"Ed Rasimus" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 08:45:04 -0600, Jack wrote:

On Mon, 06 Sep 2004 18:32:41 -0700, Steve Hix
wrote:

In article ,
Jack wrote:

Bush was in a chamgaigne unit to avoid the draft. Plain and simple.


Jack, at least learn to spell champagne. It will lend credibility to
your other ravings.

A unit that was, at the time he joined, sending pilots on tours to Viet
Nam, among other places, in the Palace Alert program.

You keep forgetting that...

No, I didn't forget that. F-102 jocks flying recce in Viet Nam needed
500 hours in the aircraft.

Wrong on two counts. First, F-102s did not fly recce--EVER. They were
interceptors flying air defense alert. And second, the 500 hour
requirement was not for Vietnam deployment but for Palace Alert.

From what I have read, it was not written into stone for Palace Alert,
either--it apparently changed as the available pool of volunteers changed.
One of the last F-102 intercepts of a Tu-95 ever flown by the USAF was made
by a junior ANG LT who was flying Palace Alert duty out of Iceland (around
1973, IIRC).

Lots
of folks went to SEA with a lot less hours in their system even when
"minimum" requirements were higher.

George W. Bush had less than 300 when he
refused his annual flight physical. My point was not against those
flying the F-102 in the ANG. Many of them did stand up and fight when
called.. George W. Bush simply wasn't one of them.

And, wrong again. You need to read slowly and try not to move your
lips. Bush had approximately 300 hours when he VOLUNTEERED for Palace
Alert--a program to deploy ANG interceptor pilots worldwide (including
SEA) to support USAF operations. The desired minimum was 500 hours,
but could routinely be waived to meet requirements.

Exactly.

Brooks


He did not take a flight physical when he would not be performing
flight duties during the last several months of his ANG tenure when
the force was being reduced in all units as SEA was coming to a
conclusion.

And, where exactly did you say you were flying during those years?


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
"Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights"
Both from Smithsonian Books
***www.thunderchief.org