Did the Palace Alert program scare Bushie off during the reserves?

[gatorboy]

I've read a few stories where Bush has defended his reserve service by stating that he had even volunteered for the Palce Alert program, but was turned down due to not having enough flight hours clocked in.

For those who don't know, the Palace Alert program would have sent him to Southeast Asia. A program which eventually rotated nine pilots from his unit into duty in Southeast Asia from 1969 to 1970,
which would've put him in the thick of things.

Do you think it's possible that they took him up on his offer and noticing that he was close to getting in enough flight hours, dropped out in fear of actually being sent, hedging on his promise?

[speedoo]

1. Certainly plausible.

He is, after all, a coward and a liar. So it fits.

[krkaufman]

2. That'd be difficult to believe...

... given that he explicitly stated in his TANG docs that he wished NOT to be sent overseas.

It's easy (cowardly, really) for Bush to proclaim from 30 years distance that he volunteered for heading overseas -- but no documentation backs up his revisionist history.

I was equally appalled at his comment during his interview with Matt Lauer on the Monday morning of RNC-week, when he said the Kerry's service was "more heroic" than his own. Well fu_king DUH!, Chimpy! Your "service" would appear to best be described as dereliction of duty, so, yes, I'd say Kerry's service was more heroic. What a schmuck.

[gatorboy]

3. Oh, I certainly believe it was a hollow promise.

If he had ever truly made it.
At the time, being a Congressman's son, they made a big deal about him and his service and I can see him trying to save face for entering the reserves by saying that he applied for serious combat while personally not really being interested. But I think it's possible they also took him up on his hollow request. And getting scared shitless, got out of it.

[21winner]

4. Without the flight log..

it is hard to say. The F-102 was obsolete in 1960. Its successor was the F-106. Both planes were designed to shoot down Soviet Bombers that were never built. When spy satellites confirmed this these planes were marginalized. These planes only carried Falcon missles that were ineffective in the Veitnam war. They could carry a Genie nuclear missle as well. Google Genie for details.

[punpirate]

5. Kind of doubt it...

... based on the time frame and what he was doing at the time. He'd just finished basic jet flight in late Nov. 1969, and was still familiarizing on both T-33s and F-102As through 1970. It's true that he wouldn't have had enough hours. But, as I and others have said, he checked the "DO NOT" volunteer for overseas duty box.

And the Air Force hadn't been flying F-102As in Viet Nam since about spring of 1968, as I understand. That's all he'd flown, and the chances are that the volunteers from his unit who did go were former Air Force pros and had prior experience in F-4s, something like that. More research would confirm or disprove that.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Bush's signature is on document stating preference to NOT serve overseas.

Bush's signature is on a document stating his preference to NOT serve overseas (Vietnam).

I saw it here at DU, but haven't yet tracked it back down.

[gatorboy]

7. Yeah, I've seen the document.

Which is what makes his statement even more absurd. He had said it after he had checked the box to not be sent