NOTE: THIS IS A WORKING DRAFT FOR COMMENT, AND IS PART OF THE AWOL PROJECT, A LARGE SERIES OF ARTICLES EXAMINING BUSH’S MILITARY RECORDS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE FEDERAL STATUTES, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REGULATIONS, AND AIR FORCE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES OF THAT ERA.

(this is a text only version of this article. A “graphics” version of this article with excerpts from Bush’s military records and relevant laws and policies embedded within the piece can be seen at www.glcq.com/discharge.htm . Italicized links are to gif files used in the graphics version. Endnote references accompanying these italicized links will take you to the full document, law, regulation, or statute in question.)

COMMENTS, CORRECTIONS, AND SUGGESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO awol@glcq.com.

DISCHARGE? OR DESERTION?

HOW THE BUSH FILES SHOW THAT BUSH DELIBERATELY IGNORED HIS LEGAL OBLIGATIONS TO AMERICA’S NATIONAL SECURITY

(Note: For a more detailed explanation of Bush’s military obligations, see BUSH'S ATTENDANCE OBLIGATIONS AS A MEMBER OF THE US MILITARY. For fuller details concerning reassignments between Air Force components THE RELOCATING GUARDSMAN: A PROCEDURAL PRIMER)

INTRODUCTION

DISCHARGE OR DESERTION?--BUSH’S PAYROLL RECORDS

DISCHARGE OR DESERTION?--THE “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNSELING”

DISCHARGE OR DESERTION?--THE REQUEST FOR A DISCHARGE

APPROVAL OF DISCHARGE

THE DISCHARGE FORM MYSTERY

HOW BUSH DIDN’T SPEND HIS SUMMER VACATION

WRITTEN ORDERS DISCHARGING BUSH FROM TXANG

CONCLUSION

APPENDIX 1: “STANDBY SCREENING” AS A REASON FOR BUSH’S DISCHARGE

YOUR BASIC PARANOID CONSPIRACY THEORY…(a personal note)

APPENDIX 2: AN “HONORABLE DISCHARGE”?

SUMMARY

When Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard, he agreed to be “immediately available for any active duty” for six full years. When he decided to leave Texas to attend Harvard Business School, he still had a year of obligation to complete. Bush even signed a statement acknowledging that it was his responsibility to find another unit where he could fulfill this responsibility. The documents in the Bush files, however, show that Bush had no intention of doing so.

These documents include payroll records which reveal that Bush performed substitute duty more than two months in advance of the scheduled mandatory drill in September, 1973---training that, had Bush fulfilled his obligation to find another unit, would have been performed in Boston. Another document shows that Bush never bothered to get the necessary paperwork before he left for Boston that would have allowed him to transfer to another unit to complete his obligation. And Bush’s failure to get a physical meant that he was unqualified for any position in another unit.

Instead, the evidence strongly suggests that Bush tried to “scam” his way out of fulfilling his obligations by taking advantage of the “Standby Screening” provisions of Air Force policies. This evidence includes a request from Bush that he be transferred into a “Standby” unit for which he was not eligible under the criteria established by the Air Force.

Perhaps most startling, however, is that the Bush documents indicate that the Air Force did not consider Bush to have been “honorably discharged” from the Texas Air National Guard. Bush was retroactively placed on “Inactive Status” 16 days before the date of Bush’s discharge papers, and “Inactive Status” meant that Bush had already been ““discharged for the purpose of complete severance from military status.” In effect, the Air Force nullified Bush’s TXANG discharge papers retroactively.

INTRODUCTION

When George W. Bush joined the Air National Guard on May 26, 1968, he did so under the authority of US Statutory law. Those laws required him to serve for six years in the US Armed Forces, and to be a member of the “Ready Reserve” for that period. (For a full review of Bush’s obligations under statutory law, click here.) Bush acknowledged this obligation[1], and the fact that it required that he be “immediately available for any active duty” until May 26, 1974 unless there was a “substantial change in [his] status or circumstances.”

Under the law, being “available for any active duty” meant more than just being willing to show up if he received orders; as a member of the Ready Reserve he was required to be fully trained and qualified for his assigned job at all times, both as an individual, and as a member of his assigned unit.

By the summer of 1973, Bush had been shirking this obligation, and the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG) had been covering for him, for over a year (See The Points Scam). But this cover-up could only go on for so long; already the Air Force itself was asking questions, and demanding answers, about Bush’s “Alabama year” (See The OETR Scam).

