PART 2: POINTS RECORDS
On
February 10th, 1974, when the White House press office released
payroll reports and points records for the last two years of Bush’s service in
the National Guard, they provided journalists and the general public with no significant
explanation on how to interpret these records.
Additional point records were released on February 13th, with
no explanation whatsoever. This
discussion will endeavor to fulfill that gap.
AUTHORIZING AND CERTIFYING POINTS
THE OLD SYSTEM OF POINT RECORDS
FORM
190—INDIVIDUAL POINT ENTRY
RECORDING POINTS FOR ACTIVE DUTY
RECORDING POINTS FOR INACTIVE DUTY
AF
FORM 1383—ANNUAL POINTS STATMENT
AF
FORM 712—CAREER POINTS SUMMARY
PAYROLL RECORDS
AND THE AF FORM 190
THE NEW SYSTEM OF POINT RECORDS
STATEMENT
OF POINTS EARNED (SPE)
RETIREMENT CREDIT
SUMMARY (RCS)
Before
discussing the records themselves, a few concepts need to be established. The first is the distinction between the Air
Force Reserves (USAFR) and the Air National Guard. (ANG). These were the two components of the “Air
Reserve Forces” (ARF).
The discussion below is based on largely on the policies and procedures found in AFM 35-3, The Air Reserve Forces Personnel Administration Manual. AFM 35-3 details many policies and procedures that are specifically applicable to both the USAFR and ANG (such as the definitions found in Chapter 2), The specific policies and procedures regarding “points”, however, are found in Chapter 20, which is entitled “Allowable Federal Service for USAFR Members.” Thus, there may have been some differences between the policies and procedures noted below, and the specific policies of the ANG. (Attempts to get the relevant Air National Guard manuals have not been successful to date.)
In
other words, if your unit commander felt that it would “improve your fitness”
to sit in someone’s office for four hours killing time, and he authorized a
member to do that in advance on a specific date and time, you could get a
point. If it wasn’t authorized in advance
for a specific date and time, the member could not get a point. (It was the authorizing officer’s
responsibility to ensure that the training that was authorized would “improve
the fitness” of the member. A
supervising officer would certify that the training itself had been
accomplished within the parameters set by the authorizing officer.)
For
purposes of this discussion[7],
“points”, in this broadest sense, was used primarily[8]
to keep track of two things;
1)
To determine if a member had “satisfactorily participated” as a member of the
Air Reserve Forces during any given fiscal year.
2)
To determine if a member was qualified for credit for a year’s service toward
retirement. A minimum of 50 points
(including the “gratuitous” membership points) per “retention/retirement year”
(see below) was required in order to be credited with a year of service.
On
October 1, 1972, the Air Force changed the way that it kept track of
points toward retirement, going from a system of printed forms on which
handwritten records were kept to one that was completely computerized, and
relied on the established computerized payroll system which was already
registering points and being used to keep track of fiscal year training
requirements. The change in the
process had a significant impact on the kind of records that were kept, and
consequently which records one would expect to appear in Bush’s files.
The “Old
System” of Point Records
The
records kept prior to 10/1/72 make it very easy to determine what Bush did, and
when he did it. The post 10/1/72
records make it easy to determine when Bush did something, but requires more
effort to determine what was done.
Information that is easy to derive from the “old”:handwritten records
is, in the “new” system, found in “data lines” that require one to know the
nature of different data formats (an explanation of how to interpret these
records and formats can be found in PART I.)
The “New System” of Point Records
Finally,
it must be emphasized that the “retirement points” are just that---a record of
points earned toward a “good year” for retirement. A “good year” for retirement was unrelated to the question of
whether or not Bush “fulfilled his duties” except for the fact that if Bush
“fulfilled his duties” he would have been awarded far more points than the 50
needed to get credit for one year of service.
For
purposes of discussion, the system as it existed prior to 10/1/72 will be
designated as the “old system”, with records kept and forms used under that
system will be designated as “old
records” and “old forms”. The post 10/1/72
system, records, and forms will be referred to as the “new system”, “new records”
and “new forms.”
Because
the “old system” is almost self-explanatory, and because an understanding of
Bush’s service in the US military requires an understanding of not just what he
did during the “controversial period”, but how it differed from his service
prior to that period, the discussion of point credit will start with a short
explanation of how “where the points came from”, then examine the old system,
then the new system. Finally, an
explanation of how the data entries found on the payroll records relate to
these point records will be provided.
