ALBANY, Ga. – Frank Jones says he’s angry about newly revealed memos that indicate President Bush received preferential treatment in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, but he’s not surprised by favoritism in the guard.
Jones, a Republican from Troy, N.Y., served in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971 before doing 16 years in the guard himself. As the presidential election nears, Jones says controversy over both candidates’ military records and the mounting death toll in Iraq are important issues.
“I’m really in neither camp at this point,” he said. “However, I do see a direct correlation to Vietnam. The body count is really starting to get to me.”
Some current and retired members of the National Guard and other military services say the newly revealed Bush documents do not bother them, while others say they are troubling.
The documents, which became fodder for Democratic critics last week, indicate Bush was suspended from flying with his Texas Air National Guard unit because he missed a medical exam and that he missed six months of training. Republicans have challenged the documents’ authenticity.
Lt. Col. Jim Driscoll, spokesman for the Georgia Army National Guard, said retired service members may comment on political issues such as the Bush documents, but most current reservists and active-duty service members will hesitate to voice their political opinions.
“It would be inappropriate,” he said. “The president is our commander- in-chief, and so we have to be very careful from an ethical perspective of how we express our political opinions.”
Some who served in the National Guard say it’s common practice to miss drills – even for up to six months – because of job conflicts, family problems or illness.
Ralph Bradley, 56, a Republican from Albany who served three years in Vietnam in the Air Force and 17 years in the Georgia Army National Guard, said members are encouraged to make up drills so they don’t lose pay or retirement benefits.
“There’s all kinds of situations … that cause a person to go out of state for a period of time,” he said.
Army Reserve Sgt. Tim Wilding, 37, of Jefferson City, Mo., agreed.
Back home for two weeks of leave from Iraq, Wilding said he remains a staunch Bush supporter despite allegations that Bush may have tried to get out of guard drills in 1972.
“A lot of guys don’t serve for four or five months at a time,” he said. “They’ve got other stuff going on. They’ll make it up later on, or they just won’t get paid. That’s really no big deal to a lot of National Guard soldiers.”
Allegations of suspect conduct during the Vietnam War also have been leveled at John Kerry, who won three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star in Vietnam. A group sponsoring television ads challenging his wartime record contends Kerry’s own gunfire caused the wound that brought his first Purple Heart. Navy records and other veterans who were with Kerry during the Vietnam incidents do not support the charge.
Ahmad Majied of Albany says the latest allegations about Bush’s military record are more troubling to him than allegations about Kerry’s service honors.
Majied, a Democrat from Albany, Ga., who served 30 years in the Navy, including five years as a SEAL in Vietnam, said the memos support his belief that Bush was a “playboy” during his service years.
“He had enough money to get what he wanted,” Majied said. “I think his main concern was not to go to Southeast Asia. I bet he never dreamed it would come back to haunt him.”
Neal Eubanks, of Leesburg, Ga., who served 39 years in the military – 23 in the Air Force and 16 in the Georgia Army National Guard – said the presidential candidates should move beyond their military records and focus on the issues, such as the economy and unemployment.
“You don’t see Korean veterans or World War II veterans or Grenada veterans always talking about ‘I served here and I served there,’” said Eubanks, 67, a Bush supporter.
Associated Press
President Bush, shown during his Air National Guard service, was suspended from flying, documents show.
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