Did George Bush serve in the Vietnam War?
According to the Washington Post, a look at Bush's application for his service with the Texas Air National Guard shows that when asked about possible overseas deployment — a decision in 1968 that would almost certainly lead to deployment to Vietnam — Bush checked the box "do not volunteer."
Was George W Bush AWOL for years during Vietnam?
I've heard many times and in many places (but none mainstream that I can think of): that George W. Bush was AWOL for at least a year from the National Guard during Vietnam, after "jumping the line" to get a slot in the guard in the first place. For some reason (I'm not sure why), I have trust in the Straight Dope.
What did George W Bush want to get out of Harvard?
What Bush wanted to get out of Harvard were some practical business fundamentals. He wanted to do something entrepreneurial, he told his pals, but he wasn't sure what. He mused about running for office but told friends he had to make some money first. Of this everyone was certain: George W. Bush would never end up on the East Coast.
What did George Bush do before he became a pilot?
In applying for pilot training, Bush took a standardized test on which he had a low score, in the 25th percentile. Also, Bush had two arrests for college pranks and four traffic offenses before applying for pilot training.
Did George H Bush serve in the military?
On his 18th birthday, immediately after graduating from Phillips Academy, he enlisted in the United States Navy as a naval aviator. After a period of training, he was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi on June 9, 1943, becoming one of the youngest aviators in the Navy.
Where did George W Bush go to?
He attended Yale University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. During this time, he was a cheerleader and a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon, serving as the president of the fraternity during his senior year.
Which Bush president did not like broccoli?
During his tenure as the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush frequently mentioned his distaste for broccoli. When asked if he had lost the "broccoli vote" due to his views, he said: "I do not like broccoli.
What plane did Bush fly in ww2?
During World War II, George H.W. Bush served in the U.S. Navy. A pilot assigned to a torpedo squadron in the Pacific Theater, Bush flew the TBM Avenger, a torpedo bomber capable of taking off from aircraft carriers that would famously see combat during the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942.
What is George Bush net worth?
List of presidents by peak net worthNameNet worth (millions of 2022 US$)LifespanGeorge W. Bush47born 1946James Monroe361758–1831Martin Van Buren341782–1862Grover Cleveland331837–190841 more rows
Who ran against George Bush in 2008?
Though Gore narrowly won a plurality of the nationwide popular vote, Bush won the presidential election with 271 electoral votes compared to Gore's 266.
What is George Bush favorite food?
He instead preferred something that was the polar opposite of that healthy green vegetable: pork rinds. George H. W. Bush mentioned that he liked to munch on pork rinds with a bit of Tabasco sauce, and sales of the salty snack subsequently skyrocketed.
Who was the only US president not married?
James BuchananHe remains the only President to be elected from Pennsylvania and to remain a lifelong bachelor. Tall, stately, stiffly formal in the high stock he wore around his jowls, James Buchanan was the only President who never married.
Which US president had a pet opossum?
Benjamin Harrisonpresident, Benjamin Harrison served our nation from 1889 to 1893. It was widely known that President Harrison had a fondness for animals, including the marsupial of choice…the opossum. While in office, President Harrison was known for having two pet opossums in the White House.
Was George Bush in the Battle of Midway?
The three were aboard a TBM Avenger, a torpedo aircraft first used in 1942 during the Battle of Midway. Upon arrival, Bush and his squadron encountered heavy fire from anti-aircraft weapons on the island. Bush's plane was hit by enemy fire, setting his engine on fire.
Did George Bush serve in ww2?
On September 2, 1944, future President George Herbert Walker Bush is serving as a torpedo bomber pilot in the Pacific theater of World War II when his squadron is attacked by Japanese anti-aircraft guns.
What submarine rescued George Bush?
the U.S.S. FinbackGeorge Bush being rescued by the submarine, the U.S.S. Finback, after being shot down while on a bombing run of the Island of Chi Chi Jima on September 2, 1944.
Timeline
George W. Bush joined the 147th Fighter-Interceptor Group of the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968, during the Vietnam War. He committed to serve until May 26, 1974, with two years on active duty while training to fly and four years on part-time duty.
Acceptance into the Air National Guard
During the 1968–1974 period, Presidents Johnson and Nixon decided against calling up National Guard units for service in Vietnam. However, military documents show during the Vietnam War, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam.
Flight performance and flight status in 1972 and 1973
Flight logs released in September 2004 in response to a lawsuit (see below) showed that Bush, who had been flying in the F-102A Delta Dagger, a single-seater interceptor, for most of his career, flew nine times in T-33 trainers in February and March 1972 – nearly twice as many times as he had flown in T-33s in the prior 18 months.
Drill attendance in 1972 and 1973
During 2004, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and others accused Bush of being absent without leave ( AWOL) from the Air National Guard in 1972–73.