All
of the points found in the Bush records from his time in the Air National Guard
were awarded for attendance and participation in authorized and scheduled training,
and this section will not concern itself with other kinds of “earned”
points.
Active Duty
training was authorized with an “order to Active Duty”. The performance of authorized Active Duty
was certified on an AF Form 220. The
Form 220, accompanied by the “order to Active Duty” was then used as the basis
for awarding points and pay within the entire system.[9]
Inactive Duty
training was both authorized and certified on a single form. An AF Form 44 was used when training was
authorized for members as a group, while a Form 44a was used when training was
authorized for a member as an individual.
(i.e. the Form 44 would have a list of names, while the Form 44a would
have a single name.) These forms were
then used as the basis for awarding points and pay within the entire system. [10]
FORM 190—INDIVIDUAL
POINT ENTRY
Once the training was complete and had been certified, these various forms would be sent to the Consolidated Base Personnel Office (CBPO), which would then enter the points that were to be awarded on an AF Form 190 (USAF Reserve Personnel Record Card—For Retention, Promotion, and Retirement.) The first page of Bush’s Form 190 for his 1971-72 R/R Year is shown below.
A “heading” section
included data such as name, Social Security Number, date of birth, flight
status, the period covered, and the number of points earned in the previous
year. Information was then entered on
the form itself based on what appeared in the DD220s, and Form 40s and 40as.
RECORDING POINTS FOR ACTIVE DUTY
EXAMPLE A
EXAMPLE B
UTA points were awarded for participation in the
mandatory monthly scheduled drills known as Unit Training Assemblies. Air National Guard members were required to
attend one weekend per month of training with their units. There were two four hour training periods
each day. UTAs were “authorized and
certified” use Form 44. After a member
attended UTA training, the CPBO entered each date of the training, and the
number (“1” or “2”) of training periods attended that day for each person on
the list who had shown up for the training.
The Example A shows points that were recorded on the Form 190 for UTA attendance
at both periods on both days of the weekend of April 15 and 16, 1972, as well
as for UTA attendance on March 12th for two periods.
If
a member missed one or more UTAs, he had to make them up in one of two
ways. “Appropriate Duty (APDY)
was used when a member missed a UTA because of illness or other extraordinary
circumstance. Because Bush never
received APDY from the time he took his basic training at least until the “old
system” had been superceded, there are no good examples.
If
a member missed one or more UTA periods because he was on Active Duty when the
UTA was scheduled, he could make it up with Equivalent Training (EQT). EQT was generally authorized on a form
44a. After training was completed and
certified, the CBPO enter the date(s) on which the substitute training had been
accomplished, and the number of periods of substitute training for each date. Example B shows that Bush received one point for EQT training on March
15, 1972. (Note that March 11 was a Saturday, and Example A showed that
Bush was on Active Duty that day.)
The
final two types of Inactive Duty Training are “”Training Periods” (TP)
and “Additional Flying Training Periods” (AFTP). Ostensibly, a “Training Period” was used for
individual Inactive Duty Training periods of four hours duration (for which a member
would receive one point) while “Additional Flying Training Periods” were
calculated using the number of flight hours in an extremely arcane formula to
determine pay and points. Example B
shows that Bush was credited with one “Training Period” on both March 14 and
March 15. (On March 15, he received one
point for EQT and one point for TP. It
should be noted that, those periods denoted on the Form 190s as TP are credited
as AFTP in the payroll reports, however this does not appear to be terribly germane
to the issue of Bush’s service.
The
points that were recorded for any given day were added together, with the sum
written in the “Total Points (Across)” column (2nd column from right
on the report) and added to the previously accumulated points. That sum was entered into the “Total Points
(Cumulative)” column at the far right of the page.
LAST PAGE OF BUSH’S 1971-72 POINTS
RECORD FORM
On the last day of the R/R year, ”gratuitous” membership points were entered, and the Form 190 was “closed.” (15 points were awarded each year for membership in the Guard or Reserves.) Columns were totaled on the next line, and these were added together (along with the 15 gratuitous points) and the sum entered in the “total points across column. The results were then certified by a personnel officer. The information from the “certified correct” forms was entered onto two other forms (see below), and the Form 190 was sent to the Air Force Personnel Center in Denver CO to become part of the member’s permanent record.
