Election 2004: Memos Show Bush Suspended From Flying

[CrimsonTide4]

Memos Show Bush Suspended From Flying
By PETE YOST

WASHINGTON (AP) - Newly unearthed memos state George W. Bush was
suspended from flying for the Texas Air National Guard during the
Vietnam war because he failed to meet Guard standards and failed to
take his annual flight physical as required.

The suspension came as Bush was trying to arrange a transfer to
non-flying status with a unit in Alabama so he could work on a
political campaign there.

A memo written a year later referred to one military official
``pushing to sugar coat'' Bush's annual evaluation.

``On this date I ordered that 1st Lt. Bush be suspended from flight
status due to failure to perform to USAF/TexANG standards and failure
to meet annual physical examination ... as ordered,'' says an Aug. 1,
1972 memo by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who is now dead.


The same memo notes that Bush was trying to transfer to non-flying
status out of state and recommends that the Texas unit fill his flying
slot ``with a more seasoned pilot from the list of qualified Vietnam
pilots that have rotated.''


The Vietnam-era documents add details to the bare-bones explanation of
Bush's aides over the years that he was suspended simply because he
decided to skip his flight physical.


The White House said in February that it had released all records of
Bush's service, but one of Killian's memos stated it was ``for
record'' and another directing Bush to take the physical exam stated
that it was ``for 1st Lt. George W. Bush.''


``I can't explain why that wouldn't be in his record, but they were
found in Jerry Killian's personal records,'' White House
communications director Dan Bartlett told CBS's ``60 Minutes II,''
which first obtained the memos.


Bartlett said Bush's superiors granted permission to train in Alabama
in a non-flying status and that ``many of the documents you have here
affirm just that.''


A memo dated May 19, 1972, five days after Bush was supposed to have
completed his physical, summarizes a telephone discussion with Bush
about how he ``can get out of coming to drill from now through
November.'' It says Bush was ``told he could do ET for three months or
transfer.'' ET referred to equivalent training, a procedure for
meeting training requirements without attending regularly scheduled
drills.


The same memo says ``we talked abut him getting his flight physical
situation fixed'' and quotes Bush as saying he would ``do that in
Alabama if he stays in a flight status.'' It also says, I advised him
of our investment in him and his commitment.''


Democratic Party chairman Terry McAuliffe said, ``George W. Bush's
cover story on his National Guard service is rapidly unraveling. ...
George W. Bush needs to answer why he regularly mislead the American
people about his time in the Guard and who applied political pressure
on his behalf to have his performance reviews 'sugarcoated'''


Bartlett told CBS, ``As it says in your own documents, President Bush
talked to the commanders about the fact that he'd be transferring to a
unit ... in Alabama that didn't fly that plane,'' the F-102, the type
Bush was trained in.


Using only last names, one of the newly disclosed documents points to
sharp disagreement among Bush's superiors in Texas over how to
evaluate his performance for the period from mid-1972 through
mid-1973.


``Stuart has obviously pressured Hedges more about Bush,'' Killian
wrote on Aug. 18, 1973. ``I'm having trouble running interference and
doing my job - Harris gave me a message today from Grip (a
headquarters unit) regarding Bush's OETR (officer efficiency training
report) and Stuart is pushing to sugar coat it. Bush wasn't here
during rating period and I don't have any comments from 187th in
Alabama. I will not rate.''


The memo concludes: ``Harris took the call from Grip today. I'll
backdate but won't rate. Harris agrees.''


At the time, Walter B. Stuart was commander of the Texas National
Guard; Lt. Col. Bobby Hedges was one of Bush's superiors in Texas who
two years earlier had rated Bush an outstanding young pilot; and Lt.
Col. William D. Harris Jr. was another superior of Bush's.


Records released this year when Bush's military service re-emerged as
a campaign issue contain no evidence that he showed up for duty at all
for five months in mid-1972 and document only a few occasions later
that year.


Asked about Killian's statement in a memo about the military's
investment in Bush, Bartlett told CBS: ``For anybody to try to
interpret or presume they know what somebody who is now dead was
thinking in any of these memos, I think is very difficult to do.''



09/09/04 06:15


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