Six-year service obligation
On May 27, 1968, Bush signed a six-year obligation. That required him to complete "48 scheduled inactive-duty training periods" each fiscal year (typically consisting of four four-hour periods during one weekend each month), plus a minimum of 15 days of Annual Active Duty Training.
Release of military records
During the 2000 presidential campaign, various military records of Bush were made public by the Bush campaign.
Memos allegedly from Jerry Killian
The "Killian documents" were initially claimed by CBS to have come from the "personal files" of the late Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, Bush's squadron commander during Bush's Air National Guard service.
Did Bush have help from his father to serve stateside?
As the Washington Post tells it, George W. Bush was running out of options in 1968. With less than two weeks left at Yale, the draft deferment that had so far spared him from compulsory military service was ending.
Did George W. Bush get special treatment in the military?
Despite the fact that Bush completed his full five-year enlistment and was granted an Honorable Discharge by the Texas Air National Guard in 1973, questions about his time in service lingered, particularly allegations he'd tried to avoid Vietnam and questions around several absences during his time in uniform.
Unexplained absences and unsubstantiated allegations
According to the Washington Post, a look at Bush's application for his service with the Texas Air National Guard shows that when asked about possible overseas deployment — a decision in 1968 that would almost certainly lead to deployment to Vietnam — Bush checked the box "do not volunteer." Critics, most famously Dan Rather (in a move that nearly cost him his career, as Texas Monthly reports), even produced documents that suggested Bush took advantage of his status as a Congressman's son to enjoy long absences away from duty.
When did George Bush 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 ...
Who is the director of the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin?
Brig. Gen. John Scribner , director of the Texas Military Forces Museum in Austin, said it was only natural that the Guard would have publicized Bush's service with special ceremonies and press releases. "That's how they do things, play it up big, especially since he was a congressman's son.
Was the Texas National Guard open to string pulling?
But others active in Texas politics in the 1960s say the Texas National Guard was open to string-pulling by the well-connected, and there are charges that the then-speaker of the Texas legislature helped George W. gain admittance.
Did Ensenat see Bush use illegal drugs?
Ensenat said he never saw Bush use illegal drugs. That fall, as his father raced Bentsen for the Senate seat, both Bush and Ensenat, who had already entered law school at the University of Houston, applied for admission to the University of Texas law school. Both were rejected, though Ensenat later became a lawyer.
Overview
Timeline
George W. Bush joined the 147th Fighter-Interceptor Group of the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968, during the Vietnam War. He committed to serve until May 26, 1974, with two years on active duty while training to fly and four years on part-time duty. In his 1968 Statement of Intent (undated), he wrote, "I have applied for pilot training to make flying a lifetime pursuit, and I believe I can best accomplish this to my satisfaction by serving as a member of the Air National Guard …
Acceptance into the Air National Guard
During the 1968–1974 period, Presidents Johnson and Nixon decided against calling up National Guard units for service in Vietnam. However, military documents show during the Vietnam War, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam.
In 1999, Ben Barnes, former Democratic Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and Lieut…
Flight performance and flight status in 1972 and 1973
Flight logs released in September 2004 in response to a lawsuit (see below) showed that Bush, who had been flying in the F-102A Delta Dagger, a single-seater interceptor, for most of his career, flew nine times in T-33 trainers in February and March 1972 – nearly twice as many times as he had flown in T-33s in the prior 18 months. The logs also show that on March 12 and April 10 of 1972, Bush took two passes to land his F-102 fighter. Although White House officials could not explai…
Drill attendance in 1972 and 1973
During 2004, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe and others accused Bush of being absent without leave (AWOL) from the Air National Guard in 1972–73. White House communications director Dan Bartlett and others, who called the charge election-year propaganda, noted that Bush was honorably discharged and that no AWOL charge had ever been made against Bush by the National Guard.
Six-year service obligation
On May 27, 1968, Bush signed a six-year obligation. That required him to complete "48 scheduled inactive-duty training periods" each fiscal year (typically consisting of four four-hour periods during one weekend each month), plus a minimum of 15 days of Annual Active Duty Training. For Bush, as a pilot, this was typically split into periods of duty of a few days each during the year.
The Boston Globe reported in September 2004 that "Bush fell well short of meeting his military o…
Release of military records
During the 2000 presidential campaign, various military records of Bush were made public by the Bush campaign.
On February 13, 2004, during Bush's re-election campaign, more than 700 additional pages of documents on Bush's service were released, including those from the National Personnel Records Center, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. This release was claimed by so…
Memos allegedly from Jerry Killian
The "Killian documents" were initially claimed by CBS to have come from the "personal files" of the late Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, Bush's squadron commander during Bush's Air National Guard service. They describe preferential treatment during Bush's service, including pressure on Killian to "sugar coat" an annual officer rating report for the then 1st Lt. Bush. CBS aired the story on September 8, 2004, amid more releases of Bush's official records by the Department of Defense, including one …