Re: Lynching of Dan Rather
Jerry Okamura
"Gary James" <gnja...@OMITyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c0n2l0hpoq53l948p...@4ax.com...
>
> The Lynching of Dan Rather
>
> by Greg Palast
>
Bush's Honorable Air National Guard Service
By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.)
September 20, 2004
George Bush and I were fighter pilots. Lt. Bush flew F-102s in the Air
National Guard (ANG) -- 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS); I flew
F-105s in combat -- 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS). Both our
flying assignments were inherently dangerous -- Lt. Bush's because of
the high performance nature of the fighter interceptor aircraft he was
flying, the training required to fly the F-102, and the high risks that
come with all weather (night and day) intercept missions.
Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic National Committee's Mr. Terry McAuliffe
and the anti-war (weak on National Security) left wing of the Democrat
Party have relentlessly attacked the service of Lt. Bush and by
inference other pilots and service members in the ANG and Reserve forces
as cowards and shirkers of responsibility for not being in Vietnam.
Their flippant slandering of our Guard and Reserve forces in an effort
to discredit President Bush and win an election is beyond the pale. They
have no decency left.
Lt. Bush's opportunity to fly jets and serve his country came through
the Air National Guard when he was 22 years old. Just like Lt. Bush, my
goal as a young man was to fly high performance jet fighter aircraft --
both of us realized our dream. I might have been just a dumb fighter
pilot but I don't remember looking ahead (and I'm sure Lt. Bush didn't
either) to what missions we could be assigned -- peacetime or wartime.
All we wanted to do as young men was to fly these magnificent flying
machines (jets) and enjoy the opportunity to serve our country.
(Contributing to the Air National Guard's Air Defense mission, Lt. Bush
flew hundreds of hours in the F-102 -- the world's first supersonic
all-weather jet interceptor aircraft; he served his country protecting
the United States.)
Neither Lt. Bush nor I had control over mission assignment, where we
would be deployed or how the service would task the units we were
assigned. Lt. Bush would have gladly gone to Vietnam or anywhere else
his unit was deployed -- but the reality was that young Lt. Bush had no
say as to how his unit would be utilized to support our country's
National Security interests. I guess you could say such decisions were
above our pay grade. Lt. Bush's mission, as a squadron fighter
interceptor pilot, was to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft inbound
to the United States; for example, Soviet Nuclear Bombers. Remember, we
were still in the Cold War in the 1970s with Air Defense a high priority
mission. Today our Air Defense forces protect us against aircraft with
terrorists onboard.
I can say from my experience that flying operational fighter jets is
highly dangerous. People don't strap fighter jets to their backside if
they are overly concerned for their future. While in F-105 training at
McConnell AFB in early 1968, we lost five aircraft in six weeks (one
aircraft crashed in air-to-air combat training; one aircraft crashed on
the air-to-ground gunnery range; one crashed on take off; one crashed on
final approach at a nearby airfield; and one crashed coming back from a
cross-country mission). My nephew was killed while flying a Marine Corp
EA-6B Prowler during a low level state-side training mission. I was in a
flight where an F-105 pilot was killed while we were training on an
air-ground gunnery range. Also, I've been in F -105 and F-111
operational units where a number of pilots were killed while training
for their war time mission. We got really good at flying "Missing Man
Formations" and doing memorial services for our fallen comrades and
their families. I can assure you that Lt. Bush was continuously exposed
to similar dangers during all weather scrambles and during training
exercises as evidenced by the F-102 pilots killed in his unit.
Cowards (or people who lack courage) don't take on the risks that Lt.
Bush did in flying Fighter Interceptor Aircraft. Flying jets in wing
formation in the weather and carrying explosive ordnance on board is
dangerous work. The pilots in these squadrons (including Lt. Bush) did
what their country asked them to do. They performed their assigned
mission and did it well. In November 1970, the Commander of the Texas
Air National Guard, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, called Mr. Bush, then 24,
"a dynamic outstanding young officer" who stood out as "a top-notch
fighter interceptor pilot." "Lt. Bush's skills far exceed his
contemporaries," Colonel Killian wrote: "He is a natural leader whom his
contemporaries look to for leadership. Lt. Bush is also a good follower
with outstanding disciplinary traits and an impeccable military bearing."
As a Fighter Squadron Commander in the Air Force (F - 111E aircraft, 55
TFS, Royal Air Force, Upper Heyford, United Kingdom) and having been in
fighter squadrons during my career in the Air Force, all I can say is
that the young people who make up these squadrons (like Lt. Bush) are
the cream of the crop, top performers, talented, courageous and willing
to take on any mission challenge presented to them, anytime, anyplace
and anywhere. Everyone in a unit realizes that they serve to protect the
National Security Interests of the United States and that they can be
mobilized -- with short notice -- to deploy anywhere in the world.
During the Vietnam conflict, military pilot training was greatly
expanded to accommodate the increased need for pilots. Thousands of
pilots were trained during this conflict, primarily to support mission
and pilot rotation requirements. F-105, F 4 fighter pilots, and the
pilots of other combat aircraft were routinely rotated out of the combat
theatre after completing their 100 combat missions. That meant that
other pilots needed to be trained to take their place. As the Vietnam
conflict began to phase down around 1971, there was a surplus of
hundreds of pilots in the U.S. Military, for which there were relatively
few flying jobs. Thus, the active duty force as well as ANG and Reserve
forces could be very accommodating to those who wanted to pursue
alternative career paths (such as Lt. Bush going to Harvard Business
School). In fact, these sorts of administrative actions (early releases)
helped alleviate the challenges facing the services of a pilot surplus.
Also, commanders were lenient in allowing individuals to fulfill their
service obligations in ways not involving flying duty. Such arrangements
were coordinated at the unit level.
Just as Lt. Bush's supervisor released him from the ANG to go to
Harvard, I released a pilot from the Air Force months early (when I was
Commander of the 4442nd Tactical Control Group) so he could participate
in the pilot hiring cycle of Delta Airlines. I could have held this
pilot to the end of his service commitment but chose not to -- since
letting him go early created no hardship to our unit. Rather, it gave a
pilot (who had served his country well) an immediate opportunity for a
future career. I point this fact out so that the public knows that
Commanders have the prerogative to make decisions that take into
consideration the needs of the Unit and the needs of an individual ready
to make a career transition out of the service. Having been a Squadron
Commander, I can tell you this -- we know the status of our assigned
personnel all the time -- everyone is accounted for. We reported the
status of all our squadron personnel daily to a higher level in our
organization. Likewise, Lt. Bush's Squadron Commander of 30 plus years
ago (Lt. Col. Killian, now deceased), would have known where Lt. Bush
was or, at the very least, how to contact him should that have been
necessary. The bottom line: Lt. Bush's documented Air National Guard
service exceeded the requirements set forth in his Guard contract and
Lt. Bush received an Honorable Discharge.
As Lt. Bush completed his flying assignment in April 1972, F-102s were
being phased out of the Air National Guard. What we know is that he
served honorably; he flew fighter jets; he embraced the inherent high
risk of flying an F -102; he served our country; he met his Air National
Guard requirements and he received an Honorable Discharge. The attacks
on Lt. Bush are designed to diminish Lt. Bush's service to our country
in the eyes of our citizens and soldiers some thirty years after Lt.
Bush received an Honorable Discharge. This is truly reprehensible and
driven by political adversaries like Sen. Kerry, Mr. Terry McAuliffe and
their left-wing media surrogates. (Go to cspan.org for the White House
Press Briefing with Scott McClellan on 02/10/04 -- the impetus for me to
write this letter.)