Just how did *Bush get his commission?

[Zookeeper]

I found this interesting reader comment in the NY Times forum:

"..W. got his commission without having graduated from a Military Academy, attending ROTC or Officer's Candidate School. This was highly unusual...this was reserved for special situations such as filling a billet for a Medical Doctor.

GW used his father's influence to jump ahead of others in line, got a commission without earning it and he did not fulfill his duty obligations. This is indicative of his character and is therefore germane to this election."

http://forum.nytimes.com/top/opinion/readersopinions/forums/editorialsoped/opedcolumnists/nicholasdkristof/index.html?page=recent

Post #15426 from jackb9

Also, if you haven't read Nicolas Kristof's editorial on AWOL, I highly recommend it.

[newscaster]

1. I got my commission thru ROTC

In college, I had to attend class and drill sessions two days a week and during the summer break between my sophomore and junior years, I had to spend two weeks at a US Force Base taking basic and officer training. Upon graduation is received my 2nd Lt bars but I still had more training to do before I was allowed to come anywhere near flight school.

Bush got his bars without ever attending officer training or OCS. He literally went right from home to flight training. That does NOT happen for regular guys.

[ComerPerro]

2. And, its just like his presidency

He has his position handed to him without any effort and certainly without earning or deserving it, and he STILL couldn't bother to show up and do his job.

[Zookeeper]

3. Does anyone know how it could have been...

justified, at the time, for W. to get that commission?

[Zookeeper]

4. Kick. (I'm really curious..) n/t

[kentuck]

5. He got a "special" commission, after completing his basic....

Then he had over 320 hours of training on the F102....which is about 8 weeks, the normal AIT training, although they try to make that sound like a huge amount of training, it is not. Especially in a 6-yr committment. Then it was downhill for him from there...until he got more "special" treatment after going to Alabama without any orders...

[Zookeeper]

7. So, do you know what qualified Bush (officially)...

for a "special" commission? Would it have been some kind of test scores, or a superior claiming he had some huge potential to be a great pilot?

[kentuck]

9. It was his name...

and political connection. That's all. He was not a standout in his class - in the middle percentile.

[radar]

6. Link....

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5577.htm

"...After he completed only six weeks of basic airman training, Bush received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard. This was by means of a 'special appointment' by the commanding officer of his squadron, with the approval of a panel of three senior officers. This 2nd Lt. commission was extraordinary, since it normally required eight full semesters of college ROTC courses or eighteen months of military service or completion of Air Force officer training school. It was so unusual that Tom Hail, the Texas National Guard historian, told the Los Angeles Times that he "never heard of that" except for flight surgeons.

Despite a score of only 25% on his pilot entrance aptitude test, Bush was then assigned to flight school, a posting that was normally reserved to pilots graduating from ROTC training or Air Force officer training. That was immediately followed by further favoritism in being 'fast tracked' over those on the existing pilot applicant waiting list into the 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, a standby runway alert component of the 143rd Group, one of several tactical Guard units responsible for defending the Southern coast of the Continental U.S. against attack...."

[Zookeeper]

8. "25% on his pilot entrance aptitude test" !?!

Those two paragraphs you cited are pretty damning as far as Shrub's claim that he didn't receive preferential treatment.

Let me guess...this info has been available for months or years and the media has ignored it.

Thanks for the link!