"We could have given him flying magazines to read, I guess"

[Lindacooks]

http://news.yahoo.com/?tmpl=story2&u=latimests/presidentsmilitaryrecordsreleased

Bush was suspended from flying at least twice for failing to "accomplish" a physical exam; he could not be evaluated by the Texas National Guard because at one point he had not been observed there for a year. There also was evidence that, at a time when thousands of men were trying to enlist in National Guard or reserve units to escape duty in Vietnam, Bush received favorable treatment to get in — including an appointment as a second lieutenant without attending officer candidate school.

William Turnipseed, the retired brigadier general who ran the Alabama National Guard squadron at the time, said he cannot recall Bush being there.

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Turnipseed although Bush was not an official member of the Alabama unit, he could have performed duties there to build up his point total. But, Turnipseed said, the tasks would have been menial because Bush was not qualified to fly the aircraft at the Alabama unit.

<snip>

Turnipseed added that if Bush performed any of the six days of service in Alabama, he likely would have clocked in at the squadron but had little to do. "We could have given him flying magazines to read, I guess," the retired general said.