BUSH: A YELLOW CHICKENHAWK
by Larry S. Rolirad

On CBS's "60 Minutes" program, which aired on September 8, 2004, former speaker of the Texas house, Ben Barnes, told the truth about Bush getting preferential treatment during the Vietnam War. Ben Barnes admitting using his political clout to get GW Bush into the safest guard unit in Texas. In fact, Bush was trained to fly planes that were obsolete so that meant that Bush would have never been sent to Vietnam.

Ben Barnes said that he felt remorse because he "played god" by choosing who would go to Vietnam, and who he could hide in safe guard unit. Mr. Barnes also said his conscience bothered him after he visited the Vietnam Memorial Wall and saw all of those names etched on it. Mr. Barnes admitted that he had no right to put himself in a position of determining who would live and who would die, as he did to gain political power.

Also in this CBS report, it became obvious with new documents which just surfaced after 35 years that GW Bush couldn't even handle fulfilling his guard commitment. Bush failed to show up for guard meetings for almost a year, and possibly two years. After Bush received transfer orders to go to Georgia no one in the small Georgia unit ever remembered seeing Bush. And there have been many people who have offered thousands of dollars in rewards for anyone who would come forward to say they saw Bush at his Georgia assignment. No one came forward to claim that reward. The reason why: Bush just never showed up. Most of the new documents were supported with other Bush military records which were released five years ago.

On September 11, 2004, Ms. Marian Carr Knox, the secretary to President Bush's National Guard commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, appeared with Dan Rather on CBS's Wednesday's program. Ms. Knox acknowledged that some of the documents CBS relied on were not written by her. But she acknowledged that she had written memorandums identical to the ones presented by CBS. Ms. Knox's testimony transcends the importance of the memorandums, which were written by an unknown author. Ms. Knox gave first hand evidence that Bush was arrogant, aloof, and a person who didn't take serving in the guard seriously. She stated that other officers under Lt. Col. Jerry Killian resented Bush for his demeanor and attitude while in the guard. She said that Bush thought he was above the rules of the guard, or the military's Uniform Code of Military Justice. Bush did what he wanted to do. It should be noted that secretaries are usually at the heart of any organization putting them at the center of all information flows. So Ms. Knox recollections of the events of that era should be considered reputable, accurate, and true.

Ms. Knox is 86 years old and had no reason for not telling the truth. How could anyone believe that someone with her advanced age would come forth and lie. She flatly stated that Bush failed to take physical as he was ordered to do by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. She said "It was a big no-no to not follow orders. And I can't remember anyone (other than Bush) refusing to." She also stated that anyone who failed to take a physical was grounded and was not allowed to fly. Bush was indeed grounded and there is documented evidence from five years ago that substantiate the documents that CBS provided that proves that Bush was grounded for "failure to submit to a physical".

Ms. Knox said that Bush's commander was very upset that Bush failed to follow Lt. Col. Killian's order to take a physical. "Bush felt that he was above reproach", according to Ms. Knox. Her testimony is consistent with documents which were provided by the Pentagon, by other witnesses, by documents from five years ago from the Pentagon, and recent documents of which the authors were unknown. Ms. Knox also stated that documents which were possibly not originals were 100 percent accurate in their content.

Knox says that Lt. Col. Killian started what she calls a "cover-your-back" file, or in more commonly used words, a "cover-your-ass", or CYA file. -- a personal file where he stored the memos about the problems with Mr. Bush's performance, his failure to take a physical, and the pressure Killian felt from upstairs. Ms. Knox discussed one memorandum which had a reference to retired General Staudt putting pressure on Lt. Col. Killian to give Lt. Bush a positive officer training report. Ms. Knox said that she knew of the pressure Lt. Col. Killian was under from his superiors to give Bush a positive rating instead of a negative one.

"Lt. Bush repeatedly missing drills was not lost on his fellow pilots. They missed him. It was sort of gossip around there, and they'd [the other officers would] snicker and so forth about what he was getting away with,” says Knox. “I guess there was even a resentment."

Ms. Knox said “But, his time there, it seemed that the other fellows were, I’m going to say this, sort of resentful of him because of his attitude … that he (Bush) really didn’t have to go by the rules.”

Ms. Knox said Bush told her he "had this campaign to take care of, and that's what he was going to do -- and that's what he did do.” So much for Bush fulfilling his commitment that he promised to uphold when he joined the guard.

Even though the documents provided by CBS were presumably written by someone other than Ms. Knox or Bush's commanding officer, Ms. Knox stated beyond a shadow of doubt that the contents of those documents were accurate and true. And the CBS-obtained documents are not the only documents that verify conclusively that Bush failed to take physical, was grounded, and was missing from action. Other documents obtained by the Freedom of Information Act have been in existence for the last five years. These documents were from the Pentagon so their authenticity is beyond reproach. The facts are that Bush did get special treatment to get into the guard.

