Eric Alterman's "Altercation" column on MSNBC has an email from Paul Lukasiak, linking to his research into W's military career: THE ALABAMA TRANSFER SCAM
HOW GEORGE W. BUSH TRIED, AND FAILED, TO CON THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE INTO RELIEVING HIM OF HIS TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, http://www.glcq.com/trans.htm
Lukasiak alleges that W sought a legal way to desert his armed service requirement. Makes for some interesting reading, particularly in light of W's NYT confession about the honor of Kerry's service:
"When George Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard and was enrolled in pilot training, he promised to train, and serve, as an F-102 pilot until May 26, 1974. Bush became a fully qualified F-102 pilot on June 20th, 1970, and after serving less than half the time he had promised to serve as a fully trained pilot, George W. Bush was looking for a way out.
"Bush wasn't eligible to join the 9921st, of course. The law did not allow him to join a non-training unit. And Bush obviously knew this. But he tried to scam his way into the 9921st anyway. . .The documents themselves prove that Bush was fully aware that, as a member of the 9921st ARS, he would be unable to fulfill the requirements established for him under United States Law, and Air Force policy. . .What George W. Bush was attempting to do was run a scam. He was trying to find a way to "legally desert" his post, by gaming the system under which transfers to Air Reserve Squadrons were processed. In the meantime, while waiting for his scam to come to fruition, Bush blew off months of training that he was required to do under the law, and didn't even bother getting the medical examination required of all pilots, whether they had planes to fly or not. As we now know, Bush never got the orders that would allow him to forget about fulfilling his obligations to the United States Armed Forces. His little transfer scam didn't work, and he should have been showing up for training, and maintaining his qualifications as a pilot, throughout the Spring and Summer of 1972."
