Quote Of The Day
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Afghanistan, Bush, History, The War On Terrorism, War“I must say, I’m a little envious.[...] If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed.”
- President Bush, talking to soldiers in Afghanistan on a video conference call yesterday
Coming from a different President this might actually mean something. Like Bush’s father, who was an actual war hero in WWII.
But it has been well documented that the younger Bush purposefully avoided service in Vietnam for a position stateside…
Two weeks before he was to graduate from Yale, George Walker Bush stepped into the offices of the Texas Air National Guard at Ellington Field outside Houston and announced that he wanted to sign up for pilot training.It was May 27, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War. Bush was 12 days away from losing his student deferment from the draft at a time when Americans were dying in combat at the rate of 350 a week. The unit Bush wanted to join offered him the chance to fulfill his military commitment at a base in Texas. It was seen as an escape route from Vietnam by many men his age, and usually had a long waiting list.
Bush had scored only 25 percent on a “pilot aptitude” test, the lowest acceptable grade. But his father was then a congressman from Houston, and the commanders of the Texas Guard clearly had an appreciation of politics.
Bush was sworn in as an airman the same day he applied. His commander, Col. Walter B. “Buck” Staudt, was apparently so pleased to have a VIP’s son in his unit that he later staged a special ceremony so he could have his picture taken administering the oath, instead of the captain who actually had sworn Bush in.
Later, when Bush was commissioned a second lieutenant by another subordinate, Staudt again staged a special ceremony for the cameras, this time with Bush’s father the congressman – a supporter of the Vietnam War – standing proudly in the background.
Long story short, when he was younger he did have a choice and he chose not to experience the front lines.
This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 and is filed under Afghanistan, Bush, History, The War On Terrorism, War. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:54 am
A lot of long stories can be sut short in this manner. Its way the world works, this world atleast. Cant really help any of that. We have got live with that. Its like that cough syrup that your mom would give when you were five. Hated it like hell. Wanted to flush it down the toilet. But at the end of the day, u would clamp shut your nose and swallow it in one long gulp.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I hate Bush – I believe he’s actually evil on so many levels, but I honestly can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing back then – who knows. It was a strange time to be alive and draftable – but that doesn’t change the fact that Bush is and always has been a chicken shit.
The amazing thing about Vietnam is that the nation learned nothing from it – except maybe that if you are going to commit the nation to war as an aggressor be sure you don’t have a conscription force.
If the military is an all volunteer force – and the majority of the “support” functions are outsourced – then our government can have a parallel agenda whenever it wants – the population be dammed . Which is exactly what they are doing right now aren’t they?