Ex-Lt. Governor Ben Barnes admitted to helping Bush get into the safest guard in Texas. And other documents from the Pentagon reveal how Bush was grounded from flying. And the only reason why Bush could be grounded from flying is because he refused to take his yearly physical. And by refusing to take a physical Lt. Bush must have defied a direct order from his commander. Such an offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice should have led to the court-martialing of Bush, and at the least led to Bush being busted down in rank, and then activated, and then sent to Vietnam as a private. But Bush again received special treatment and was allowed to escape certain penalties. Any non-connected soldiers would have certainly been activated and sent to Vietnam.

Republicans do not see anything wrong with what Bush did before he got into the guard and what he did after he was in the guard. It doesn't matter to them that it took more than a million dollars to train Bush how to fly an F-102A and then he flippantly refused a direct order from his superior to submit to a medical examination, which grounded him. Republicans don't question why Bush would refuse to submit to an examination? Was it because drugs, like cocaine, would have been found in his blood? Since there is very compelling evidence that GW Bush used cocaine and booze regularly during those days of 'youthful indiscretion' he could have faced prosecution and a trip to Leavenworth Prison for a minimum of twenty years. That would have been an ample reason to refuse a direct order from a commanding officer.

CBS also provided another Bush service record that, although not an original document, was given authenticity by Ms. Knox, Lt. Bush's commander's secretary. This document revealed that Bush failed to live up to the standards of the Texas Air National Guard. The content of this document was based on Bush's refusal to take a physical, failing to follow a direct order, for being grounded and for failure to appear at scheduled meetings. Not one of these four offenses can be refuted by anyone.

Missing just one weekend meeting could have busted Lt. Bush down several grades. Since Bush was a commissioned officer he could have been stripped of his commission and sent to Vietnam as a private. But Bush missed more than just one weekend. He missed an entire year, or more. There is no proof that Bush showed up for that period. Somewhere in the murky world of special political favors and connections, Bush was spared any consequences for his irresponsible and criminal actions. Failure to adhere to guard standards meant that Bush should have been activated and sent to Vietnam. But again, Bush was given special treatment.

As evidence of the severity of missing meetings in the guard during Vietnam, I will share with you a personal experience with a friend of mine. He was an E-5. He had served a tour of duty in Vietnam. He also received a Purple Heart for being wounded in battle. After his tour of duty, the Army was allowing soldiers to apply for an "early out". And "early out" meant that a person could go into a guard unit for a year in place of the final year in active service. He served two years active service and then he was transferred to a guard unit close to his home. During that year in the guard he missed one weekend to help when his father had back surgery. My friend was discharged after a year in the guard and six months later he received a notice from the army stating that his rank was busted down from an E-5 to an E-3 because he missed one guard meeting. Compare the treatment of my friend, who risked his life in Vietnam and was busted down two ranks for missing one meeting, to GW Bush who missed more than a year of meetings and who never risked his life. The difference is obvious. Bush had political connections and my friend did not.

Bush did go AWOL, but the only thing in question was the length of time that he was missing. If a person goes AWOL during a time of war it is considered "DESERTION". And the penalty for desertion could have been death by a six-man firing squad. At the very least, anyone who misses even one meeting can be busted down several grades. And if you miss more than one meeting you stand the good chance that you will be sent up to active duty and put on the front lines of battle, with an M-16 automatic rifle in your hands. But Bush didn't miss just a few meetings. He missed at least a year of meetings and possibly two years. Bush should have been sent up to active duty and sent to Vietnam. But he again received preferential treatment and escaped such penalties that only the non-connected soldiers receive.

Bush managed to evade serving in Vietnam for five and a half years. And even though he made a commitment to stay in the guard for a full six years, Bush applied for and received permission to get out eight months early. So much for living up to one's commitment. Bush had better things to do other than to serve his country.

In the book, "A Charge to Keep", a book allegedly written by GW Bush, there contains a major lie. Bush claimed he served in the US Air Force. But Bush didn't serve in the Air Force. Bush lied. Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard, not the Air Force. And Bush didn't even serve in the TANG honorably. He used special connections to get into the guard, missed numerous meetings, refused to take a physical and drug test, was grounded from flying, and then he left the guard eight months early. Bush claims to have served in both branches of the military but it is obvious that he failed to serve in either one honorably.

Anyone, republican, democrat, or independent, should be outraged that Bush received special treatment to avoid serving in Vietnam by using special political connections. This shouldn't be a party issue. It is an issue of honor and integrity. And on those counts, Bush failed miserably. For the past thirty-five years Bush has repeated the same lie over and over again by saying he never received special treatment to get into one of the safest guard units in Texas. And he always says he received an honorable discharge. Well, if a person can get special treatment to hide in a safe guard couldn't that same person use those connections to get an undeserved honorable discharge?

Republicans like to counter Bush's irresponsible and criminal actions during his service with the Air National Guard by saying that President Clinton never served in the military. They use this tactic (always blame Clinton) to avoid the truth. At least Bill Clinton was an opponent of the Vietnam War and he protested against it. GW Bush was a staunch war hawk, but instead of volunteering for duty to fight in Vietnam, he choose to hide in a safe guard unit in Texas. Apparently, Bush was a war hawk only if others went to Vietnam to die, or be mutilated.

