SwiftVets.com

[panther1505]

Have you guys/gals seen the latest Democrat move? I heard on the news this morning that the Dems are looking into President Bush's military record, AGAIN. But, if I didn't misunderstand the report, the Dems haven't found anything new, or any information, against Bush. That everything Bush said in the past about his military record is true.
It seems to me that they are running scared and trying to grab at any straw that they can get ahold of. I also think that Kerry and his cronies aren't going to let this military record thing go, because they don't want us to start focusing on Kerry's voting record.
I just hope that President Bush is holding off on bringing up Kerry's voting record until the last minute, because if he brought it up now, there is still enough time before the election for most everyone to forget about it. If he unleashes on Kerry, say a couple of weeks before the election, then it will stick in everybody's mind and Kerry will get blown right out of the water come election time.
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Mike Davis
Warren, Mich.
82nd Airborne Division
CSC 1/505th Airborne Infantry
1980 - 1983

[Mooncusser]

Just like 3rd graders, huh?

The whole election is a joke.

Ho Chi Kerry has nothing to talk about acccept his hero days, 4 months of his life.

Makes you wonder why nothing else important has happened to him in last 35 years.

Very strange.
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MACV '64...65
Thu Thua, Long An

I actually won the election before I lost it.

"It is a good day to fight! It is a good day to die! Strong hearts, brave hearts to the front! Weak hearts and cowards to the rear!" (Crazy Horse)

[Viator]

One of the biggest problems that I see is that the news reporters have NEVER been in the military much less the reserves or national guard. Having been both active duty and reserve, I can tell you that things can get messed up in the reserves when it comes to paper work. After 22 years in the Navy Reserves, I have a bunch of missing documents, especially before the days of computers. I still have two missing fitness reports from Desert Storm.

When, for instance, it says that Lt. Bush was non-rated by his CO, one reporter thought that meant that Bush was AWOL. The ignorance among the press is utterly amazing.

[jwb7605]

[Truegrit]

We need to do more to get ombudsmen and editors in chief at places like the Boston Globe, CBS 60 Minutes and other MSM outfits to discuss the serious issues involving Kerry's past.

If as a Naval reserve officer he had sworn to defend the constitution, why didn't he report what the overheard regarding a plan to assassinate U.S. Senators?

And how was he defending the constitution if he was meeting with North Vietnamese representatives while our men in VN were still under enemy fire?

And why, why, won't he release his military records? What's his excuse?
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Ted Harwood, Ph.D.
Enlisted, U.S. Army ('57-'60)

[Stacman]

[jaxinman]

Todays NYT presents a detailed analysis of Bush's ANG service concluding that he did indeed shirk his duties and what's more was (perhaps illegally) paid for doing so in some cases. Mr. Lechliter's study @

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/lechliter.pdf

Is pretty detailed.

Personally, I don't think Bush's ANG service or lack thereof is indicative of anything more than desperation by the DEMS. I've never thought that Bush ever claimed that he was a model soldier even though proud of his service. He admitted to youthful dalliances and lack of direction. He is not running on his character when he was in his 20's and has demonstrated that his character has matured. I don't really care if Bush fudged a bit of his trailing years in the ANG during the US pull-out of Viet Nam. It's not exactly admirable, but he legitimately feels he squeeked by enough to achieve an honorable discharge. What he has done since, is admirable and worthy of consideration for POTUS.

On the other hand, John Kerry is running on his character of his 20's and evidence shows that character hasn't changed much. He continues to demonstrably do anything to promote his ego at the expense of anyone that happens to interfere or simply just be in the way.

The Swiftvets have described that character in detail, questioned it in his 20's, and many question it TODAY. If his actions during his brief tour of duty were all there was to question, and Kerry held a position similar to Bush's "I made some mistakes in my youth, but I've dramatically changed for the better" it might be different. The Swiftvets revelations would be an embarassment but not necessarily an indictment of his current character.