Once
the AF Form 190 was “closed”, an AF Form 1383 (“Annual Statement of Credits” was
filled out, and given to the member to allow him verify that he had received
the right number of points for the year.[11]
Entries
corresponding to the last line of the Form 190 were entered into the
appropriate space, with all “Inactive Duty” points lumped together in on
“box”. If the member accrued the
necessary 50 points for credit for a year of service toward retirement, an
appropriate box was checked.
Bush’s
Form 1383 for the 1971-72 R/R year is shown above, and reflects the 22 Active
Duty points, 75 Inactive Duty points (34 UTA points, 9 EQT points, and 32 AFTP
points), and 15 “Gratuitous” points awarded to Bush for that year.
Point
totals were also maintained over a member’s career on AF Form 712 (the Air
Force Reserve Credit Summary). There was a separate entry for each R/R year,
onto which the totals from the Form 190 was transferred. “Retirement Points”, which were calculated
based on a formula that limited the number/kind of points that could be
credited toward retirement in any quarter, was also entered, as was the
“satisfactory years of service”.
PAYROLL
RECORDS AND THE AF FORM 190
The
Form 190’s primary use was to determine if a member qualified for a year toward
retirement. Point records were also
maintained within the payroll system throughout this period. The payroll system tracked points based on
the fiscal year, which was the annual period by which “satisfactory
participation” was measured under Air Force policy, as well as under the Selective
Service Act.
The
above graphic shows how the same periods were recorded in the Form 190s, and
within the “Financial Details” section of the Payroll Report.
The
first example shows Bush being credited with attendance at four periods of Unit
Training Assemblies on December 4 and 5th, 1971. The payroll report reads “UTA 1 711204
2 711204 1 711205 2 711205”.
The date format is YYMMDD (thus
“711204” translates to “4 Dec. 71”) and “1”s and “2”s designate which drill
“period” is being credited.
The
second example shows the phenomenon mentioned above; “Training Period” (TP)
points being credited on the Form 190, and Additional Flight Training Period”
(AFTP) points being credited on the payroll reports. , The format for the AFTP entries on the
payroll report is the same as that of the UTA entries. (“711210” translates to “10 Dec. 71”, and
“71121” translates to “1 Dec. 71”)
The
third example, for active duty, has a different format from the inactive duty
credits in both the Form 190 and payroll report. (The date format remains the
same.) These two “active duty” formats mirror each other, with each providing
the beginning and end date of the active duty period. (“26 Jan | 28 Jan” in the Form 190, “720126—720128” in the
payroll report.) “15-TEI” from the
payroll report refers to the “order number” which authorized the active duty.
The
last example shown is for the substitute UTA duty known as “Equivalent
Training” (EQT). The payroll system
did not differentiate between UTA points and “substitute duty for UTA” points,
and credited these points as “UTAs” using the same format as that of the UTAs[12]. In the payroll reports, the only way to tell
whether a UTA had been attended, or substitute duty was performed, is to
examine the actual data line that was entered which resulted in the payroll
report being compiled.
With
the advent of the computerization of the maintenance of the
“Retention/Retirement Points” records, The forms used under the old system
became obsolete, and were replaced by new, computer generated forms.
The
ARF STATEMENT OF POINTS EARNED (SPE) was the form used as of October 1,
1972 to provide detailed information on points earned This form replaced the AF Form 190. The ARF RETIREMENT CREDIT SUMMARY (RCS) replaced both the
AF 1383 and AF 712, and provided information on both annual and careerl points
earned. [13]
The
example below is from Bush’s last year of service (R/R year 73-74) and covers
the period beginning May 27th, 1973.
BUSH’S
1973-74 STATEMENT OF POINTS EARNED LEGEND TD=”Type of Duty” 1=Active Duty 2=Inactive Duty (see below)
The
SPE mirrors the old AF Form 190 when it comes to active duty, indicating the
day on which duty begins and ends, and the number of points awarded for service
during that Period. The entry shows
that Bush performed active duty (“1” in TD column) from May 29, 1973 (“73
MAY 29”) through May 31, 1973 (“73 MAY 31”) and received
three points (“003”) for those three days of service.
But the entries for Inactive Duty in the SPE provide far less information than those in the Form 190. As with the payroll report (see above) this form does not discriminate between UTAs, and substitute duty performed when a UTA was missed (EQTs and APDY). It cannot be determined if other types of duty, such as AFTP or “Extension Course” would have a different code for “Type of Duty” (TD). (Because all of Bush’s inactive duty was credited as UTAs on his payroll records, “UTA” will be used to identify the points earned. It should be noted, however, that “UTA” does not necessarily mean that Bush attended a scheduled UTA, and could indicate credit for substitute duty.)