If Bush hadn't been given special treatment he would have certainly been sent to Vietnam. I remember joining the army during the Vietnam War at the same time Bush was in the TANG. When we were being processed into basic training a group of about 600 guys were sent to a large auditorium. Once there, we were all given tests. After an allotted time, we were told to turn in the tests and wait. After about twenty minutes about 150 names were called out and asked to leave the auditorium. This went on four times. I made it to the final and fourth test. I was asked to apply for officer's candidate school and declined.

I learned later that the guys who were asked to leave after the first segment of testing scored in the lowest fourth and were sent to infantry, advanced infantry, and then to Vietnam. Guys in the other three groups were assigned other duties. Because I was an enlisted soldier, and not a draftee, I already knew what my MOS (field of duty) was.

I said the above because Bush scored in the bottom fourth of the TANG's pilot's aptitude test after he was given preferential treatment by former Texas Speaker of the House, Ben Barnes. If Bush had been drafted, or activated from the TANG for failure to follow orders, Bush would have certainly been sent to infantry classes, then advanced infantry, and then to Vietnam. But again, GW Bush received preferential treatment and was allowed to escape responsibility.

So far, Bush has escaped all repercussions for receiving preferential treatment and for his poor guard record. Bush was allowed to leapfrog over more than 500 other candidates who were more qualified that he was, and who were waiting for years to get into the guard. Who went to Vietnam and died in Bush's place? It could have been one of over 3500 Texans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. I have listed the names of every Texan soldier who died while Bush was safely in Houston chasing tail, getting drunk, and missing guard meetings he was required to attend. Which one of the 3500 names listed below, or at the provided link, took Bush's place and died so that Bush could live? You won't see GW Bush's name on this list of Texan's who were killed in Vietnam. And remember, the names below only reflect soldiers who were killed. It doesn't included the hundred and fifty-thousand soldiers who lost arms, legs, where blinded, or otherwise mutilated. And it doesn't include the hundreds of thousands who succumbed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Bush evaded all of this because he received special treatment to avoid serving in Vietnam.

If anyone fails to see the seriousness of the infractions Bush committed while in the guard, then your integrity, honesty, ethics, and morals have to be brought into question. As I stated earlier, this is not a republican matter, this is not a democratic matter, and this is not an independent matter, it is a matter of honor, in which GW Bush is totally lacking.

On September 16, 2004, U.S. District Judge Harold Baer Jr. ordered the Pentagon to find and make public any unreleased files about President Bush's Vietnam-era Air National Guard service and to resolve a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Associated Press. The AP had to sue to get this information because the President Bush has not cooperated with them and has been deliberately trying to keep any of his military documents secret. The judge ordered the disclosure of all previously unreleased flight logs from Bush's days piloting F-102A fighters. All documents have been ordered to be released by September 29, 2004.

LIST OF TEXANS WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM AND DIED IN VIETNAM.
One of these Texans took Bush's place in Vietnam and died.

AALUND JAMES DOWNING
AARON MICHAEL PETER
ABLE DAVID FLOYD
ABRAHAM PAUL HAROLD
ACOSTA JESSE RODRIQUEZ
ACTON TOM PERRYACUFF EDDIE DUANE
ADAME ARTHUR PINA

CHECK THE SITE BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF 3500 TEXANS WHO DIED IN VIETNAM. WHICH ONE COULDN'T GET SPECIAL TREATMENT LIKE BUSH DID AND HAD TO GO TO VIETNAM TO FIGHT AND DIE? WHICH ONE TOOK BUSH'S PLACE AND DIED?
 http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/vietnam_war_casualty_lists/tx_alphabetical.

ZAMORA ARTURO S ZAMUDIO BENIGNO JR
ZANCA PETER ALLEN
ZEPEDA ARMANDO MARIN
ZIGALO FRANK LOUIS
ZONNE ROBERT JOHN JR
ZUNIGA DANIEL MORAN
ZUNIGA GUADALUPE NATAL

It has been written that those whose names are remembered, never really die. Let us all remember the above names of fallen soldiers. They deserve our sincere respect for they served when called to do so. They didn't hide. They didn't get preferential treatment to avoid serving. They didn't go to Canada. They served and they lost their lives. And when their bodies were returned home they weren't returned in the dead of night as troops who are dying in Iraq are under Bush. They came home during the day so that they could be greeted with honor guards and their grieving families. "President" Bush directly ordered all coffins from Iraq to be returned in the middle of the night to avoid the media. It is obvious that Bush and the GOP conducted focus groups which told them that bringing our dead troops home in their flag-drapped coffins during the day would not look good for the Bush Regime and its propaganda ministers.

If only our current 'commander-in-chief' had walked in the brave footsteps of Texans who served while Bush was hiding during the Vietnam War. Instead of doing the honorable thing and refusing preferential treatment and serving in Vietnam, Bush took the coward's way out and hid in a safe guard unit for the duration of the Vietnam War. Compare Bush's cowardly actions to those of a true hero, Senator John Kerry, who volunteered for Vietnam duty, who acted with bravery and valor, who risked his life to save a fellow crewmember, and who received five medals for his heroism.

Partial Reference:  http://www.cbs.com/