Ron Davies 31 Dec 05 - 03:16 PM

"Bush's daddy found no problem actually getting an opportunity to fight.   The vast majority of the Bush's fellow piloting students went to Vietnam and fought. These are facts."

So the above are "facts" are they Ron? Can you verify or substantiate them? I asked you to do so before and you declined.

Now the, "...vast majority of the Bush's fellow piloting students went to Vietnam and fought." Just what do you define as "fellow piloting students":

- All personnel USAF; NAG; Army; Marines; US Navy learning to fly at the same time?
- Initial flight training class within the Texas NAG?
- His fellow students at the time he and Fred Buckley made inquiries, i.e. during OTU?

Your post seems to indicate the latter as you go on to mention teasing with regard to the request, but if investigated you will rapidly determine that for each category described above, the vast majority DID NOT go and fight in Vietnam. The "vast majority" went nowhere near Vietnam, the "vast majority" were busily engaged elsewhere.

Numbers involved in Vietnam peaked during the years 1966 to 1970, highest number being in 1968 (536,100) now (to use Ron's terminology) the "vast majority" of those would be made up of infantry and logistics units, the percentage of that half million that were pilots would be fairly small. Sorry Ron at the height of the "Cold War" the vast majority of the armed forces of the United States of America, let alone the pilots serving in the armed forces of the United States of America, were otherwise engaged. In writing his post I don't think that Ron checked the number of people serving in the US Armed Forces, of course he would have to to establish his vast majority claim, he didn't though, as half a million is nowhere near a "vast majority" compared to the three and a half million serving at that time.

But of course if Ron is correct he could provide the numbers of George W Bush's fellow students who went on to serve in Vietnam. One thing is for certain, they wouldn't be flying F-102A's (aircraft type was being/had been withdrawn from theatre). Another certainty is that that they wouldn't be there under the *Palace Guard* Scheme (that was already being wrapped up).

Oh yes!! Ron's source is the one referring to "piloting students" who previously mentioned them going to "piloting classes". OK fellow Mudcatters who have had any connection whatsoever to flying, or exposure to flying in the military - A question - Have you EVER heard such terminology for basic flight training or flight school? With regard to military aviation anyone referring to flight students and flight school as "piloting students" and "piloting classes" plainly hasn't got the foggiest notion of what they are talking about.

Utter drivel Ron, exactly as is your claim regarding "The propaganda campaign" That Never Was.