So it comes as no surprise that Bush decided to leave Texas to attend Harvard Business School (HBS). TXANG had to get rid of Bush, and Bush had to find a new way to avoid “fulfilling his duty.”

DISCHARGE, OR DESERTION?--BUSH’S PAYROLL RECORDS

Although the first mention of Bush’s intention to quit the Texas Air National Guard is found in a document dated July 30, 1973, Bush’s payroll records reveal that he told TXANG about his plans prior to that date. (For a complete explanation of how to read the payroll records themselves, see Understanding Payroll and Points Records, Part 1.)

The payroll system did more than simply keep track of how much should be paid to Guardsmen. It also kept track of whether Guardsmen were accomplishing their monthly mandatory scheduled training with their units (Unit Training Assemblies or UTAs.) If a member missed this mandatory training because of “circumstances beyond his control” he could perform substitute duty which would be credited toward those specific missed UTAs.

At the bottom of most of the pages of Bush’s payroll records is the actual data that was entered into the system which generated paychecks for Bush. Each period of substitute training is matched with a specific missed period of UTA training in the payroll data itself.

According to those payroll records, on July 18 and 19, 1973, Bush performed four period of “inactive duty training.” Those days were credited as “substitute duty” for four periods of mandatory Unit Training Assemblies (UTAs) that were scheduled for September 22 and 23, 1973. (Two training periods were scheduled for each day of a UTA weekend)

In the example at left, “20923” stands for the afternoon drill (“2”) scheduled for September 23(“0923”), and “20719” stands for afternoon training (“2”) done on July 19 (0719). (Each “UTA data line” on the payroll records has four pairs of these numbers, the example shown is the final pair on this particular line.)

In order for Bush to perform any substitute duty, he had to get advance authorization from his unit commander, which required that he demonstrate that “circumstances beyond his control” would prevent Bush from showing up for his September UTAs. Thus, we know that Bush notified TXANG of his intention to go to Harvard by July 18, 1973.

But the payroll records reveal far more than that. They show that Bush had no intention of fulfilling his statutory obligation to train once he left Texas. Bush had at least ninety days (he could perform substitute duty up to 30 days after a scheduled UTA) in which he could have found a unit near Harvard where he could have trained. The evidence that Bush performed “substitute duty” months in advance of the scheduled September UTAs signals that Bush had every intention of deserting the United States Armed Forces, despite his statutory obligation to serve for six full years.

(There is also a great deal of evidence that suggests that Bush received these UTA credits fraudulently. See The Payroll Scam.)

DISCHARGE OR DESERTION?--THE “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNSELING”

On July 30, 1973, Bush signed[2] an acknowledgement that he had been counseled regarding his responsibilities as an “obligor”—someone who had a statutory obligation (Military Service Obligation or MSO) to serve in the military for six years in the Ready Reserve. This “Statement of Counseling” is required whenever a Guardsman or Reservist relocated, and Bush’s statement follows the format found in Air Force Regulations.

The document is dated on the last day that Bush was paid for any training while a member of the US military.

This document provides further evidence that Bush had no intention of fulfilling his commitment to the US Military, and intended to desert the Armed Forces.

Under Air Force regulations[3], in order for Bush to fulfill his “responsibility to locate and be assigned to another Ready Reserve unit or individual mobilization augmentation position”, he was required to obtain from his unit a certification that his “participation in his Reserve Forces assignment had been satisfactory.”

Yet, despite the fact that Bush acknowledged that he needed to find another position, he did not get the necessary “certification” until after he had formally requested his discharge from TXANG on September 5, 1973 (see below).

Of course, as a pilot whose flying privileges had been suspended, Bush was ineligible for transfer to any other “Ready Reserve” unit. Bush had to either pass his flight physical, or request (and train for) a non-flying AFSC (Air Force Specialty Code). But there is no evidence to suggest that Bush did anything to meet the responsibility he had acknowledged on July 30, 1973. He simply blew off the obligation that he was required by the Air Force to acknowledge in writing.

It is significant to note that, although Bush acknowledges that he is leaving Texas, he does not submit his resignation until September 5, and requests that he be discharged effective October 1, 1973, long after the first day of classes (9/11/73) at Harvard Business School that year.

DISCHARGE OR DESERTION?---THE REQUEST FOR A DISCHARGE

Under Air Force regulations[4], if a Guardsman with an unfulfilled MSO relocated without finding another position, he was temporarily “assigned” to the Obligated Reserve Section (ORS) which was administered by the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) in Denver, Colorado, and given 60 days to find another unit. This would have been explained to Bush during his “counseling” session.

