Alabama commander regrets Bush comments
National Guard boss says he couldn't recall
if president attended meetingsBy Jim Cummins
Correspondent
NBC News
msnbc.msn.com
Updated: 5:34 p.m. ET Feb. 11, 2004DALLAS - The flap over President Bush's military service in the Texas Air National Guard really comes down to what he says he did from May 1972 to May 1973 and evidence and recollection from that time. Now, the military officer at the center of the row regrets he ever got involved.
Much of the controversy stems from an article in the "Boston Globe" during the 2000 election when the commander of the Alabama unit of the Air National Guard, Brigadier General William Turnipseed, said he doesn't remember seeing Bush at Air Guard meetings in Alabama at that time.
But, in an NBC News interview this week, the general expressed surprise that his remarks caused such consternation. "George Bush wasn't even famous back then, so why would I notice this outsider showing up at a couple of meetings. I just wouldn't."
The known facts
To really understand the controversy, it's necessary to go back to the beginning and examine who all the players are and how the Air National Guard worked at that time.
George W. Bush was sworn into the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War. He went through all of the basic and advanced flight training and received a commission as a second lieutenant. He then went about his business as a private citizen attending monthly and any other special "camps" for training. Timeline President’s service record
President Bush’s military service has been questioned by Democrats, who claim his family pulled strings to keep him out of Vietnam. Below is a timeline of his National Guard service:
Jan. 19, 1968
Bush completes Air Force officer qualifications test in New Haven, Conn., while attending Yale University.
May 27, 1968
Walter B. Staudt, commander of the Texas National Guard, interviews Bush and recommends he be accepted for pilot training. Bush’s application for enlistment in the Guard is approved.
June 1968
Bush receives bachelor of arts degree from Yale.
July 12, 1968
A three-member Federal Recognition Examining Board reports Bush is qualified for promotion to 2nd Lieutenant in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.
July 14, 1968
Bush attends basic military training in San Antonio.
Aug. 25, 1968
Completes basic military training.
Nov. 26, 1968 - Dec. 2, 1969
Attends undergraduate pilot training with the 3559th Student Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Ga. He is trained to fly standard Air Force aircraft, including the T-31, T-37, and T-39.
Dec. 29, 1969 - Jan. 20, 1970
Trainee, 111th Squadron, Ellington Air Force Base, near Houston.
Jan. 11, 1970
Assigned flying duty as a pilot of F-102 fighter interceptors, 111th Squadron at Ellington.
Aug. 24, 1970
Three-member board recommends 2nd Lt. Bush for promotion to first lieutenant. Bush later receives the promotion.
1971
Participates in drills and alerts at Ellington. Begins work for Houston-based agricultural company.
May 1972
Bush asks for and receives permission to continue his duties in Alabama while he works as political director on the Senate campaign of Winton M. Blount, a friend of his father. Loses flight credentials after missing physical exam.
Sept. 6, 1972
Bush’s request for a three-month transfer to 187th TAC Recon Group, Montgomery, Ala. is approved so he can work as political director for a Senate campaign.
November 1972
Bush returns to his unit at Ellington in Texas.
May-July 1973
Participates in non-flying drills at Ellington. Works at inner-city poverty program earlier in the year.
Sept. 18, 1973
Bush receives permission to transfer to reserve status and is placed on inactive guard duty about six months before six-year commitment ends. Attends Harvard Business School in the fall.
Oct. 1, 1973
Receives honorable discharge.
In 1972, then-citizen Bush got a job working on a U.S. Senate campaign in Alabama and he looked into attending Guard meetings with a unit in Montgomery, Ala.
A Lt. Colonel Lott sent Bush a letter informing him when the meetings were scheduled for the Alabama unit in October and November.
The current controversy was ignited by comments from Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who charged Bush was absent without leave or AWOL from the Alabama Air National Guard during those 2 months in 1972.
The issue has been resurrected as it now appears the president will probably be running against war-hero Senator John Kerry, if he wins the Democratic nomination.
Brig. Gen. ‘recall’ in 2004
Brigadier Gen. Turnipseed, 75 and retired in Montgomery, Ala., says he's sorry he ever said he would have "had some recall" of Bush had he attended a meeting of the Alabama Air Guard unit.
'No way. He was never assigned to our unit so he couldn't be AWOL. Like so many Guard and Reserve soldiers during the Vietnam War, they moved around and temporarily attended meetings with other units but Bush never left his original unit in Texas.'
— Brigadier General Turnsipseed, Feb. 9
"I don't remember whether he came or not. Our unit had about 900- 1,000 men and he could have attended many meetings without me ever knowing it," Turnipseed said this week.
As for Bush being AWOL, Turnipseed said, "No way. He was never assigned to our unit so he couldn't be AWOL. Like so many Guard and Reserve soldiers during the Vietnam War, they moved around and temporarily attended meetings with other units but Bush never left his original unit in Texas.”
Turnipseed has said all along there would be no mention of the president in the Alabama unit since Bush was paid out of Texas.
When asked about Bush’s pay record, Turnipseed said the paymaster in Alabama would note Bush attended a meeting and send the information onto Texas on what he described as an "IBM 105" card where it would be recorded and sent onto payroll in Colorado.
Bush was accused by Democrats of skipping meetings because there was no written record of him attending those meetings in October and November in Alabama.
On Tuesday, the White House released payroll records that showed the president received credit for attending meetings in October and November 1972.
The records don't indicate where he attended those meetings but he was living in Alabama at the time.
As for Turnipseed, he says the crux is that it is really difficult to remember what happened more than 30 years ago. |