The
SPE also adopts the same “beginning of period to end of period” for inactive
duty as used for active duty[14].
Thus, the third line from the top of the SPE shows that Bush received four
points (“004”) for UTAs (“2” in TD column) from June 23, 1973 (“23
JUN 73”) to June 24, 1973 (“24 JUN 73”).
The
example above shows how the payroll report information remained the same.
RETIREMENT
CREDIT SUMMARY (RCS)
At
the end of each R/R year, the payroll/points system would print out the ARF
Retirement Credit Summary (RCE) for that year, a copy of which would be sent to
the member.
The
header below is the annual report for Bush’s 72-73 R/R year. This contained
various information such as an ID number (redacted here, and probably a Social
Security or Selective Service number), Bush’s “Unit Code” (“L9CMPY 48”, a code that designated the 111th
Fighter/Interceptor Squadron of TXANG in all the computerized records) the
“Effective Date” (“EFF DATE”) of the report (“730526” or May 26,
1973, the last day of Bush’s R/R. year), and the “REASON FOR REPORT” (“ANNUAL”,
denoting that this was his yearly report.
RCS’s would also be printed when a member was transferred to another
unit, there was a change in “status”, or if he was discharged).
At
the bottom of this page were the cumulative totals, as well as explanations of
the various codes found in the totals.
The example below is also Bush’s 1972-73 R/R year. It contains no cumulative totals, but this
may be for any number of reasons. This
was a “transition” year, and the change in systems was made in the middle of
everyone’s R/R year. How and whether
points that were accumulated in everyone else’s R/R year prior to October 1,
1972 were accounted for cannot be answered, and during this “transition” year
members may have been sent both a Form 190 (covering their R/R year until
10/1/72) and an RCS. The lack of
totals could also have been the result of a programming error and/or because
data from previous years had not yet been entered, or for other reasons.
[1] AFM 35-3, para 20-17a (dated June 1, 1970) One point was awarded for each day of active duty service.
[2] Fifteen points per year were awarded solely for “membership in the National Guard.” These points were pro-rated if there was less than a full year of service, with (approximately) 24 days of membership required to earn each point (see AFM 35-3, table 20-3 (dated June 1, 1970).
[3] AFM 35-3, para 20-15 (June 1, 1970)
[4] AFM 35-3, para 20-6 (June 1, 1970)
[5] AFM 35-3, para 20-17b(9)(b) (June 1, 1970)
[6] AFM 35-3, para 20-4, (June 1, 1970) (esp. subsections (a)(1), (5), and (6))
[7] A full explanation of the points system would take dozens of pages. This discussion will focus only on those concepts which are necessary for a complete understanding of Bush’s military records, and the controversies surrounding his tenure in the US Military.
[8] they also influenced how much one received in retirement pay.
[9] AFM 35-3, para 20-4 (June 1, 1970)
[10] AFM 35-3, para 20-8 (June 1, 1970)
[11] One of the first thing a member of the US Military is told is to create their own personal “202 file” and maintain their own record of service in the Armed Forces, in case questions arose.
[12] To make things easier to understand, the payroll report “duty” line shown here has been truncated. The full line shows that Bush performed “EQT on Feb 9 (2 periods) and on Feb 10 and 11 (1 period each). Bush is also credited with one period of AFTP on Feb. 10th, which had a separate “duty” line. The payroll record also shows that Bush was not on active duty during the scheduled UTA, which means that he was not eligible for EQT credit. But this was likely a clerical error, and the entry on the Form 190 probably should have been placed under the APDY column, indicating that the UTA was missed because of “illness” or other extraordinary circumstances.
[13] The “ARF Retirement Credit Summary”(RCS) is labeled “AF Form 526 in the lower left hand corner.”. The “ARF Statement of Points Earned” (SPE) has no such label, and appears to be the second page of the AF Form 526. It is the SPE page for Bush for the 1972-73 period that that one must assume was examined by Albert C. Lloyd, because the RCS page for that year contains no information (unless Lloyd was provided with copies that were not released by the White House.) To avoid confusion, the acronym labels will be used in the text.
[14] Because all of Bush’s inactive duty was “two points per day” days, it cannot be determined how, or if, this system would discriminate between days on which one period of inactive duty was performed, an those on which two periods of training was attended.