ORS was part of the “Ready Reserve”, which meant that its members had to be immediately available for mobilization upon an order of the Commander in Chief in the event of a national emergency. The “Standby Reserve” consisted of individuals who, for various reasons, were not subject to an immediate call up.

When Bush notified TXANG that he was quitting[5], he requested to be transferred not to ARPC (ORS), but to ARPC (NARS). NARS was part of the “Standby Reserve.” In essence, Bush was trying to get out of his obligation to train, and to be available for active duty. (See Appendix 1—Standby Screening)

Despite knowing for months that he was moving to Boston, Bush did not officially request a discharge from TXANG until September 5, 1973. And he wanted his discharge to be effective on October 1, 1973, and requested that he be placed in the “Standby Reserves.” This could only be accomplished if the reason Bush was transferred to ARPC was not that he was relocating, but specifically for “Standby Screening.”

(And, according to the Commander of the 147^th Fighter Interceptor Group, Bobby Hodges[6], this is precisely what happened. See below.)

APPROVAL OF DISCHARGE

The day after Bush requested his discharge, family friend and commander of the Bush’s unit (the 111^th Fighter/Interceptor Squadron) Jerry Killian approved Bush’s request.[7]

Twelve days later, Killian’s superior and commander of the 147^th Fighter Interceptor Group, Bobby Hodges also approved the transfer[8], providing all the necessary details regarding how the transfer should be done.

Hodges does not provide a reason why Bush should be “relieved from the 111^th Ftr Intcp Sq”. He does cite a “Personnel Transaction Identifier” (“PTI 961”), as part of the “authority” for the discharge and transfer. Unfortunately, the meaning of PTI 961 remains a mystery.

Hodges also includes a new “Home of Record” (HOR)[9] for Bush: “Harvard Business School, Soldier’s Field, Boston Mass 02263.” This is the mailing address for Harvard Business School, except that the zip code is wrong (it should be 02163). Bush, who had been attending classes for over a week by September 18^th, had apparently ignored the regulations[10] concerning changes of address and not forwarded his new “home of record” address to TXANG.

THE DISCHARGE FORM MYSTERY

Bush’s discharge form is dated October 1^,1973, and contains the same language found in the Hodges “indorsement” down to the error in the zip code.

There are two notable things about this document. The first is that no reason is actually given for the discharge in the appropriate space. Instead, it merely notes that “Officer is transferred to ARPC (ORS)…” which is not a reason for a discharge, but a reassignment. “Relocating” was a legitimate reason for a discharge from TXANG, and the fact that it does not appear as the reason is odd. (Bush’s discharge request did not specifically state that his reason for requesting a discharge was because he would be attending Harvard Business School, and Bush did request a transfer to NARS in that request.)

The lack of a stated reason for Bush’s discharge, however, does not mean that Bush was discharged for “Standby Screening”, rather than because he relocated. Discharge papers for “Standby Screening” needed to include specific language pursuant to a “Standby Screening” discharge. That language does not appear on the discharge papers.

Thus, despite the claims of Bobby Hodges, and Bush’s request for reassignment to ARPC (NARS) (a Standby Reserve unit), there is no documentary evidence to support the claim that Bush was discharged for “Standby Screening:”

There is, however, other evidence that may be connected to a “Standby Screening” discharge. This includes the use of “PTI 961”, which could, in fact, be the “Personnel Transaction Identified” for “Standby Screening.

Additionally, clear evidence shows that the “Remarks” section of Bush’s discharge form has been altered, and it is possible that the necessary language was once included in the “Remarks” section.

Detail 1 shows that the margins in the “Remarks” section are different from the rest of the document, and that the line positions themselves are inconsistent between the sections (e.g. “Officer” appears in a position that is 2.5 “typewriter lines” below the characters “SO ANG-A”). It also shows the presence of “ghost characters” at the far left of the page. These characters line up with both the margins in the rest of the document, and the line spacing (the ghost characters are three typewriter lines below the characters “SO ANG-A”).

Detail 2 shows what appear to be the remnants of other “ghost characters” between the “instruction line” and the information that was typed on the form. This line of “ghost characters” is in horizontal alignment with the lines in the rest of the document.

