Is serving in the National Guard really serving at all?

Question

hichefheidi stated that President Bush did not serve his country and yet it is well documented that he served in the National Guard. All you Guardsmen out there will be gal to know she for one does not consider your service valid.

Thanks Liberals I get it now. Anyone who served in the National Guard in the 60's didn't really serve their country Wow thanks for making that clear.

Answer 1

During the 1968-1974 period, Presidents Johnson and Nixon decided against calling up National Guard units for service in Vietnam. As a result, National Guard service was widely painted as a way to avoid combat. The waiting list for the Guard at that time was extremely long, and there have been charges that young men from influential families were improperly moved to the top of the list (a similar accusation was leveled at Dan Quayle, who served in the Indiana National Guard, and was vice-president in 1989-93, when Bush's father was president).

According to some media outlets, Bush jumped to the top of a list of over 500 applicants for his position as a pilot despite receiving the minimum passing score (25) on the pilot entrance aptitude test and listing no other qualifications.[3] Other reports indicated that although there were many candidates interested in weekend enlisted duty, there were fewer, if any, people who were both sufficiently educated to qualify for an officer pilot position and willing to commit to the more than one year of full-time service required of Air National Guard pilots.[4] Ben Barnes, the former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and Lieutenant Governor of Texas, stated under oath that he had called the head of the Texas Air National Guard, Brig. Gen. James Rose, to recommend Bush for a pilot spot at the request of Bush family friend Sidney Adger.[5] Later, Barnes repeated these claims in an interview with CBS News on 8 September 2004. Barnes's daughter said that her father was lying about President Bush. Former Texas legislator Jake Johnson has stated that before General Rose died, Rose told him that he had been responsible for Bush's acceptance into the Guard. Yoshihiro Tsurumi, one of Bush's Harvard professors, claims that Bush told him that his "Dad's friends" got him into the Guard.[6]

Answer 2

Ok I like the president but let met straighten things out. Back in the old days the Guard was a little different than now. There was a draft and it was kind of hard to get in the Guard in the old days (doing so would probably keep you out of Vietnam, although there were a few guard units that did go) In order to get in the Guard you kind of had to pull some strings...not all the time and not everyone. Yes you still served your country, remember it was the cold war and his unit was protecting the skies against Russian planes. Today when you join the Guard or Reserve the chances are high that you WILL deploy somewhere. President Johnson(Democrat) did not want to call up the Guard back then for political reasons. You cannot compare the military of the 60's with today.

Answer 3

It's also been documented, fudged, redocumented, and refudged that he occasionally went AWOL on coke benders. True or not, we'll never know. What we do know, is that the sons of important politicians don't have to serve the same as the sons of brick-layers. Many decide to out of a respectable desire to be their own men, but many decide to take advantage of the privilege their fathers name brings. Whether Bush Jr. was one or the other, no one's talking any more. Currently, being national guard means time in Iraq, so that the administration doesn't have to report movements within the regular army to the media. That's why there were no National Guard to help during aftermath of Katrina, because most of them are overseas. Don't join the National Guard expecting a cake walk.

Answer 4

You do not understand your history. The National Guard has allways served this country first in time of war, except for the Viet Nam war. President Johnson did not send the guard to Viet Nam to hide how large our commitment was. This made the National Guard a perfect way to avoid serving in the war. Pretty soon it was very difficult to get in the guard, because of the large numbers trying to enlist. It took powerful connections like Bush's family and Quayle's family to get their sons in. Bush used his father's influence to get in the guard to avoid serving in the war even though he supported the war. When Bush was in the guard, he could have volunteered to go fight in the war that he supported but he did not. This makes him a coward and a hypocrite. If you critisize someone for joining the guard to avoid service in the Viet Nam War, you are not attacking the Natiional Guard, even though people like Bush try to make it seem as if you are. The national guard are now bearing too great a burden in this useless war that was started by someone who would never serve in a war himself.

Answer 5

In the first place when GWB says he served in the National Guard it was not the organization it is now. They DID NOT go to war. He was there so that he didn't have to go to Nam. And before I hear the Liberal crap I know that Clinton didn't go either. But Clinton never claimed that the National Guard service was combat or fighting for his country.GWB left himself open for all criticism when he implied that the service in the Guard was like the military. It is now but it wasn't then. The government did not send the Guard to war. We didn't send" weekend warriors" to fight in the jungles. So when it is said he DID NOT serve his country, it is correct. Get your facts for that time frame before you back a coward. I would have more respect for someone who said no I didn't fight, I didn't believe in that war. This is just another "misconception" that GWB perpetrates on his supporters.

Answer 6

Of course it's serving, but it was slightly different during Vietnam. The National Guard was used by many wealthy children to get out of the draft and avoid actual service in Vietnam. If you look at the historical context of two very different time periods, you'd understand that.

Answer 7

YES, of course it is, how could anyone be so dumb ,as to suggest that it is not.
AIR national guard accused of beinging an all whites only club has nothing to do with todays national guard .BUSH was in when it was a hide out for rich white boys .TODAY though, everyone goes, bush saw to that, to make history show we use the guard in times of war .TRYING to improve his imiage when we have the history right in front of us .AIR guard was almost 98% rich white boys..and not all of them as smart as george is .BUT 40% on drugs and drunk all the time .

Answer 8

Around 20% of those in Iraq are Reserves or Guard. Many good men and women in the Guard have paid the ultimate price in Iraq. Of course it is, they are at risk of being called up and they still perform duties here at home.

http://icasualties.org/oif/Service.aspx

Answer 9

There are Guard troops dieing in Irag every day

Answer 10

yes. but remember bush did not complete his service of duty. as a soilder you know that is wrong, dont you?