(1) "As the State Plans
Officer for the Texas National Guard, I was on full-time duty at Camp Mabry when Dan
Bartlett was cleansing the George W Bush file prior to George W. Bush's presidential
announcement.
(2) For most soldiers at Camp
Mabry, this was a generally known event.
(3) The archives were closely
scrutinized to make sure that the Bush autobiography plans and the record did not directly
contradict each other.
(4) In essence it was the script
of the autobiography which Dan Bartlett and his small team used to scrub a file to be
released.
(5) This effort further involved
General Daniel James and Chief of Staff William W. Goodwin at Camp Mabry.
(6) I knew one person who worked
within the records scrub who commented to me while at the smoke area that the Bush files
really showed some problems with his "blue-blood service record".
(7) If George W or anyone else
can come forward to prove the case that George W. was not AWOL then that is great for them
and for the Bush candidacy.
(8) I furnished Mr. XXXXX XXXXXXX
the name of a person in Dallas who was the campaign supervisor for young George W. Bush
during the Alabama Senate campaign.
(9) That person told me without
batting an eye that GEORGE W. BUSH was partying, not working on the campaign and, in fact,
had bedded a beautiful young wife of an up-and-coming author [later to publish the book
"Forrest Gump"] from whom he was renting a garage apartment.
(10) She further said that George
W. Bush was neither sober nor dependable throughout the entire campaign.
(11) She indicated that George W.
was asked about his Guard requirements and when he was going to drill. He did not provide
feedback of any kind.
(12) Yes, the critical question
to me is still:
If GEORGE W. BUSH really completed his assigned six-year commitment, then why has his
surrogate, Dan Bartlett or senior National Guard Officers of Texas not provided his pay
files and his complete retirement points listing (which are the only two documents which
officially provide the detailed evidence to answer the question) to prove it and clear
this issue from the Campaign.
(13) Further, why were these
documents not originally provided within the FOIA that you filed?
(14) I was asked by someone
during the past 24 hours if there was any criminal activity that I saw occur. In answering
that question, one must first understand that "no action is an action" and the
act of omission is an act which demonstrates intent; yet which shifts the burden of proof
to the questioner. That is the modus operandi employed within this question.
(15) Those critical two documents
which answer the questions and allegations of AWOL or satisfactory completion of the six
year commitment are easily and OFFICIALLY answered by the pay records and the retirement
points records.
(16) But these documents also can
indict any actions by senior leaders to attempt to cover such an action by the award of
retirement points without pay, for example.
(17) The requirement for
completion of a "good year" toward retirement is compilation of 50 retirement
points.
(18) During the 1967-1973
timeframe, however, I personally remember that completion of a retirement "good
year" was not sufficient. There was a thing called "Satisfactory Drill
participation". In this case, any soldier or airman who failed to appear as ordered
was at least given an unsatisfactory on such drill periods.
(19) As a unit commander in a
XXXXX XXXXX unit, I was granted the authority to give an Article 15, including arrest and
confinement in the local jail. I used that option with soldiers who did not show up for
drill on a few occasions.
(20) But this punishment also
included the ability to fine and reduce in rank, which I used more frequently.
(21) Military discipline was
taken seriously, not laxly, during the Vietnam War. If a soldier received eight
unsatisfactory drill periods (two weekends) during a training year, in
XXX XXXX we automatically referred those people to the State headquarters, where they
could be reassigned, including acceleration into active duty service in Vietnam.
(22) Needless to say, I did not
tolerate nor have discipline problems within my command. Whether my soldiers were 18, 30,
or 50 they were expected to be man enough to complete the obligation and commitment that
they made.
(23) I raised more than one
"spoiled brat" within my command time. They typically were sons of
"important people"; but they got no special treatment. And in every case that I
had, they asked for no special treatment.
(24) Only on one occasion did the
issue of special dispensation ever come up. Strangely it was brought up by my Brigade
Commander, not by the soldier himself. I asked the soldier for clarification and he was,
in fact, upset that the issue ever arose.
(25) When I accepted command of
this unit it was at 73% assigned strength. Within 12 months it was at 122% assigned
strength and when I left command it was at 137% strength. This was during the same period
(years 4-6) of George Bush's commitment.
(26) As a commander, I nominated
three young officers to go to flight school and become helicopter pilots. There was a
waiting list of about 50 or so even in XXXX XXXXX for flight school.
(27) This was a long and
laborious process which was extremely rare. Two of my young lieutenants became pilots.
Certainly the process was much more disciplined that what GEORGE W. BUSH faced.
(28) But even with the soft, kid
glove treatment that GEORGE W. BUSH received, why would neither he nor his top campaign
officials release this information that you have requested in order to clear this issue?
"