All of the copies of this document have the same characteristics, some stronger and more visible than others. All of these copies also appear to be carbons of an original document upon which typing errors had been corrected on the original (the word below “Officer” in Detail 1 is “amended”) but not on the carbon.

Of course, based on other documents found in the Bush files, nothing that appears on the Discharge Form has any official relevance. The Air Force, after examining Bush’s records, retroactively discharged Bush from the Texas Air National Guard and the Air Reserve Forces effective September 15, 1973. This had the effect of nullifying Bush’s “honorable discharge” from TXANG. (see Appendix 2)

HOW BUSH DIDN’T SPEND HIS SUMMER VACATION…

Another fact that demonstrates Bush’s intention to blow off his responsibilities as a member of the Armed Force is found in the “civilian employment” item of Bush’s discharge papers. His most recent “civilian employment” is listed as “Campaign Mgmt, Allison & Travelan, PO Box 4444, Montgomery, Alabama…” Bush was working on the “Red” Blount Senate Campaign during the summer and fall of 1972, and as of early November of that year, he would have been out of a job. Based upon Bush’s discharge papers, it is fair to say that Bush spent almost an entire year without gainful civilian employment before moving to Boston to attend Harvard Business School.

Bush was responsible for finding a new unit with which to serve in order to fulfill his statutory obligations. That involved finding a unit with an opening that he was qualified to fill. However, this did not mean that Bush had to find an open F102 pilot position in the Boston area.

The Air Force went to considerable lengths to help its members take advantage of educational opportunities. If there were no openings in Bush’s specialty, the Air Force would have trained Bush in another specialty in which there was an opening.

According to Bush’s discharge papers, Bush had no civilian employment that would have interfered with training for a new position in the Guard or Reserves. Nor is there any evidence elsewhere that Bush was gainfully employed in the period after the November 1972 election. Various biographies (including Bush’s autobiography) say that Bush was doing volunteer work with “Project Pull” during the spring of 1973, but Bush’s commitment to America’s national security should have taken precedence over “volunteer work”.

Had Bush been interested in fulfilling his commitments and responsibilities, there were absolutely no impediments to him doing so. If he couldn’t find another unit in which to serve as an F102 pilot, he had access to retraining in another specialty through the Air Force, and the time to accomplish that training during the summer of 1973.

WRITTEN ORDERS DISCHARGING BUSH FROM TXANG

Although Bush’s discharge orders were dated (and effective) October 1, 1973, it was not until October 16[11] that TXANG bothered to even tell ARPC that Bush had been transferred to them. Somehow, “exigencies of the service [precluded] issuance of written orders in advance” for the discharge, even though Bush had (supposedly) told TXANG more than two months in advance that he was leaving, and had submitted a letter of resignation more than three weeks before his discharge date.

This is especially odd when you consider that, when Bush had wanted to transfer to Alabama (a transfer that would have required Bush to resign from TXANG), it took all of three days for approval from Hodges office to approval from the TXANG Adjutant General. The overall procedures were pretty much the same (i.e. transferring from a National Guard unit to an Air Force Reserves unit) in both instances. (And the transfer to Alabama should have come as something of a surprise.)

October 16^th 1973 was 18 months to the day that Bush last trained as a pilot. For an entire year and a half, he had shirked his duty, worked transfer scams, and fraudulently claimed credit for duty he could not have performed. Bush was finished with TXANG, and TXANG was almost finished dealing with the problems created by Bush.

Eight days after the written orders were promulgated, the Federal National Guard Bureau officially de-recognized Bush as an officer of the Air National Guard.

Now, Bush was under the direct control of the United States Air Force. TXANG could no longer cover for him. And the documentary evidence that exists with regard to the actions taken by the Air Force show that the USAF was not the least bit inclined to ignore Bush’s refusal to honor his commitment to the US Military.

Eighteen months of failing to train as a pilot, failing to take mandatory physicals, and failing to show up for mandatory training was about to catch up with Bush….

(See Deserter--Bush at ARPC)

CONCLUSION

There is no question that Bush understood that he was obligated to continue to serve in the Armed Forces after he quit the Texas Air National Guard. The nature and extent of these responsibilities were part of the training of every Guardsman and Reservists. Bush was a commissioned officer, and pleading ignorance of his obligation would have been (and is) simply unacceptable. Finally, Bush acknowledged that obligation on a document he signed on July 30^,1973.

