Running For Alabama

How AWOL Bush tried to escape his military obligations .

Paul Lukasiak continues the AWOL Bush story.

Contrary to the spin put out by the White House (and endlessly repeated by the mainstream media) Bush was never transferred to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Alabama. Nor was this “transfer request” an attempt to find somewhere to do training temporarily while Bush worked on an Alabama political campaign in 1972. Instead, Bush was running a scam resigned to completely sever his relationship with the Air National Guard, and eliminate the last two years of his obligation to train and serve as a pilot, by joining a unit that had no training, and for which Bush was specifically ineligible.

MYTH: Bush was requesting a temporary training assignment when he submitted his “Request for Reassignment” to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron.

FACT: The purpose of the document submitted was a complete reassignment, involving cutting all ties to, and eliminating all commitments to the Texas Air National Guard.

MYTH: Bush was approved for transfer to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron, and he didn’t have to train with his Texas unit until that transfer was overturned by the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC).

FACT: No orders reassigning Bush to the 9921st ARS were ever issued, and absent such orders Bush no transfer had ever taken place. Until Bush received those orders, he remained assigned to the Texas Air National Guard, and maintained his training requirement.

MYTH: Bush did not know he was not eligible for a transfer to the 9921st ARS. (This, of course, is more than just a myth. It is Bush’s “official” position, as expressed by his spokesman during the 2000 presidential election campaign).

FACT: 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.

There is a law concerning a member of the United States Armed Forces who :”quits his post or proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away from there permanently” That law is 10 USC 885 of the United States Code, also known as Article 85 of The Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Article 85 is one of the “punitive articles” of the UCMJ.

And Article 85 has a name. It is “Desertion.”