Internet Claim On Bush Award Desputed

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For PDiddie. :wink:

By Gene J. Koprowski
United Press International

Published 9/13/2004 3:33 PM

CHICAGO, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The Air Force has knocked down allegations by a Web site that said President Bush, when serving as an officer in the Texas Air National Guard, wore a ribbon he was not authorized to wear -- a military offense that could have led to a bad-conduct discharge from the service if true.

The original story was offered to United Press International during late August by operatives from Democrats.com, an Internet activist group whose founder had earlier this year served as a source for The Boston Globe and other media outlets on stories about Bush's service in the guard in the 1960s and 1970s.

A summary of the story was also posted on the DemocraticUnderground.com Web site by Walt Starr of Democrats.com last month, along with a photo from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library of Lt. George W. Bush wearing the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

An e-mail message to UPI on Aug. 27 from Bob Fertik, founder of Democrats.com, stated, "Walt Starr called the Air Force and discovered that the only AFOUA given to Bush's unit was in 1975 -- five years after the photo. Case closed!"

The Air Force and the White House last week in interviews with UPI said the allegations were misleading. White House spokesman Trent Duffy referred UPI to the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Colorado where Technical Sgt. Rob Mims is the spokesman.

Mims said the claims were "not true. I verified that (Thursday). Lieutenant Bush received Air Force Outstanding Unit Award while he was in basic training with the 3724th Basic Military Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas."

Starr sent UPI a copy of a file of his research, including correspondence he had with the Air Force seeking to obtain the service records of Bush.

"This means, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that George W. Bush was photographed wearing a ribbon he clearly did not earn," wrote Starr. He said awards earned by the unit were given before Bush joined the unit.

Mims said that personnel records in the military are often incomplete due to "clerical errors."

"But I did verify that that unit did get the award while he (Bush) was there," said Mims.

The sergeant added that the photo in question was "taken after pilot training."

Mims said he confirmed his information about the medal with the Air Force's history office. "It's all there in black and white, we've spelled it out," said Mims.

The White House, through Duffy, said: "Lieutenant Bush at the time was completely authorized to wear those ribbons he has in those pictures. He could only wear those ribbons if he has the wings. He earned his wings in 1969."

When contacted by UPI Monday about the Air Force's statements, Fertik refused to comment.

The news of the Air Force and White House disproving the allegations about the Bush medal came Friday, as CBS News and other news organizations were reeling from the disclosure that they had published or aired possibly forged documents about Bush's military service record.

The source of the CBS story has not been disclosed, but CBS is conducting an internal investigation into the controversy.

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Why is it that when Bush was in it the Air National Guard guys got to fly around a number of hours and party; and now they have to serve extra time - and overseas?

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I'm allowed to wear an award that was given to my unit even though I wasn't with the unit at the time it was given. My unit was given a presidential citation, for what I don't know but I am allowed to wear it as long as I am with the unit. When I leave the unit I am no longer allowed to wear said ribbon. If I had been with the unit at the time of its award then I could wear it forever, but sadly I wasn't.

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You have it right, Baldino. A unit award is the unit's, and is to be displayed by members serving in that unit whether or not the member was assigned to that unit at the time of the award. A number of unit-specific awards date to WW1 and before While assigned to such a unit, all members display the award, but, upon becoming detached from the unit, no longer are aurthorized to display it - the award is the unit's, not theirs. If a member of a unit receiving an award is serving in that unit at the time of the award, that award is a permanent part of that member's uniform.

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With all due respect, National Guard groups received awards during the Vietnam War for training in the US? Interesting, in view of the fact that they weren't liable to be sent to the war. Unlike now.

So Bush wore a legit award then. Cool. For what exactly?

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Airforce Outstanding Unit Award

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Just to clarify, it was not his award, it was his unit's. Since the 147th's first such award, it has received several others, represented by stars affixed to the device.

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Impressive! Who'd have imagined Bush did all that during his Guard duty. To think he's been criticized for it. How unfair!

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Quote:

147th Fighter Interceptor Group (FIG) History

On May 16, 1958 the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group (FIG), with its five new squadrons, was formed to support the 111 Fighter Interceptor Squadron. In August 1960 the unit was one of the first to transition to the F-102A all-weather fighter-interceptor and began a 24-hour runway alert commitment as part of the North American air defense network ...

