 |
|
 |
| [-] |
| [−] |
| [−] |
| [−] |
| [−] |
Prev | List | Random | Next |
I just posted this as a comment under Why Dan Rather Hates Me but it's big enough that I want to make sure everyone who saw that post sees it. I believe it's relevant enough to that post to belong here:
Col Buck Staudt has gone public to tell ABC news that:
1) He was the one who selected George W. Bush for admission into the Texas Air National Guard, and no political pressure was involved.
2) He did not apply pressure to Lt. Col. Killian to sugarcoat Lt. Bush's evaluation:
"There was no contact between me and George Bush ? he certainly never asked for help," Staudt said. "He didn't need any help as far as I knew."
He added that after retiring he was not involved in Air National Guard affairs.
[...]
Update: I've copied a couple of questions from the comments into the extended section and done my best to answer them.
Reader "Ridolph" asks in the comment section:
I'm just wondering 2 things now that Staudt is talking:
- Was there a waiting list for the Texas Air National Guard? Some bloggers are saying not, but various sites say there were 500 people on the list.
- If there was no politics involved, then why take Bush, who had scored low on the entry exam? The various sites make him sound substandard.
This is a separate issue from the "sugarcoating" accusations, but Ridolph probably isn't the only one wondering about things like this. They're answered in the ABC News article my post on my site, excerpted above, draws it's information from, but I know not everyone follows every link in every post they read so I'll address the questions here as well. (I tried to email Ridolph but got a "no such address" response.)
After reading Col. Staudt's statement and some other things I now wish I'd bookmarked, I'm satisfied there was no waiting list for pilot slots. Flying F-102's was a dangerous job. From my personal knowledge of life in those days I feel pretty sure there was a waiting list for enlisted slots. The key point that a lot of people seem to be missing here is that receiving a commission and pilot training required a college degree. (The Army trained non-degreed men to fly helicopters, which may have added to the confusion for some people.) For men who chose not to go to college, the National Guard was a popular way to avoid Viet Nam without breaking any laws, and not every one who applied for an enlisted position in a Guard unit was accepted. If there's any basis at all for the waiting list claims, I'm sure that's it.
"The various sites" may claim that George Bush scored low on the entrance exam and "make him sound substandard", but that doesn't necessarily make it true. Again from the ABC article:
During his time in charge of the unit, Staudt decided whether to accept those who applied for pilot training. He recalled Bush as a standout candidate.
"He was highly qualified," he said. "He passed all the scrutiny and tests he was given."
Ridolph, I hope I've clarified things a little.
Bill Faith
(SSgt USAF 1970-1974)
