Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos (Part II: Coward/Draft-Dodger Hoax)

Hoaxes Propped Up CBS's Fraudulent Memos (Part II: Coward/Draft-Dodger Hoax) for Dan Rather's CBS's 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record

Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minutes Hit Piece on President Bush's ANG Record based on Left-Wing Media Hoaxes.

By Col. John H. Wambough, Jr. USAF (Ret.) October 25, 2004

Read Bush and Uncommon Valor

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Coward/Draft Dodger Hoax

Left-Wing Media (LWM) treachery, deception and distortion laid a solid foundation for Dan Rather's CBS' 60 Minute fabricated story and fraudulent memos. Thousands of communications misled the American people about George W. Bush's (GWB's) service in the Air National Guard (ANG). LWM fraudulently orchestrated so many hoaxes on President Bush's Air National Guard (ANG) service that it is not practical to debunk all of them in one article. The first article featured the Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax and Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax. This article features the Coward/Draft Dodger Hoax.

LWM has frequently labeled GWB a coward for not having served in Vietnam - eventhough the risk of flying high performance aircraft exceeded the risk that many soldiers sustained in Vietnam. Not all those who went to Vietnam were front-line soldiers; many were in support roles and in rear echelon headquarters. The seventy F-102 fighter interceptor pilots that were killed in 259 aircraft crashes (while serving their country) will never know that hadn't they been killed, LWM would have labeled them cowards for not serving in Vietnam. LWM without compunction smeared the reputations of our Guard and Reserve Forces in an effort to destroy President Bush's credibility with the American people. They implied in their articles that the Guard and Reserve Forces were a haven for cowards and draft dodgers - yet nothing could be further from the truth. LWM mocked the people, mission and unit GWB served with; used phrases like "Champaign Unit" "Weekend Warriors" "Coveted Guard Slot" "Shield from Combat in Vietnam" "Princes of Texas" and on and on - all for the purpose of discrediting the Commander-In-Chief so they could get a Left-Wing Democrat elected President. Guard and Reserve forces are a critical component of United States National Security Strategy and deserve great respect for all they did to protect this nation (during the Cold War) and for all they are doing today to protect this Nation - especially in Afghanistan and Iraq .

When you hear the terms coward and draft dodger thrown around loosely, play close attention to who is leveling the charge. You may be hearing from a person who actually is a coward and they are ascribing to others what they are themselves. Also, you may be hearing from someone who knows nothing about what they are talking about; someone who has never been in the military and does not comprehend high risk military operations and equipment. The least likely people to use the term “coward” would be fighter pilots (like GWB) who have risked their lives many times while serving their country. The entities most likely to use these terms are the LWM elites, the DNC, Terry McAuliffe, the Kerry Campaign and Left-Wing 527s (the melting pot for anti-war, anti-defense, anti intelligence gathering, anti Patriot Act and the blame American first crowd). Many people (in these groups) know the terms "coward and draft dodger" all to well from personal experience.

"Coward/Draft Dodger Hoax" - The components of this LWM hoax were: (1) that GWB joined the ANG to dodge Vietnam therefore he was a draft dodger; (2) that GWB’s checking a box “do not volunteer for overseas” proved GWB was dodging duty in Vietnam; (3) that GWB was a coward for not going to Vietnam; and (4) that GWB used political influence to leapfrog over hundreds of ANG applicants in an effort to dodge Vietnam; that someone else had to go to Vietnam in GWB's place.

First Myth - GWB joined the ANG to dodge Vietnam therefore he was a draft dodger. The facts: (1) when GWB applied for a pilot slot in the 147th Tactical Interceptor Group in May 1968, pilots from this unit were flying F-102 combat missions in Vietnam (Palace Alert) . Logically, GWB would have expected to fly combat missions in Vietnam once flight and combat training requirements were completed. (2) GWB volunteered to fly combat missions in the F-102 while in the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) as documented by pilots in his squadron and senior officers that served in the ANG with GWB. How could LWM conclude that GWB was dodging Vietnam when his unit was flying combat missions in Vietnam (when he applied) and he volunteered to go to Vietnam while serving in his unit? See my article: Bush and Uncommon Valor

Second Myth – GWB’s checking the “do not volunteer for overseas” box proved GWB was dodging duty in Vietnam . The facts: (1) the “do not volunteer for overseas” box was checked by all Guardsmen applicants for a pilot slot. (2) AF Form 125 (application for Extended Active Duty [EAD]) is required for every Air Force officer's personnel folder. This form is not a requirement for reservists and guardsmen unless called up for EAD. When guardsmen attend USAF pilot training school they are on EAD. As per retired Col. Campenni "Most guardsmen, like Lt. Bush and me, were told by personnel clerks to check off the "not volunteer" block because it was meaningless. We had to fill out the form to go to pilot training because that year was EAD; however, all ANG training bases were in the United States . In the Guard, you are the property of that unit and state. You aren't going anywhere except where your unit goes." See Answering Kerry's Questions by Col. William Campenni.

