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Sept. 11, 2004 The question of the day is, did President George W. Bush serve honorably in the military reserves? Even before new “authentic” memos came into play, Bush’s critics said he signed up in the National Guard reserves to get out of going to Vietnam, and question gaps in his service. My ex-husband, my daughter, and her boyfriend are also reservists with gaps in their service. Both my ex and daughter experienced in-house snafu’s when they transferred to other states, and they couldn’t report to drills for a few months until their paperwork was straighten out. My daughter’s boyfriend, who is trained as a bridge inspector, gets called on an average of every other month to his nearby small base whenever the Hummers need oil changes. All three served, or are still serving the military honorably. President Bush’s military records show that he served no drills at his temporary Alabama base during the two months he was working on Winton Blount’s senator campaign. Why is anyone surprised? The base officials knew he’d only be there a few months, probably had no use for him, so they didn’t bother calling him. And let’s not forget, he didn’t get paid, either. For those who are not familiar with a military reservist’s role, they go through the same rigorous training as their active counterparts, but after they graduate from job training, they return to the civilian life instead of being deployed. However, a reservist must live within fifty-miles of a base, is required to keep all contact information current at that base, be available for scheduled weekend drills each month (if needed) and two weeks in the summer, pass drug tests and stay on the right side of the law, and never forget his or her status can be activated at a moment’s notice. In return, the reservist receives incentives to attend college and earn extra cash. During peacetime, it’s a beautiful marriage. As for allegations Bush’s daddy pulled strings to get him into a “champagne unit” and was given special treatment, it’s not like they shipped him off to England to study. He served in the National Guard, actually learned to fly fighter interceptor jets, and attended college. We need people to serve at home, and he did. During a crisis he would have been lassoed into one of those jets and ordered to blow whatever didn’t belong near our shores out of the sky. I’m grateful he, as well as any Guard, never had to do it. People who downplay the National Guards don’t realize it is just as important, if not more, to fence unauthorized alien planes or boats from our shores. The only combat we’ve had in over 100 years on our own soil has been by terrorists who used our own aircraft, thanks to having a strong National Guard. Those men and women deserve the same respect we give to our deployed military. As for Senator Kerry? He’s grasping at straws now that the voting numbers favor Bush, and is desperately trying to discredit his military service even though it was never part of his campaign. Bush has had to do very little to discredit his opponent, except maybe giving him rope and watching him hang himself. I respect John Kerry as a Vietnam veteran but not as the pinko-commie he came home as. His biggest mistake was making his war hero status the crux of his campaign 35 years later. Obviously, 256 of his “dissed” brother veterans remembered his war service and afterservice, and ran an ad that said he embellished his war experiences. Senator Kerry’s comeuppance was due. Or, as our Eastern philosophers would say, karma is giving him his overdue slap. Things are staying balanced. Life is good. I can’t wait until this election is over. ------------ About the author: Karyn Hughes has a fiction book published by Authorhouse entitled, Scattered Dreams, which is about a newly single mother who battles ADHD. Email: karynlilly1@comcast.net Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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