There are only three real questions about Bush's service. Did he attend in
Alabama, what is he trying to hide, and what kind of soldier was he?
First question, the minor one of did he attend in Alabama?
For the answer to the attendance in Alabama there are contradictory reports.
Fifteen people at a small base say they never saw him, including the top two and a number of pilots. One GOP leader says he did see him reading magazines and books but his dates may contradict with the released records. The released records also contradict the Bush administration's prior statements, which had him do one day of service in Alabama. Another major GOP leader says she spoke to the base where Bush was attending and she was sure he was attending.
As others have and will cover the people let's turn to the written records.
If the people contradict each other what about the written records? Sorry, even the written records released this week by the White House, the ones on microfiche that Scotty was waving in his hand around the press podium, contradict each other.
One for 4th quarter of 72 shows Bush put in 0 days after April 16. Another incorrectly hand-labeled "1st QTR of 73" does show six inactive duty days in October and November. What you can say in Bush's defense is while they contradict each other it is possible one may be from Alabama, the other from Texas.
Let me discuss briefly active and inactive duty days. Active duty days are where you are doing what you were trained to do or at least participating in active job related tasks. Inactive duty days are where you showed up at the base and were available and may do some non-job-related tasks. You might also just play cards.
I had previously figured out from the following two links that an active duty code is 50 and an inactive duty code is 22. The others don't really matter. Documents one and two.
Check the pages in the second PDF.
Page 1 - summary of days worked.
Page 2 - hand-labeled 1st QTR 72 with pay records, no annual summary.
Page 3 - 2nd QTR 72 is the same format and some pay records.
No page - A 3rd QTR 72 is missing.
Page 4 - 4th QTR 72has a 12-month review of days Bush worked. No days were worked in the 3rd and 4th QTR. In the days worked 1st and 2nd QTR, April 16 is last day.
Page 5 - incorrectly labeled "1st QTR 73" shows 4th QTR 72 with Bush with inactive duty days in October and November. This is a little strange partial document. No days worked in 1st QTR but also no place to put them.
No page - A correctly formatted 1st QTR 73 with last 12 months is missing,
Page 6 - 2nd QTR 73 shows 4th QTR 72, 1st QTR 73 and 2nd QTR 73 days as reported on page one.
Result - one page says Bush did not report for duty in 4th QTR 72, two pages says he did. One page says he didn't report for duty in 1st quarter of 73, one page that shows he did. Why did Scotty want people to look at these or had he really looked at them?
2nd question - What is Bush trying to hide?
It is painfully obvious to everyone he is hiding something. Ever since he was governor of Texas it is obvious he or his associates has been deeply involved in covering up something in the records. His recent actions in the WH just reconfirm this. Several Texas Air National Guardsman have reports of either seeing or hearing of records destruction. The Bush response is to label all of them as involved in a feud or vendetta.
I believe the key thing is that Bush blew off his duties in 1972 - not reporting for months after April 16th, not returning from Alabama, disregarding written orders repeatedly, not taking his required annual physical, not reporting to his new base when ordered. It is after July that there are missing or contradictory records.
I wonder if in the documents released late Friday by the WH are copies of these three FOI documents requested and received by Martin Heldt. Documents one and two and three.
In number one Bush and his commander both sign a statement that Bush is aware that not fulfilling his obligations can result in additional time being added to his service. Why? When and where is this required?
In number two Bush and a fellow officer, a friend of his, are suspended from flying by "verbal orders of the commander" for not taking the required physical.
The third is his official military biography. Note that no time is listed for Alabama - they have him listed as remaining in Houston. The other is the beginning and end dates of obligation. Subtract the dates.
Bush's six month enlistment ended up being six years plus six months, the final 'year' being Obligated Reserve Service while he was at Harvard Business School. This means if the regular Air Force needed him he was to immediately report for duty.
For his hundred of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funded pilot training Bush only put in 68 days of active duty and then appears to have been administratively punished. This could be for not showing up, for disobeying orders, or for not taking his physical. Six months of Obligated Reserve Service
appear to be added to his enlistment, which is a punishment the Guard can give.
As to him being AWOL, if the report date of October 28 is correct he is well within the Guard Yellow Zone - this person should be warned he is not fulfilling his obligation. A Yellow Zone condition starts at three months with no paid service. That occurred for him in mid-July. Bush was only about two weeks away from Red Zone - this person did not meet the required commitment (AWOL) because he had no paid days for seven months. If the two inactive duty days (earned just by showing up) at the end of October were not there he would be AWOL.
While the two sets of records indicate the possibility of one being backdated, it could also simply be that both Texas and Alabama were tracking his time.
Back last October I indicated my belief that Bush messed up in the Air National Guard and when he became governor he had the records scrubbed. In scrubbing the records they removed too many, leaving gaps in his military history creating the appearance of being AWOL. This latest bout of records released by the White House itself shows that Bush was not AWOL but very close to it if they are accurate. It also shows the missing and contradictory records that remain. What has never been answered is why he has been trying to hide something in his records. What has never been answered is the six months of additional service Bush was required to give.
The third question - what kind of soldier was Bush?
His records are great until April 16, 1972. By his own records he was a miserable soldier after that date when he went to Alabama. He had only 9 active duty days he squeezed in the last weeks possible with the normal requirement being 12 to 15. He only makes the National Guard requirement of points for a year because they were giving bonus points. He disobeyed written orders three times. He did not take a required physical when ordered to do so. By his own records he came very close to being AWOL and there remain doubts about those records because of missing files and contradictions. And finally he appears to have been punished for this and has been engaged in trying to hide this punishment.
Bob Fertik at Democrats.com has posted the honorable discharge, another document, a second source, that supports the military biography Marty Heldt received.
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