Third Myth – GWB was a coward for dodging Vietnam . The facts: (1) GWB had good reason to believe he would be going to Vietnam (when he applied for a pilot slot in the TANG) since members of his unit were deployed in Vietnam and flying combat missions (Palace Alert). (2) GWB volunteered for Vietnam combat flying duty. (3) GWB assumed exceptional dangers while flying the F-102 aircraft, historically 259 F-102 aircraft were lost in accidents that killed 70 pilots and severely injured many others (4) Pilots in GWB’s unit had been killed in aircraft accidents and F-102 pilots had been lost in combat. How could it be said that GWB was a coward? LWM fabricated the coward myth in behalf of the DNC, Terry McAuliffe, the Kerry Campaign and Left-Wing 527s to get a Left-Wing Democrat elected in 2000 and 2004.

Fourth Myth – GWB used political influence to leapfrog over hundreds of ANG applicants to dodge Vietnam and that someone else had to go to Vietnam in GWB's place. This never happened, go to: Leapfrogged Hundreds Hoax and Political Influence/Favoritism Hoax Had LWM investigative journalists wanted to give the American people a perspective about cowards during the Vietnam War, they would have looked outside the military to find these people. The draft dodgers, those that fled to Canada, the anti-war groups, the peace groups and all those who felt so strongly about their cause that they stopped demonstrating against the Vietnam War the day the Draft was terminated; that is, when their butts were no longer at risk. Instead, LWM saved their "coward label" for those that joined the military in the service of their country. Colonel William Campenni (retired) in his article Answering Kerry's Questions says it best:

"Remember, over the term of the Vietnam War, 8.7 million served on active duty, of which 2.7 million served in Vietnam and surrounding waters and airspace. Thus 6 million never got near the theater of operations. This 69 percent of the active-duty force were sitting in missile silos, in submarines and ships, at airfields in England , at Army bases in Germany and on Coast Guard cutters in Alaska . Nobody questions their service. Another 2 million were in the Reserve forces, waiting for a call that for most did not come."

"Hindsight is perfect, but in the late 1960s, the future course of the war was not so clear. No matter what your recruiter told you, when you donned a uniform in 1965 through 1973, you did not have a clue as to where fortune would take you and what risks you would face. A gung-ho Ranger might find himself in a safe instructor slot in Germany ; a Coast Guardsman would find himself dodging mines in the China Sea ; an Air National Guard pilot in Sioux City would be dropping bombs in Vietnam . Life was neither fair nor foreseeable. Someone in Saigon would safely serve in a rear-echelon staff job, while another in North Dakota would die a fiery death in the crash of an Air National Guard jet."

"But the hated George Bush was in the National Guard, so it must be that those in the National Guard were draft dodgers and cowards. We who served in the Guard in that era are proud of our service. Even with obsolescent equipment and condescending attitudes from the regular forces, we were ready to go. Many a guardsman volunteered for Vietnam , but were turned down for often petty reasons, or offered pointless assignments far from the war zone. As verified by at least three witnesses, George Bush was one of those Vietnam volunteers."

The President of the United States and Commander-In-Chief of our Armed Forces served honorably in the ANG - as did many thousands of Guardsmen and Reservists. It is now time to stop the attacks on GWB's service in the ANG and spend, at least, a little time evaluating John Kerry's National Security Record - Click Here.

Kerry's strategy (supported by LWM) was to malign President Bush’s military service and undermine the peoples’ trust in GWB as Commander-In-Chief. At the same time, this strategy called for promoting Kerry as a war hero. Kerry's strategy was calculated to offset his anti-war activities and his extreme anti-national security voting record. Kerry had no compunction about maligning reputations of all Guard and Reserve force members in order to nail GWB with the coward and draft dodger label.

While the American people heard the steady drum beat of attacks on GWB's service in the ANG, LWM refused to scrutinize Kerry's service history. There were no LWM lawsuits for the release of Kerry's records as there were for GWB and there was no pressure applied by LWM for Kerry to sign form 180 - which would have released all of Kerry's military records. LWM didn't permit a video critical of Kerry (Stolen Honor) to be seen by the American people Think about it. Kerry makes Vietnam the centerpiece of his campaign for President. The Vietnam Prisoners of War that were most impacted by Kerry's actions would like to heard; LWM won't give them the time of day. To view Stolen Honor, Click Here.

John Wambough is a retired Air Force colonel with 28 years of service. During his career in the Air Force, Colonel Wambough flew F-105 and F-111 tactical fighter aircraft. His combat tour in Southeast Asia was in the F-105s with the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Also, he served in Current Operations at 7th Air Force Headquarters, TanSon Nhut Air Base, RVN. He was a Fighter Squadron Commander (F - 111E aircraft, 55 TFS, Royal Air Force, Upper Heyford, United Kingdom) and later Group Commander at the same base. He served on the Air Staff and Joint Staff in the Pentagon -- and attended the National War College. He was head of the Joint Studies Group at Tactical Command Headquarters, Langley AFB, Virginia and completed his service in the Air Force as Commander of the 4442nd Tactical Control Group and Commandant of the United States Air Force Air Ground Operations School, Hurlburt Field, Florida. He retired in March 1990 - having served 28 years in the Air Force. Contact info: j-bwambough@cox.net Visit Site: www.nsar.us

Published by PoliSat.Com by Permission of the Author.

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