The Wingmen Assert the Following:

3. Bush fulfilled his drill requirements in Alabama, at Dannelly Air Force Base.
During his 5th year as a Guardsman, from May 1972 - May 1973, Bush was permitted to drill with the ANG in Alabama while he worked on a family friend’s political campaign. There, Bush served with the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group at Dannelly ANG Base, near Montgomery, Alabama.

It is this period of Bush’s service that his critics accuse him of having gone “AWOL” or of having been a “deserter” from his Alabama duties. At his expense, Bush’s critics have ignored ANG documentation and witnesses that confirm his Alabama service. In doing so, Bush’s critics have created a controversy based on fraud, as they extort known falsehoods to deride Bush’s credibility in this election season. The true story of Bush’s Alabama service is as follows:

In the fall of 1972, when 1st Lt. Bush reported to the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group of the Alabama ANG, he was to serve in a non-flying capacity since he was not trained or certified to fly the unit’s Korean-war vintage F-84 “Thunderjets” or their newly attained F-4 “Phantoms.” Commanding the 187th was Brig. Gen. (Ret.) William Turnipseed. Regarding Bush’s role with the group, Turnipseed told National Review writer Byron York, “He (Bush) was not going to fly. We didn't have enough airplanes or sorties to handle our own pilots, so we wouldn't have done it for some guy passing through.”

Turnipseed became a source of controversy during the 2000 election, when he told the Boston Globe that he didn’t recall seeing Bush among what were 900-1000 personnel on base. Turnipseed, a Bush supporter, acknowledged that his comment has been blown out of proportion. He told writer Byron York that reporters, “ . . . don't understand the Guard, they don't want to understand the Guard, and they hate Bush. So when I say, ‘There's a good possibility that Bush showed up,’ why would they put that in their articles?”

Major (Ret.) Jim Hart, the head public affairs officer during Bush’s stint at Dannelly, told the Washington Post that, “It's ludicrous to say that if he (Bush) wasn't seen, he wasn't there. The base, then, was open seven days a week, four weekends a month. There were 900 to 1,000 people coming and going. Do I remember seeing a lieutenant by the name of George Bush? I couldn't say that I never saw him.”

In 2004 the White House confirmed Bush’s Alabama service by releasing the following documents:

· Pay and retirement records from his time at Dannelly
(12 visits between October ’72 and January ‘73)

· Medical records showing he received a dental exam at Dannelly
In addition, in early 2004, 4 Alabama ANG veterans testified to having served with Bush at Dannelly.

Despite the above evidence and witnesses, the President’s opponents would rather ignore the truth in order to gain political mileage by Bush’s service in Alabama. Moviemaker Michael Moore has called Bush a “deserter.” Terry McAulliffe, head of the Democratic Party, said that Bush was “AWOL.” John Kerry said that Bush, “. . . has yet to explain to America whether or not, and tell the truth, about whether he showed up for duty.” Kerry stated earlier, “Just because you get an honorable discharge does not, in fact, answer that question.”

Here’s the truth that Kerry, McAulliffe, and Michael Moore ignore: Bush has said that he attended drills in Alabama, ANG documents record his presence at Dannelly, and the following veterans have come forward to pay witness to Bush’s Alabama service:

Lt. Col. (Ret.) John “Bill” Calhoun was a pilot with the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group at Dannelly. Calhoun was with Bush “8-10 times” when he attended drills.

Calhoun told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Newspaper, "The truth is George Bush came to Alabama. He asked for weekend drills with us. He was assigned to me.” “I saw him each drill period,” Calhoun told AP writer Allen G. Breed, “He (Bush) was very aggressive about doing his duty there. He never complained about it. ... He was very dedicated to what he was doing in the Guard. He showed up on time and he left at the end of the day.” Breed wrote, “Bush and Calhoun had both been trained as fighter pilots, and Calhoun said the two would swap “war stories” and even eat lunch together on base.” “He sat in my office most of the time he would read,” Calhoun said. “He had your training manuals from your aircraft he was flying. He'd study those some. He'd read safety magazines, which is a common thing for pilots.”

Master Sgt. (Ret.) James Copeland was the full time Disbursement Accounting Supervisor at Dannelly.

On February 16, 2004, Eric Fleischauer of The Decatur Daily, an Alabama newspaper, wrote:

“Copeland, 65, remembers meeting Bush on two occasions. He does not remember the precise dates. On one occasion, Copeland said, Bush and Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun came to Copeland's office with a question about Bush's pay. Copeland is not sure, but he believes the question had to do with where to mail Bush's checks . . . The other time Copeland remembers meeting Bush was at the base canteen. Bush was there drinking coffee or a soft drink, Copeland said.” In the same article, Copeland lamented, “You hear people saying that everybody (at Dannelly) knew the Bushes. Well, that's just a lie,” Copeland said. “He (George W.) was just another pilot. No one paid any more attention to him than to anyone else. There was no hoopla.”

James Anderson, was a 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group physician.

Anderson recalls giving Bush a routine physical at Dannelly, in 1972.

Speaking through his son, Noble Anderson, who is also a physician, James Anderson gave an interview to the Montgomery Advertiser, an Alabama newspaper. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, “The military doctor says that Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun brought Bush by his office for an exam . . . James Anderson could not remember which month he saw Bush, only that it was some time in 1972 . . .”

James Anderson remembered that Bush mentioned he was from Texas, “ . . . and I think that's one of the reasons it stuck out in his mind,” his son related.

Joe LeFevers was a member of the 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group at Dannelly, in 1972.

LeFevers learned that Bush was in Alabama for work on Winton “Red” Blount’s Senate campaign.

The Birmingham News wrote that Lefevers, “. . . remembers seeing Bush in unit offices and being told that Bush was in Montgomery to work on Blount's campaign.” “I was going in the orderly room over there one day, and they said, `This is Lt. Bush,'" LeFevers said. "They pointed him out to me . . . the reason I remember it is because I associate him with Red Blount.”

In conclusion, during the May 1972- May 1973 year, Bush met his service obligations in Alabama. As a Guardsman on inactive duty, Bush would earn a point (day of credit) for every training period, up to a limit of 60 per year. He would also earn a point for every day of active duty performed, which would include runway alert tours, annual training, exercises, and deployments. Lost in this debate about “minimum” points is the fact that most Guard aviators put in many days above the 60 point maximum for which they were not given credit, so Bush’s records actually understate his performance. During the May 1972- May 1973 year, Bush earned 56 points when only 50 were required.