... The 147th earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in 1966 when it was proclaimed, "The most combat ready of all Air Guard units" ...

Winged Shield, Winged Sword: The History of the United States Air Force (1182 pp. 2 Vol., illustrations, photos, notes, suggested readings, index): Nalty, B. C. (ed); US Government Printing Office 1997
GPO Stock No. 008-070-00717-7 ISBN: 0-16-049009-X

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Make sure BBB has seen this, I know she has had questions about this in the past.

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McGentrix wrote:

Make sure BBB has seen this, I know she has had questions about this in the past.

Won't make much difference; I tried to explain it to the crowd a while back. They didn't get it then.

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The bottom line is that Bush joined the National Guard for whatever reason and he fulfilled the requirements for his service and received an honorable discharge. I have no doubt he screwed up here and there and probably missed some roll calls. To the best of my knowledge, he has never held up his national guard experience as any kind of credentials to be President of the United States and in my opinion what happened some 30 odd years ago is of minimal consequence now.

During the same period, Kerry joined the Navy and served in combat in Vietnam. If he had left it at that, his service and whatever else happened some thirty odd years ago would be of minimal consequence now. But Kerry himself put his war hero status at the forefront of his own convention, put it out there as his primary credentials for being President of the United States. He himself made it fair game for scrutiny and criticism.

When Kerry's 'war hero' status began unraveling, his campaign has been doing its damndest to discredit Bush's record as if that is somehow relevant.

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I still find it interesting, and I am just as guilty of it as anyone, that each side looks at the others so incredulously. I do not understand why the left can not see that Bush completed his time and used existing rules to get out early. At the same time, I wonder why the other side cannot use the same vigor in investigating what is an obvious question regarding Kerry's service in Viet Nam. Now, I would be the first in line to thank Kerry for volunteering to go and for fighting in Viet Nam. I am truly thankful that he risked his neck. However, question have been raised and answers have not been given.

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Foxfyre wrote:

The bottom line is that Bush joined the National Guard for whatever reason[...]

Maybe I can help out here, since I came of age at about the same time. Back then, joining the Guard was really hard to do, because doing so allowed you to fulfill your military obligation without risking your neck in Vietnam. I suspect that may have been a factor in his decision...

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Ditto, D'artagnan.

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Would anyone be interested to know that when he joined the Guard, Guard formations, including units of the 147th TANG, were assigned to and operative in Vietnam? Or that at the time he joined the Guard, the Guard was experiencing a pilot shortage ... no problem picking and choosing from among folks who just wanted to be weekend warriors and avoid any sort of real full-time military experience, but finding folks qualified and ready to commit to two full years of full-time active-duty flight training followed by operational assignment was another matter altogether.

No, I don't suppose anyone would be interested.

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I come from a family in which almost all male members of my parent's generation and my generation served in the military in some capacity. Several of them joined the National Guard so they would be less likely to disrupt their families, less likely to lose senority in a good job, were able to complete their service and college at the same time, etc. etc. Not one of them had any 'help' getting into the Guard. They just applied and were accepted. A few did get called up for active duty

My husband was with a Texas National Guard unit when the Cuban missile crisis happened. He was on full alert and we waited out those several long days not knowing whether he would be going to war against Russia.

Those who trained for the Guard did so probably hoping they wouldn't go to war. Every last member, however, knew they were subject to being put on active duty at any time.

And there were lots of National Guardsmen in Vietnam.

http://www.ngaus.org/ngmagazine/vietnam902.asp

http://www.ngaus.org/ngmagazine/sidebar600.asp

Far better for one to serve and put himself at risk than intentionally dodging military service altogether don't you think? GWB's military service is on his resume, but he has not used it as his qualifications to be President. The mainstream media is now vigorously investigating his Guard record for the FIFTH TIME after coming up empty the first four times.

I suppose I'm naive, but I have to think this is partisan and is fully inended to find something to smear him with. I could be wrong. I don't think I am.

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Just as the Swiftboat Veteran ploy is a partisan attempt to smear Kerry? Is this an election or are we going through the deadend argument of the Vietnam war? How about the deadend of Iraq?

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Internet Claim On Bush Award Desputed

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