The Bush documents show that Bush took none of the necessary steps to fulfill those obligations. This leaves us with only two possibilities to consider. The first is that he thought he could get away with ignoring his responsibilities. The second is that he thought he could scam his way into a “Standby Reserve” position that he was not eligible to be in.

Tens of thousands of Guardsmen and Reservists have had their lives interrupted over the last two years on the orders of George W. Bush. These men and women have displayed a level of commitment to their country that should make George W. Bush ashamed to show his face in public. Bush blew off the obligation that these men and women are honoring, and he did so deliberately and consciously.

On July 29^th, 2004, the Pentagon announced that over 5600 members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) were to be involuntarily mobilized for service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of these men and women are people who signed up with a six or eight year Military Service Obligation which required that they spend three or four years on “active duty”, and the remainder of their MSOs as IRRs. There was an implied promise to these men and women that, as IRRs, they would only be mobilized in the event of an extreme national security emergency.

Given the example set by the Commander in Chief, no one could blame any of these men and women from taking advantage of current provisions of military policy that allow them to delay, and possibly avoid, mobilization by applying for “Standby Screening.”, or even simply “blowing off” their commitment.

APPENDIX 1: “STANDBY SCREENING” AS A REASON FOR BUSH’S DISCHARGE

Bush’s Ready Reserve Service Agreement made it clear that he would remain a member of the Ready Reserve until May 26^,1974 unless there was a “substantial change in [his] status or circumstances” that would prevent him from being immediately available for active duty. “Substantial change” however, did not include moving from one state to another for educational or economic opportunity. The Air Force not only permitted such moves, it went to great lengths to make it possible for its members to pursue such opportunities while maintaining their commitment to the Armed Forces.

The “reason and authority” for Bush’s discharge from TXANG was supposed to entered in Item 31 on Bush’s discharge form. And although it does list the “authority” [ANGR 36-05, (PTI 961) ], it doesn’t actually list a reason why Bush is being transferred.

Most people assume that Bush was discharged because he was “relocating”. However, there is some evidence which suggests that the “reason” for Bush’s discharge was for what is called “standby screening”. For reasons that are explained below, the “Standby Screening” theory would be implausible. However, it cannot be discounted entirely.

Any member of the Air Reserve Forces could request discharge[12] from his unit for standby-screening by ARPC at any time if they felt they were qualified. NARS (Non-Affiliated Reserve Section) was the “Standby Reserve” section of ARPC that Bush requested a transfer to, and it is to NARS that Bush would have been assigned if he were found “eligible under criteria established” by the Air Force for the Standby Reserves.

Bush had been counseled about the rules concerning relocation (and had some experience with them when he tried to transfer to an Air Reserve Squadron in Alabama in 1972). He doubtless knew that a request for a discharge from TXANG based on his relocating would result in his being reassigned to ARPC (ORS), not ARPC (NARS). Bush’s request for a transfer to ARPC(NARS) suggests that Bush had no intention of fulfilling his obligation to find another unit with which to train, and was looking for a way out of the training and commitment required by his Military Service Obligation.

There were a 12 different criteria for getting into NARS, most of which Bush was clearly ineligible. (These criteria are enumerated as rules in AFM 35-3, Table 12-1). He was not an Air Force Reservist on active duty (rules 1 and 2). He had not completed his Ready Reserve service (rule 3). He was not preparing for the ministry (rule 4). He was not an official of the Federal government (rule 5) nor did he hold a critical Federal or civilian job (rules 9 and 10). He would not suffer “extreme personal hardship” if called to active duty during a National Emergency (rule 6), nor would his call to active duty result in extreme community hardship (rule 7).

Of the three remaining reasons, Bush could actually only have applied for standby screening under one rule. Bush could not, apply for standby screening because he possessed “military skills in excess of those required to keep a proper balance of such skills in the Ready Reserve…” as found in Rule 12. Rule 12 was applicable only to members of the Air Force Reserves, not the Air National Guard (see third column) , and those decisions were not made by the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) which was responsible for standby screening requests, but by Air Force Headquarters itself.

Nor could Bush qualify under the “other reasons” in Rule 11—this rule refers to Table 12-5, and of the five reasons listed in that table, there were none upon which Bush could base a request for standby screening. TXANG could have discharged Bush itself by citing Rule 1 of Table 12-5 (“member cannot be located”), but its doubtful that an ANG officer could request standby screening using a criteria that is a declaration of desertion.

