I'm ignorant; can someone explain AWOL to me?

[nankerphelge]

I don't pretend to know the intracacies of National Guard service, how long one would have had to serve, or what the time frame in W's case was, etc. I was wondering if I have the basic facts right. At some point in the early 1970s, W was supposed to be reporting for some type of drills to fulfill his national guard duty. However, no one can show that he actually showed up. To counteract the perception that he was AWOL, the administration released pay stubs and dental bills from the time period when he wasn't showing up. Is this a gross simplification of what's going on? Do the documents that have been released show that not only was he shirking his duty, but that he was getting $ and dentistry as wekk? Is there anywhere on the internet that has a good explanation of the story for simpletons like me?

[Another Bill C.]

1. Try these links to start

http://www.kings.edu/twsawyer/awol/awol-bush-realtime.html
http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=165
http://www.talion.com/georgebush.html
http://www.awolbush.com/
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3671
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush072899.htm

[nankerphelge]

Thanx.

n/t

[bobbieinok]

2. try the following

http://www.awolbush.com
basic info


http://www.calpundit.com
comments on recent info


http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com
comments on recent info

[papau]

3. paid for 2 months out of 12/got tooth care - missing 10 months and orders

- as in you follow orders in the military.

he did not

follow orders

show up

keep his oath to the US

tell the truth later

or keep his 4 day old promise to release medical and administrative documents.

the coverup is getting interesting.

[calimary]

4. Hey, nankerphelge, you a Stones fan?

I haven't seen that reference since their WAY early albums.

[nankerphelge]

9. yep.

That was the pen name they used to write early songs.

[ThePittsburghKid]

5. You have it pretty close.

You have a pretty good grasp of what the AWOL issue is. Basically, W was expected to show up to weekend drills to fulfill his obligation--no other duty would be expected unless in the case of a national or regional emergency or if his unit was called to Vietnam. The records and claims from his commanding officers show that W did not show up to these drills without getting a prior approved leave, hence, the AWOL tag. The dental records and pay stubs may be moot--as far as I know, dental records are entered at the beginning of the term of service as part of a standard physical. I MAY BE MISTAKEN, but he may also have been paid regardless of being considered AWOL.


If you want to find more on the legalities on the subject, just Google AWOL--some definitions of AWOL as they apply to regular army as well as guard and reserve personnel should come up in the initial search.

[Exgeneral]

8. The BFEE banned book "Fortunate Son"

By JH Hatfield also has a pretty good account.

W was disciplined for not taking a flight physical for over 12 months.

Speculation over the reason is obvious.

[mmonk]

6. It's simple

AWOL is Absent Without Leave or put differently, absent without permission to do so. Hard to tell if there is anything to this so far. It's curious that after putting in a lot of flight training early, he later is dropped.

[YouMustBeKiddingMe]

7. I got paid for a year in the Reserves when I didn't show up

back in the 70's. So the pay stubs mean nothing.

My last year I skipped a couple weekends and they didn't even miss me. I got paid anyway. I didn't show up the rest of the year and got an honorable discharge.

[nankerphelge]

10. Thanx to all.

n/t