And more on Bush's "military" record

["Craven, Jim" <JCraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: PEN-L list [mailto:PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Devine,
James
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 5:03 PM
To: PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [PEN-L] more on Bush's "military" record


see http://www.calpundit.com/archives/003220.html

A letter sent to Department of Defense by a buzzflash reader just after
the last election:


RE: Desertion

Department of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-1900


To whom it may concern:

Recently, I was made aware of allegations concerning several violations
of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) by George W. Bush during
the Vietnam War. The alleged acts include being Absent Without Leave
(UCMJ Article 86) for a period of more than a year from his National
Guard assignments in Texas and Alabama. According to the UCMJ, a person
who is AWOL for more than 30 days with evidence of no intent to return
to duty is guilty of Desertion. (UCMJ Article 85) 

To understand the gravity of this offense, one need only read the
section 4.9.5 e. of Article 85, which states that the maximum punishment
for desertion in a time of war (3), is, "Death or such other punishment
as a court-martial may direct". As far as I am aware, George W. Bush has
never received any punishment for these alleged crimes, nor has he ever
been charged. 

When I read about these allegations in national media outlets including,
but not limited to; The Boston Globe(1), The Washington Post(2), The
Birmingham News(3), and The Dallas Morning News(4), I decided to call
the Department of Defense to find out what the Statute of Limitations
was for these crimes. I was informed that because of the nature of the
crimes; deserting one's country during a time of war, that there is NO
statute of limitations, and these crimes, if proven, can still be
prosecuted today. 

The purpose of this correspondence is to make a formal written complaint
with circumstantial and documentary evidence of George W. Bush's
violations of the UCMJ. Since he is the Commander in Chief of our armed
forces, the details of his past service or lack thereof, are of
particular interest to the American people. 

DETAILS:

>From May to November 1972, George W. Bush was living in Alabama working
on the US senate campaign of Winton Blount and was required to attend
drills with the Air National Guard unit in Montgomery, Alabama. There is
no record that he attended any drills whatsoever. Additionally, General
William Turnipseed (r) who was commander of the unit at that time has
stated in interviews that he never saw Bush report for duty.

On September 5, 1972, Bush had requested permission to perform duty for
September, October, and November at the 187th Tactical Recon Group in
Montgomery. Permission was granted, and Bush was ordered to report to
General William Turnipseed. In interviews, Turnipseed, and his
administrative officer at the time, Kenneth K. Lott, have stated that
they had no memory of Bush ever reporting.

Seven months later, at Ellington Air Force Base in Texas, Bush's two
superior officers were unable to complete his annual evaluation covering
the year from May 1, 1972 to April 30, 1973 because, "Lt. Bush has not
been observed at this unit during the period of this report." Both
superior officers, who are now dead, and also Ellington's top personnel
officer at the time, mistakenly concluded that Bush served his final
year of service in Alabama. Bush returned to live in Texas after the
senatorial election in November, 1972, so this is obviously not true. 

According to the records available from the National Guard, the period
between May 1972 and May 1973 remains unaccounted for. George W. Bush
himself has refused to answer questions about this period in his life,
other than to state that he fulfilled all of his National Guard
commitments. If this were true, why is there no record of him fulfilling
these commitments at either of his posts in Texas or Alabama? Why is
there not one commanding officer that can come forward and state
unequivocally that Bush reported for duty?

If the allegations are true that Bush deserted his country during a time
of war, this is one of the gravest offenses one can commit against their
country, short of treason. This is why there is no Statute of
Limitations concerning these crimes. My father served proudly as a field
surgeon in Vietnam, and it distresses me greatly that a person could use
his family's influence and power to not only avoid the draft for
service, but then to not fulfill the duties that he was assigned in
substitute for serving in Vietnam.

These crimes are not to be taken lightly, and I believe that all men and
women who serve America proudly would be shocked that a soldier was
allowed to abuse the system in the way that George W. Bush allegedly
has. These charges warrant investigation, and until a satisfactory
record of Bush's service is produced, I can only assume that Bush did
indeed desert his country in a time of war. 

I implore you to investigate these charges. In this time of war and talk
of preemptive strikes against other countries, it would serve the
American people greatly to know that our Commander in Chief did not run
away from duty during Vietnam. If this man is to send other's husbands,
wives, and children to die in a foreign land, we must make sure that he
fulfilled his obligations and commitments to America before he demands
that others do the same.

Sincerely,