President Bush's Time In The National Guard
On a temperate, crystal-clear Texas day in April 1972, Lt. George W. Bush took what turned out to be his last flight as a National Guard pilot.
Over the next 18 months of his tour, the man who is now America's commander in chief paid little attention to his military duties, lost his flying status and was granted an early exit from the assignment that shielded him from combat in Vietnam.
A reexamination of Texas Air National Guard documents, Air Force regulations and accounts from former Guard officials and military experts depicts a capable young pilot who initially excelled, then barely scraped together enough credits in his final two years to meet the Guard's minimum requirements.
Texas Guard officials seemed to tolerate Bush's minimal compliance, including a six-month absence in 1972, and accommodated Bush's request to end his military obligation early. His honorable discharge in October 1973 came eight months before his six-year service commitment was due to end, allowing him to enter Harvard Business School.
Questions about Bush's military service are not new. They have shadowed him since his father first ran for president in 1988. Yet the issues have not been fully resolved today, as many records that typically would be in his military file have not been found, and others have continued to trickle out from the Pentagon and the White House.
Although Bush initially earned praise as"an outstanding young pilot" -- with a seasoned veteran's agility in an F-102 interceptor jet -- he appeared impatient after several years to get out of the Guard.
Bush said in a brief interview this month with a New Hampshire newspaper that his transfer to nonflying status in Alabama came after he was granted permission by his superiors in Texas.
"I did everything they asked me to do and met my requirements and was honorably discharged. I'm proud of my service," he said.
[Editor's Note: The end of the article contained a chronology of Bush's service time.]