airline pilots use
it as a back-up to protect themselves from a cyclical
industry (like post 9/11).  Guard members are required
to earn a minimum number of points per year to meet
their requirements and have a great deal of leeway,
within limits, about the spacing of their appearances.
 When the manning requirements are light the "guard
bums", guys who are basically making a full time job
of it, do the heaving lifting while those looking for
minimum participation participate minmaly.

During the Vietnam era, Guard or reserve duty was a
way of postponing or better yet, avoiding a trip to
the jungle.  That is precisely why John Kerry joined
the Navy reserves after his draft board refused his
request for a student referral to study in Paris for a
year.  At the time Kerry volunteered for swift-boat
duty, swift boats were considered "safe" duty.  That
changed later on but I digress.

Bush flew an F102 which was a very "nasty" airplane
without being shot at.  In the 1971-72 time frame,
Vietnam was winding down and there was a surplus of
pilots in the Air Force.  Any Guard unit could get all
the missions completed they needed with returning
Vietnam pilots and those desiring minimum flying
(perhaps Bush) could do so.

I'm attaching part of an e-mail that a friend from
work sent me yesterday.  I can promise you I've done
my homework on the above statements but can only trust
in the accuracy of the following.  It comes from
someone I've known and trusted for 20 years and based
on my relationship with the source, I give it a 99.99%
confidence rating.

---------------------------------------------

 Hopefully by now you have all heard about this story.
 Facing 
plummeting
> poll numbers, the Kerry campaign decided to revisit
the Bush-National
Guard
> records.  In previous months, Kerry's people had
tried to drum up a 
story
> about this.  ALL of the evidence shows that Bush
completed more than 
6
> years worth of service (not night and weekend stuff
but FULL TIME 
service)
> in the Guard in less than 6 years.  He served
overtime for four years
> before he asked to take some time off to run a
campaign.  The 
majority of
> his records showed him to be an above average pilot
and an average
student.
> He later pursued an advanced business degree after
receiving an 
honorable
> discharge from service.
>
> Kerry has been trying to make an issue out of a
missed physical and
dentist
> appointment.  No one cared.  It backfired.  Then
came the big bounce 
in
> Bush's poll numbers.  Kerry, in desperation, went
back to Guard 
records.
> By this time, the story has been tried at least 4
times on the 
American
> voting public.  But the press was more than willing
to go along again 
if
it
> could help Kerry

---------------------------------------------------

Hope that clears it up for you.  (YEAH RIGHT!)

Brad Haslett
"CorsShen"
>



		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail