[Dear Editor:]

George W. Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard in May 1968 for a six-year stint. His military records indicate, however, that during the fifth year of that enlistment he performed no guard duty, and that in fact he received his honorable discharge without having fulfilled his commitment to the Guard.

This is not "old news." The issue is not what Lt. Bush was doing (or not doing) 30 years ago. The issue is what Gov. Bush is doing and saying during the presidential campaign. He has promised to bring "honor and integrity" to the White House, but he has responded to questions about his military records in ways that give reason to doubt his honor and integrity. Gov. Bush himself has made accountability and personal credibility a central issue of this campaign. He should, therefore, be held accountable for the lapses in his own accountability and credibility.

Voters should know about this issue so they can make a truly informed decision about George W. Bush's fitness to be President and Commander in Chief. As a newspaper editor, you have a responsibility to provide this information to your readers.

An Iowa farmer, Martin Heldt, obtained Gov. Bush's military records through the Freedom of Information Act, and has extensively analyzed them with help from military veterans and other people familiar with military record-keeping and regulations. He can provide the necessary information for a news article, including copies of significant documents. His address is 5101 2nd Avenue South, Clinton, Iowa 52732. He will be more than happy to assist any reporter who contacts him about this issue.

-- TT's MECowan

Reporters should tell George W. Bush to release ALL of his military records, as John McCain did when the public had questions. The evidence shows that Bush was suspended from flying for failure to complete a medical exam at the time the military started drug testing. In his autobiography he says he gave up flying because the F102 jet he had trained on was replaced; his commander says they flew the F102 for two more years. Bush says in his book he didn't do the medical exam because he couldn't leave Alabama to see his personal doctor; the Guard makes members use THEIR doctors.

There is no conspiracy. Bush lies, has lied and broke his oath to his country. These are serious character defects, even for someone running for dogcatcher.

-- Martha Warner

Dear Editor,

As a concerned citizen of the United States, I am shocked that you have not given any coverage to the biggest scandal of this Presidential campaign: namely, that George W. Bush did not complete his military obligations to the National Guard during the Vietnam War, and has consistently lied by saying that he did.

The facts are clear:

1. George W. Bush was grounded from flight with TWO years left on his tour of duty – probably because of substance abuse, either alcohol or drugs.

2. George W. Bush never reported for duty for the last TWO years of his military service obligation, contrary to SEVERAL direct orders to report for duty.

George W. Bush has repeatedly said that he DID report for duty during his last two years, but this is a LIE. Bush's official military records show that he DID NOT report at any time during the last two years. In addition, Bush has been unable to find a SINGLE PRIMARY witness in the National Guard who saw him during those last two years.

George W. Bush is campaigning on issues of character, 'restoring integrity to the Oval Office,' strengthening the military, and honesty. But Bush's shamefully incomplete military record – and his endlessly repeated lies about that record – reveal the truth about George W. Bush.

Your news organization covered every lie and rumor about President Clinton for eight long years. Your news organization continues to distort the statements of Vice President Gore, often focusing on trivia and points of style that have nothing to do with governance.

It is therefore IMPERATIVE that your news organization report the truth about George W. Bush.

For more information, visit:

www.smokingjet.com
www.awolbush.com

Sincerely,

[Your name and address]

-- SmokingJet.com

[Peter Keating, in George Magazine]: "A switch does seem to flip where (Bush) decides not to fly anymore. I think it's worth asking about why he suddenly decided not to fly again. That's a worthwhile question to ask." A more worthwhile question to ask is this: How did a lieutenant in the Air National Guard get to make that decision himself? We're not talking about a career where you get to pick your assignments. In the military, you do what they tell you to do and go where they tell you to go. How does a junior officer get the option to flush thousands of dollars worth of flight training down the toilet on his own?

-- John Griffone

To the editor:

We are just 2 weeks before a Presidential election, and there is still much we do not know about George W. Bush.

A recent article in the NY Times revealed that Bush worked with an airline in Alaska in 1974—a fact which was not mentioned in his official biography, nor was it referenced in Bush's autobiography. Should we be concerned? Yes, we should! Every day of Al Gore's life from the day he enlisted onward is a matter of public record and can be judged accordingly, but the early days of George W. Bush are foggy and indistinct, and he would prefer if nobody asked him any pressing questions about what he did when.

One thing we DO know about George W. Bush is that he did not honor his military commitment with the Texas Air National Guard. Documents obtained by the FOIA show that from May 1972 to April 1973, George W. Bush did not perform any military service with the Texas Air National Guard, despite a series of direct orders to report for duty. Bush disobeyed a standing order to take a mandatory drug test in the Spring of 1972, and never flew again. His application for a transfer to the Alabama Air National Guard was rejected by his superiors, but he went anyway to work on a Republican Senate campaign.

This isn't just about what happened 30 years ago; this is about what is happening NOW. The Bush campaign has repeatedly lied about George W.'s military service, has dodged direct questions about it, and now there are troubling allegations that persons affiliated with the Bush campaign tampered with his military records in the National Archives less than two years ago—a federal offense—and have submitted altered and doctored copies of Bush's military documents as the genuine article to the press.

All of the relevant military documents have been scanned in and placed online for easy reference; go to http://www.awolbush.com/ and http://www.cis.net/~coldfeet/ for the documents, commentary by experts on military affairs, and links to other reports published in the Boston Globe, at TomPaine.com, and by George magazine.

This is outrageous. Bush needs to answer these allegations about his disgraceful lack of respect for authority and his desertion from the Air National Guard. The American people deserve to know the character of their Presidential candidates. We deserve to know their history. After all -- would you buy a used car if the salesman told you the odometer was "broken"? Would you hire an employee who had large gaps in his work history? Would you buy a house from a man who says that the wiring was redone a few years ago—and produces a receipt scrawled on a matchbook cover? A purebred puppy without documentation? Candy without a receipt? Would you vote for a Presidential candidate who refuses to answer where he was in 1972?

Sincerely,

-- William Layher

Just days before the election one question remains unasked.

Can voters properly measure Gore and Bush when only Gore has opened his life for minute inspection to the people, while Bush refuses to answer critical questions?

Although George W. Bush may be well served by a lack of scrutiny, the future of the country is not. In these last hours, the American tradition of fundamental fairness compels me to beg for your attention to one particular issue.

New information has surfaced this week regarding Bush's military service. National Guard records show that he was absent from his Texas Air National Guard duties from May 1972 to May 1973. While Bush claims he completed his obligation, the facts simply do not support his assertion.

We now find that his "proof" against charges relies on an undated, unsigned torn scrap of paper not identified with his name that was altered and placed just two years ago in the record by a man close to Bush.

An Iowa farmer, Martin Heldt, obtained Bush's records through FOIA request. His narrative and the documents are published on several web sites (URLs below).

The story simmers just below the surface, bouncing around the Internet and coming up at veterans' meetings. Major media players know the story, but refuse to tell it to the American people. Howard Kurtz, of The Washington Post, says the media is holding back until someone takes the lead.

Would that someone be you? Are you the one who believes the right of the people to know the full truth trumps the hesitant pack mentality of the national press?

We know where Al Gore was every day of his military career. We know what he was doing. His records are open. Bush relies on one sentence to stop those with legitimate concerns. He refuses to go further.

Bush could answer questions by releasing his records. When Senator John McCain was subjected to a whisper campaign characterizing him as a Manchurian candidate because of his war experiences, he simply opened his service records.

Please. I urge you to take ten minutes to read the article I enclose. And then do what's right and fair for the people who faithfully depend on you for full and fair information. Call for Bush to release his full military records.

-- Mrs. Parker

Dear [Name]

Have you ever run a story about Al Gore's service in Vietnam? Would you run one if you found out he skipped two months of duty?

If the answer to either question is "yes" then I have a story for you.

The candidate who has promised to bring honor and integrity to the White House and who has said our military is in a sad state of readiness skipped an entire year of his military service.

The Bush campaign has provided "proof" of 1st Lt. Bush's service. Take a look, it's fascinating. It's a torn page, with no name or dates or other identifying information. That's proof?

Bush said he flew "for several years" after his initial training. It was 68 days over a period of 22 months. In April 1972 1st Lt Bush flew his last plane. With two years left in his six year commitment he simply stopped flying. Since he was in the military it was not an option without a board of inquiry.

Bush said he didn't fly because he went to work in a political campaign in Alabama. His first request was refused and yet he still left Texas and went to Alabama. He didn't get permission until September 1972 and then he never obeyed the orders to report for duty.

Bush said he didn't take a physical because he was in Alabama and his doctor was in Texas. Flight exams are given by military doctors. The Alabama base had such doctors. Bush was suspended from flying in August 1972 for failing to obey orders to take a physical. He had stopped flying four months earlier.

Bush said he didn't keep flying because his plane had been phased out. That plane was in service at his Houston, TX base for two years after he left for Harvard.

This is the man who wants to be Commander in Chief of the most powerful military in the world. Citizens have the right to know about Governor Bush's record. They have the right to know if he's lying or if he was subjected to a board of inquiry for dereliction of duty.

Have you ever run a story about Al Gore's military career?

Ask a simple question. Ask Governor Bush why he is covering up his real record.

Would you remain silent about a presidential candidate who shows you a torn sheet of paper with no identifying information and says, that's all I'm going to tell you about my year in the Air National Guard? I hope not.

-- tom sawyer

Editor, Alpena News

This is a news story that I think your readers will find extremely interesting, as I did. A friend in Tucson e mailed it to me. Like me, he is a veteran and was really concerned that the public doesn't know much about George W. Bush's AWOL record.

The facts about his military service record have been brought to light by another vet, Martin Heldt, who is now a farmer in Iowa. When Heldt read a story in the Boston Globe that G.W.Bush had been AWOL from the Texas Air National Guard in the height of the Vietnam war, he decided to check the facts out for himself. He requested Bush's service record through Freedom of Information and the government sent him some 200 documents. With another vet, a former air force pilot, Heldt studied these records, compared dates and times and found this :

"After Bush got his wings in June 1970 until May 1971, he is credited with a total of 46 days of active duty. From May 1971 to May 1972, he logged 22 days of active duty. Then something happened. From May 1, 1972 until April 30, 1973 -- a period of twelve months -- there are no days shown, though Bush should have logged at least thirty-six days service (a weekend per month in addition to two weeks at camp)"

Bush never showed up to take his required annual physical on his birthday in August 1972, and was officially grounded for "failure to accomplish annual medical physical"on September 29 1972. When the order was issued he had effectively disappeared from Air National Guard control since he never reported for duty after requesting a transfer from Texas to Alabama. The full record can be found at http://awolbush.com/ also at http://www.tompaine.com/opinion/2000/09/27/index.html

The Arizona Star reviewed the Bush record in an editorial (10-24) and concluded:
"The argument that Bush completed his military obligation will remain a simple, unfounded assertion until Bush explains what he did between May of 1972 and May of 1973. Writing as a veteran, I think he should release his military service record and settle this troubling matter once and for all, don't you agree?"

-- Don MacMullan

I am writing to you, with great urgency, to be sure you know about some important news, in time before the presidential election. Verily, I assure you, what I write here is not a joke nor a lie. I provide my own email and street address so you may reply to, or question me, personally.

The news about bush having been AWOL, and why it matters now, is beginning to come out. Please check out the facts, carefully documented, about GW Bush's desertion from the Texas National Guard. He went AWOL for a year!

While Gore is a Vietnam Vet who served his country oversees, some in the the media have belittled his military service. Yet while it is apparent that Bush actually deserted his unit from May 1972 to April 1973, the same press accepts "no comment" and does not press further.

Worse, the Bush campaign has lied about his serving in the Alabama National Guard during that "missing year," which directly contradicts statements made by Lietenant Colonel William D. Harris Jr. and Lietenant Colonel Jerry B. Killian in an official report dated May 2, 1973. Their report states that "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of this report."

The real story of campaign 2000 is how the media refused to give Bush's record (military and otherwise) the appropriate scrutiny; and, in doing so, missed the boat...big time.

At the very least, your publication should be asking the right questions. Better still would be to press for real answers rather than settle for the standard "no comment." There is really no excuse for doing less than this. Some measure of responsibility to the public is due from those who create and distribute news and information. This responsibility must be upheld, over the bottom line.

The Arizona Star is to be commended as the newspaper to most recently (and bravely!) mention this gap in the service record, on October 24, 2000. The Boston Globe was the first to do so in May, 2000. See links below.

We need a nonpartisan, fair and intelligent reporting of this matter, before the election, in order to know who we're voting for.

The men and women serving in our military today, the veterans who gave so much, and the rest of the voting public, have the right and obligation to consider the facts. How would we feel if we find out too late and must live with a big mistake?

One reason that questions about Bush's service in the National Guard are still relevant, and absolutely essential today, is because he has campaigned largely on the issue of "honor and integrity" while choosing not to talk in any useful manner about issues that affect us in a more direct and tangible way. That was entirely his choice.

If indeed Bush was absent without proper authority, or AWOL, for an extended period of time, we would all experience the ultimate betrayal should we learn this after the election, after watching the mainstream media prop up Bush at every fumbling step.

A betrayal of this magnitude and import, with delusions about "honor and integrity" at it's core, could potentially devastate our collective "national morale" on many levels.

All George W. Bush has to do is release his military records. Why won't he do this? A true leader can face the public and face himself, especially when there's nothing to hide. Noone will judge him harshly for simple youthful indiscretions. Clinton surely proved that.

Will you help the public by calling on Bush to release his military records?

The truth always comes out sooner or later. Please, I beseech you, let's make sure for everyone's sake that this important aspect of Bush's record has a chance to be reviewed before November 7th.

I do have hope that your publication can accurately address the issue of the "missing year" in Bush's military service record from May 1972 through April 1973. The facts are clear and well documented, thanks to Martin Heldt and Robert Rogers.

Very little effort would be required by your staff to verify the evidence already collected, as it is very well laid out, with official documentation obtained using the Freedom of Information Act.

Tom Paine has the National Guard documents (scanned copies) available for all to see, as well as an explanation of what they reveal, without conjecture.

Please see this factual evidence for yourselves and then decide if you consider it worthy to report. This is so important to the health and sanity of our country. The massive silence that surrounds this critical information has become too obvious for any more excuses.

And I greatly fear that the hypocrisy involved, when Bush makes statements such as "There was a sense of shared responsibility... The responsibility to show up and do your job." (National Guard Review, Winter 1998) would bring the morale of our troops down to rock bottom.

I thank you very much, in advance, for your honest coverage of this vital news. If you report to your readers before November 7th, you will be doing a great and immeasurable service to the citizens of this country.

Sincerely,

-- Harriet Hopkins

Editor, Washington Post:

Your recent article quoted George W. Bush as saying,

"My message to the pilot [of an overflying jet], if he could only hear me, would be: Stay in the military. A new commander in chief is coming,"

Doesn't that seem ironic to you, considering that GW Bush did not log a single day of National Guard duty from May 26, 1972 to Oct 1, 1973, was officially suspended from flying on August 1, 1972, and never flew again? Nevermind that fact that the taxpayers had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to train him as a pilot, there were young Americans dying every day in Vietnam, and GW Bush couldn't even be bothered to show up for the duty he signed up for.

I can't believe that the Post has not given this story any coverage, or even just asked the candidate about it and printed his response. Where are your journalistic standards? Are you going to let a candidate skate into the white house with only the barest (and totally contradictory) explanations of what he was doing while our nation was at war? Remember the scrutiny you gave Bill Clinton's draft record eight years ago? If you apply one quarter of that effort here, you'll have another story the magnitude of Watergate.

I'm seriously hopeful that you'll rediscover the muckraking role that print journalism is famous for; if not; I think we're all in trouble.

Sincerely,

-- Willy Mugobeer

Dear Editor:

Enclosed please find documents relating to Gov. George W. Bush's absence of military service during the years 1972-73. Also enclosed, an editorial from the Arizona Daily Star dated October 24.

Since the primaries, Governor Bush made an issue of Sen. John McCain's military records, urging their release. Gov. Bush's spokesmen even started a whisper campaign about his "stability" to serve, in part because of his status as a prisoner of war while serving in Viet Nam.

During the Republican convention, Mr. Dick Cheney, the vice-presidential nominee, accused vice-president Gore of "going AWOL on veterans affairs." The use of this term is very serious, especially to veterans and to apply it to Al Gore, who did volunteer AND serve in Viet Nam, was an unwarranted smear.

Please look over these documents very carefully and log on to the sites recommended. I wonder what past and current members of the National Guard unit would think of serving for a Commander In Chief who had walked away from his own service in the Guard, while avoiding Viet Nam. I wonder who, in George Bush's hometown was pressed to serve in Viet Nam, was injured or killed in place of Texas' favorite son? I wonder what [insert your local congressional candidates] think about this?

But yet, the issue today is, why won't the Bush campaign release his military records?

And why won't Governor Bush answer the simple question..."Where were you in '72?"

Sincerely,

-- Steve Smith

What a sacrifice

Rep. Sam Johnson's recent remarks that Democrats "don't think like Americans" should prompt all Americans to be grateful for combat sacrifices made by American veterans, such as Sen. Daniel Inouye (loss of an arm), former Sen. Bob Kerrey (loss of a leg) and Sen. Max Cleland (loss of both legs and his right arm). However, Vietnam-era veterans like myself (and my four veteran brothers) are most impressed by the sacrifices made by a Texan during his Vietnam-era service. Of course, I speak of George W. Bush, who lost his memory for nearly a whole year concerning exactly where he was and what he was doing from late summer 1972 to early summer 1973!

Loss of limbs in combat pales in comparison to his most unique personal sacrifice that he is much too modest about!

Mark Wilson, Coppell

(This was published in The Dallas Morning News, 8-7-02)