He didn't meet the commitments, or face the punishment, the records show.
Well now. In April 1972 I enlisted into the US Navy Reserves. I fulfilled a two-year commitment to active duty by going to boot camp and Class "A" Radioman school in San Diego; then in November of that year I was sent to Japan to work at the Navy Telecomm Station there. I completed my two-year obligation in May of 1974 (I think they didn't count my two weeks leave between school and the move to Japan), then I went off active duty. I went back to Tucson (where I'd joined up) and went to meetings once a month for three months, then spent two weeks on what was called Active Duty for Training that summer. I then took a job on Kwajalein and was excused from the balance of my active reserve service due to the lack of a Reserve facility in the Marshall Islands (the fact that I was working for a DOD contractor may have helped with that, too). Had I returned from Kwajalein before my six-year obligation was up, I'd have been required to start attending meetings again. Since I stayed out there until after the obligation expired, I didn't have to do so.
Why was it so difficult for George W. Bush to do the same things I did? And why were the skids greased so he didn't have to? Inquiring minds want to know.
Posted by Linkmeister at September 8, 2004 12:01 AMYou may get your chance to find out tonight on 60 Minutes.
Posted by: alwin at September 8, 2004 07:54 AMOh, I think it's clear that my Dad the Navy Captain didn't have quite the name recognition that George H.W. Bush did, particularly in the state where I signed up. That there was what's known as a rhetorical question. ;)
Posted by: Linkmeister at September 8, 2004 08:18 AMIMHO, the way you've presented it is really compelling. If other people were to recount their own history in the NG/Reserves/active duty during that time period, the contrast to Dubya might be quite effective. Particularly someone who served in the TANG.
My story -- undergraduate student deferment (was that 2-S?). My draft lottery number was 149, so I retained my deferment the first year (they went up to 195), then dropped the deferment when it was announced that the draft would go only as far as 125 the next year. So I was briefly 1-A, then reverted to post-draftable status (1-Y?).
I was and am relieved that I never had to make the decision ... which, if I'd been forced to, would have been emigration.
Posted by: N in Seattle at September 8, 2004 09:23 AMMakes me glad I'm a girl, but yeah, enquiring minds wanna know?
He's already a shifty bastard just for lying his ass off about the reasons for going to war in Iraq, but yeah, while I don't think the reasons for electing Kerry include that he has a good war record that is three decades old, I do think that a man caught lying about his war record and then attempting to piss on Kerry's anti-war commentary (also 30 years old), when he weaseled out of service is beyond appalling and demonstrates just what a conniving slimy asshole GW is.
Posted by: redneck ruby at September 8, 2004 12:44 PM