![]() ![]() Killian's memos, written daily in the early 1970s when he commanded Bush's squadron at Houston's Ellington Air Force Base, appear to be the most damaging revelations in long-running accusations by his critics that he had received special treatment. Repeated news reports and document releases by the White House and Pentagon have not settled the question. Still, intensifying scrutiny of the president's record - and whereabouts - in the Air National Guard seemed to put the White House on the defensive after a group opposing Kerry questioned his service in Vietnam and criticized his subsequent antiwar activities.īush's service has been in dispute for years because of a six-month gap in 1972 that has not been fully explained by military records. "If the president had not fulfilled his commitment he would not have been honorably discharged," spokesman Scott McClellan said. White House officials said Wednesday that the Killian memos and reports on Bush's Guard service were mostly rehashes of previous reports and support their contention that the president fulfilled his duties. (3) A new television ad by a liberal Texas advocacy group that features a former guardsman saying he never saw Bush, though they both served in the Alabama Air National Guard at the same time. (2) A Boston Globe story published Wednesday that concluded Bush "fell well short of meeting his military obligation" by failing to report for duty to a Guard unit in Boston when he moved there to attend Harvard Business School. Kerry who said he helped Bush jump to the front of the line in the Air National Guard. ![]() (1) Killian's memos and an interview with a Texas Democratic politician and supporter of John F. But the topic was reinvigorated by several revelations Wednesday: Questions about Bush's military service have survived for much of his political life and were raised four years ago in his first run for the White House. The news program cited the opinion of a handwriting expert and a close friend of Killian who said all four of them appeared authentic. The memos appeared to be written by Killian to himself and were placed in his personal file, "60 Minutes" reported. "I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job," he wrote. 18, 1972 and entitled "CYA," Killian wrote that he was being pressured from higher-ups in the Guard to gloss over Bush's poor performance and to "sugarcoat" his evaluation. Jerry Killian, released Wednesday by CBS' "60 Minutes," suggest that Bush received favored treatment during a time in the early 1970s when many young men were being drafted and sent to fight in Vietnam. Bush's squadron commander in the Texas Air National Guard grounded the young lieutenant from flying when he missed a medical examination and failed to meet performance standards, according to documents made public Wednesday that revived an issue that has shadowed Bush for much of his political career.įour memos from the late Col. Later, as we rode back on Marine One to the White House, no one spoke.George W. Her husband tried to calm her, and I noticed the president wasn't in a hurry to leave - he tried offering comfort but then just stood and took it, like he expected and needed to hear the anguish, to try to soak up some of her suffering if he could. She yelled at the president, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in that hospital bed. One mom and dad of a dying soldier from the Caribbean were devastated, the mom beside herself with grief. For the rest of the visit to the hospital that day, almost every family had the same reaction of joy when they saw the president. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is survived by his wife and their three children.)Īnd that was just the first patient we saw. He died during surgery six days after the president's visit. (In writing this book, I contacted several military aides who helped me track down the name of the Marine. Now everyone was crying, and for so many reasons: the sacrifice, the pain and suffering, the love of country, the belief in the mission and the witnessing of a relationship between a soldier and his commander in chief that the rest of us could never fully grasp. As the presentation ended, the president rested his forehead on the Marine's for a moment. The president had tears dripping from his eyes onto the Marine's face. So we stood silently as the military aide presented the Marine with the medal for a second time. They locked eyes, and after a couple of moments the president, without breaking eye contact, said to the military aide, "Read it again." He cupped the Marine's face in his hands. The president jumped up and rushed over to the side of the bed. The CNO held the medical team back and said, "Hold on, guys. ![]()
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