Reagan defense secretary confirms George W. Bush was AWOL

The Raw Story called a knowledgeable official about Paul Lukasiak's research,and confirms with a former DoD Secretary: Bush was AWOL and should have been called to active duty.

"If you don't show up. you're absent without leave by definition. You would be put on active duty and sent wherever they needed you."

As I pointed out February 11, 2004 - 'Code 22' the White House record release that claimed Bush wasn't AWOL had an over 6 month gap between service days. (The 1972 records showed an even larger gap, no days worked after April, but later Bush records for 1973 added days in October and November 1972.)

Paul researched and discovered missing two months service, two weekends could not be made up after the fact. There is a limited length of time days can be made up. He also decoded the material in the pay records which showed for what weekends Bush was being paid. Bush never made up five weekends.

Bush missed 5 out of 12 weekends in 1972. Bush superiors under DoD regulations did not have authority to absent him or even approve his first transfer request to Alabama. Weekends can only be made up in a certain amount of time which Bush did not do and his records show he never made them up. Bush should have been sent to Vietnam.

ADDED - The Raw Story articles imply this is research Paul conducted for Raw Story when this is not correct. Paul's site has the original research.