A long, very thorough letter to the editor appears in the Washington Times today from one Col. William Campenni, a retired U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard pilot who flew with President Bush in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from 1970-1971. Col. Campenni provides the role of the National Guard and the Vietnam War in great historical context and clears up many of the allegations of the mainstream media. The fact is, as a fighter pilot, George Bush faced a high probability of being called-up for active duty. If he was trying to “hide from the war”, as some of his critics allege, he was in the wrong area of the Guard. Also the Vietnam War began winding down in 1971, causing an glut of pilots with nothing to fly. Since there wasn’t room for all of them, any pilot could have left the Air Force or Air Guard with ease. Col. Campenni also goes on to address the charges of not reporting for training, disobeying lawful orders, and failing to report for duty at a disciplinary unit in Colordo (hint: there was no such thing).
I recommend reading the whole thing. Sadly, I don’t think this, or anything for that matter, will satisfy the media or the left.