This leaves Rule 8 (“does not possess the required military qualifications for his grade or specialty, or does not meet the mental, moral, professional, or physical standards of the Air Force.”) This was the “unfit for service” rule, and was the only possible “standby screening” rule for which Bush was qualified.

Now, it is unquestionably true that Bush did “not possess the required military qualifications for his…specialty”. Bush’s “specialty” was “F102 Pilot”, and the qualifications for an F102 pilot included being allowed to fly. Bush was not permitted to fly, because his flying privileges had been suspended because he never took the required flight physical. And, as a result of that failure, Bush would have been placed temporarily in NARS-B.

But being placed in NARS-B for failure to get a physical was a temporary assignment. When someone was placed in NARS-B for failure to get a physical, they were given 15 days to get that examination. And if they did not get the examination in 15 days, they were ordered to appear for “special active duty” to accomplish the medical examination.

Thus, if the reason for Bush’s discharge was the “unfitness” provision of the Standby Screening criteria, it must have been based on something other than the lack of a physical examination.

YOUR BASIC PARANOID CONSPIRACY THEORY…(a personal note)

The purpose of this study is to determine the meaning of Bush’s military records within the context of the laws, regulations, and policies and procedures of that era. That means that all possible meanings must be considered.

On its face, the idea that Bush was discharged for “standby screening” makes little or no sense if one assumes that the purpose of a “standby screening” discharge was to get Bush into the Standby Reserve under the criteria established by the regulations and policies of the Air Force.

If, however, the purpose of a discharge for Standby Screening was a delaying tactic, it makes perfect sense. Ordinarily, if a Guardsman was discharged for “Standby Screening” and was rejected for the Standby Reserves, he would be reassigned to his original Guard unit.

Of course, Bush could not be reassigned to TXANG, because he had already “officially” moved to Boston. The regulations and policies of the Air Force contain no provisions for what ARPC should do in this case (i.e. someone is rejected for the standby reserves, but has relocated in the interim.) Bush could have wound up in some kind of “gray area” in the regulations, and consequently been permitted to ignore his obligations until his Military Service Obligation ran out.

In other words, this may explain why Bush may have been discharged for “Standby Screening.” And it must be considered as a possibility, because there is evidence that supports the proposition that Bush was discharged for standby screening.

In 1972, TXANG officers “approved” Bush’s request for a transfer to an Air Reserve Squadron in Alabama. Bush was completely, and obviously, unqualified to be transferred to this unit. Bush was unable to get the paperwork from the commander of the Alabama unit necessary for TXANG to process the transfer request.[13] Nevertheless, the “transfer request” was processed through TXANG and sent to ARPC.

Because of what happened in 1972, it is impossible to dismiss theories that posit that TXANG completely ignored the meaning and intent of the regulations and procedures of the United States Air Force as they applied to the Air National Guard.

And because this study asserts that Bush deliberately “blew off” his obligation to the US Armed Forces; (that, in practical terms, Bush deserted the Armed Forces), it has to show that all possibilities have been considered.

All of those possibilities have been considered. And except for the “possibility” that George W. Bush decided to simply ignore his legal obligation to be available for an immediate call to active duty as a fully trained member of an Air National Guard unit, all of those “possibilities” are eliminated by contrary facts.

APPENDIX 2: AN “HONORABLE DISCHARGE”?

Although Bush claims that he received an “honorable discharge” from the Texas Air National Guard on October 1, 1973, and his discharge papers confirm this claim, Bush’s discharge may not have been “honorable” at all.

This is because the Air Force retroactively placed Bush on “Inactive Status”[14] effective September 15, 1973.

And under Air Force policy[15] where “obligors” like Bush were concerned, the loss of “active status” can only happen if the member was “discharged for the purpose of complete severance from military status.”

In other words, the Air Force retroactively discharged Bush before he was discharged from TXANG, thereby nullifying Bush’s “honorable discharge” from Texas.

The points summary for Bush’s last year of service shows that he is credited with only 3 months and 19 days of “satisfactory service” for that year.

Bush’s discharge papers, however, credit Bush with 4 months and 5 days of service toward his last year. But Bush could not accumulate service days while on “Inactive Status”.

As far as the Air Force was concerned, Bush was no longer in the Texas Air National Guard as of September 15, 1973, because the Air Force only credited Bush with service up until that date. Consequently, as far as the Air Force was concerned, Bush was not “honorably discharged” from TXANG on October 1, 1973 because he was no longer in TXANG on that date.

For a understanding of how this happened, read Deserter: Bush After TXANG.