As it is, and as it has been played by John Kerry and his supporters, "Unfit for Duty" is just an example of who Kerry really was and IS NOW. He was Unfit for Duty in 1968, he's been Unfit for Duty since, and he is Unfit for Duty in 2004.
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.jax

[Mooncusser]

[John Gault]

Gee, I remember my Dad (Lt. Col. USAFR) every once and a while, due to a personal confict, wasn't able to make a reserve meeting. He would just call someone and they would "sign him in". It wasn't any big deal.
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The spread of evil is the symptom of a vacuum. Whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles. _ Ayn Rand

[Stacman]

[LimaCharlie]

I spent twelve years on active duty in the US Navy and ten years in the Oregon Army National Guard. We got one retirement point and one days pay for each four hours of drill time in the National Guard. There was a minimum number of points each year to qualify for retirement or an honorable discharge. I don’t remember the minimum number of points required as I always earned more than I needed. Each point counted as a day of active duty towards retirement, so I wanted as many as I could get.

We asked for volunteers to come in on Friday nights for planning meetings, drill preparations, or to travel to remote drill sites. You got an extra days pay and an extra point that month if you came in on Friday night. You could be excused from drill meetings for illness or other personal reasons. You could miss a weekend drill and make it up with another unit later. Other people earned more points than they needed and could be excused for a month or two.

Some of my Guard time was in an Army Aviation unit with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Many of the pilots were Viet Nam Veterans. They loved to fly and would come in for a week or more on their vacation time in addition to their Summer Camp. Some would come in extra weekends to fly. They could also take a month or two of drills off because they had earned more than enough points for the year.

You also had to do a minimum two-week active duty Summer Camp each year. Some of us did three or four weeks of Summer Camp in a year. I also worked for the State of Oregon during my time in the Oregon Army National Guard. I was scheduled for three weeks of Summer Camp in Central Oregon one year for a joint exercise with Regular Army Communication units from California and Washington. My department head did not want to let me go because of a critical project and asked the National Guard to reschedule my active duty later in the year. The National Guard refused to reschedule my active duty. It went all of the way to the Governor’s/Commander-in-Chief’s Office before a compromise was reached. I went with my unit for the three week Summer Camp. I drove a military vehicle back to the capital on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings and worked on the critical project for eight hours and then drove back to the military operations area that afternoon. I was credited with 23 days of active duty including the extra weekend.

In my experience, the National Guard was very flexible and accommodating as long as you got your minimum drill points and two-week Summer Camp in every year. If you met the minimum every year, you got an honorable discharge or retirement at the end of your time. If you didn’t meet the minimum requirements, you got a general discharge. George W. Bush received an honorable discharge so he must have met the minimum requirements.
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I was going to become an anarchist, but they had too many rules.

[Spiess]

[ALMOUNT]

I am pleasantly amazed by the nationwide locations of the vets posting on this site.

"Pay Backs are Hell"... just ask Jane & John... ?
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101st Airborne Div.
Vietnam 67-68


http://www.DELTARAIDERS.COM

I killed a six pack....just to watch it DIE

[Viator]

[quote="jaxinman"]Todays NYT presents a detailed analysis of Bush's ANG service concluding that he did indeed shirk his duties and what's more was (perhaps illegally) paid for doing so in some cases. Mr. Lechliter's study @

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/lechliter.pdf

Is pretty detailed.

The NYT has been anything but objective when it comes to President Bush and the situation in Iraqi. Also, the comments by Lechliter are hardly objective. His conclusions are his opinions, and they tell me much about his motives. Frankly, I doubt that anyone in the ANG or reserves during those years could withstand the scrutiny that Bush's has undergone. I know mine couldn't.

I find it very odd that so much time would be spent over someone's ANG records after 30 plus years. Bush received a honorable discharge. As far as I'm concerned that's the end of the story. President Bush has never mentioned his ANG service, or maintained that he should be the Commander-in-Chief based upon such service.

On the other hand, Kerry has made his four months in Viet-Nam the sole basis for becoming Commander-in-Chief. He has purposely ignored his activities after his military service and his 20 years in the senate. For Kerry, it's all about those four months in Nam and his medals.

President Bush doesn't have to make a case for becoming C-in-C. He is C-i-C. He will be judged or evaluated on what he has done in that position.

[blue9t3]

Dear fellows, Although I concur with all of the above! Please let me add,"NEVER BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT"....AMF
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MOPAR-BUYER