Ladies & Gentlemen, this is the case against George Bush:
First, documents agreed to by all parties demonstrate he did not complete his physical requirement and was suspended from flying. Other records demonstrate he did not appear for scheduled activities, either in Alabama or Texas.
Other documents and statements by Bush himself show that the young Texas flyer requested transfer from his regular Texas unit to the 187th Air National Guard Tactical squadron at Dannelly Alabama. Reason: Bush’s wish to work in Alabama on the ultimately unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign of family friend Winton "Red" Blount.
Second, no witnesses exist who ever saw Bush near a military base during the period in question.
Our first witness: Retired TANG Lt. Colonel Bill Burkett
He: “complained in 1998 that aides to Bush improperly screened Bush's National Guard files”
He: “observed the records in a trash can” the next day
Our second witness, retired TANG Lt. Col. Dennis Adams,
“Burkett told him of the incidents shortly after they happened. "We talked about them several different times," said Adams, who spent 15 years in the Texas Guard and 12 years on active duty in the Army”
Our third witnes, George Conn,
“declined to comment on Burkett's statements. Conn, a former chief warrant officer for the Texas Guard and now a civilian on duty with American forces in Europe, said: "I know LTC Bill Burkett and served with him several years ago in the Texas Army National Guard. I believe him to be honest and forthright. He `calls things like he sees them.' "
Our fourth witness, Bob Mintz, a member of the Air National Guard unit that Bush allegedly served with as a young Guard flyer in 1972
had been told to expect him and (along with others) was on the lookout for him.
“I remember that I heard someone was coming to drill with us from Texas. And it was implied that it was somebody with political influence. I was a young bachelor then. I was looking for somebody to prowl around with.” But, says Mintz, that “somebody” -- better known to the world now as the president of the United States -- never showed up at Dannelly in 1972. Nor in 1973, nor at any time that Mintz, a FedEx pilot now and an Eastern Airlines pilot then, when he was a reserve first lieutenant at Dannelly, can remember.
“And I was looking for him,” repeated Mintz, who said that he assumed that Bush “changed his mind and went somewhere else” to do his substitute drill.
Though some accounts reckon the total personnel component of the 187th as consisting of several hundred, the actual flying squadron – that to which Bush was reassigned – number only “25 to 30 pilots,” Mintz said. “There’s no doubt. I would have heard of him, seen him, whatever.”
Mintz, who at one time was a registered Republican and in recent years has cast votes in presidential elections for independent Ross Perot and Democrat Al Gore, confesses to “a negative reaction” to what he sees as out-and-out dissembling on President Bush’s part. “You don’t do that as an officer, you don’t do that as a pilot, you don’t do it as an important person, and you don’t do it as a citizen. This guy’s got a lot of nerve.”
Our 5th witness, Paul Bishop was also a member of the 187th in the relevant period
“I never saw hide nor hair of Mr. Bush,” confirms Bishop, who now lives in Goldsboro, N.C., is a veteran of Gulf War I and, as a Kalitta pilot, has himself flown frequent supply missions into Iraq and to military facilities at Kuwait. He voted for Bush in 2000 and believes that the Iraq war has served some useful purposes – citing, as the White House does, disarmament actions since pursued by Libyan president Moammar Khadaffi – but he is disgruntled both about aspects of the war and about what he sees as Bush’s lack of truthfulness about his military record.
“I think a commander-in-chief who sends his men off to war ought to be a veteran who has seen the sting of battle,” Bishop says. “In Iraq: we have a bunch of great soldiers, but they are not policemen. I don’t think he
was well advised; right now it’s costing us an American life a day. I’m not a peacenik, but what really bothers me is that of the 500 or so that we’ve lost almost 80 of them were reservists. We’ve got an over-extended Guard and reserve”
http://www.memphisflyer.com/content.asp?ID=2834&onthefly=1
Our 6th witness, retired Lt. Col. Reese, former commander of the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron (the postal unit):
that Bush didn't show up during those months
"He never did come to my squad," said Bricken, who lives in Montgomery. "He was never at my unit."
Bricken reviewed documents Tuesday showing Bush's transfer request to his squadron and his response to the request. He said he remembered sending approval back for him to serve in the small unit, made up of reserve members who met weekly.
"He was looking for a place to hang his hat, but he never came by," Bricken said.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/10764971782...
The prosecution rests. Mr. Bush, please present your evidence.