George W. Bush military service controversy

The George W. Bush military service controversy was an issue in the 2000 presidential campaign and in the 2004 presidential campaign. The controversy centered on questions of how George W. Bush, who would later become the 43rd President of the United States, came to be a member of the Texas Air National Guard, why he lost his flight status, and whether he fulfilled the requirements of his military service contract during the Vietnam War.

Timeline

Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968, during the Vietnam War, with a commitment to serve until May 26, 1974. In his 1968 Statement of Intent (undated), he wrote, "I have applied for pilot training with the goal of making flying a lifetime pursuit and I believe I can best accomplish this to my own satisfaction by serving as a member of the Air National Guard as long as possible." He performed Guard duty as an F-102 pilot through April 1972, logging a total of 336 flight hours [ [http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040907-113844-8255r.htm Washington Times - Inside Politics ] ] and was promoted once during his service, to First Lieutenant.http://www.usatoday.com/news/bushdocs/2-Discharge.pdf]

In November 1970, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, commander of the 111th Fighter Squadron (Texas Air National Guard), recommended that Bush be promoted to First Lieutenant, calling him "a dynamic outstanding young officer" who stood out as "a top notch fighter interceptor pilot." He said that "Lt. Bush's skills far exceed his contemporaries," and that "he is a natural leader whom his contemporaries look to for leadership. Lt. Bush is also a good follower with outstanding disciplinary traits and an impeccable military bearing." [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DB1F3AF937A25751C0A9629C8B63 Files Offer Glimpse of Bush After College - New York Times ] ]

Bush's six-year obligation to serve required him to maintain his immediate readiness as an individual and a member of a unit to be called to active duty in the event of a national emergency. Bush's military records indicate that until May 1972 he fulfilled that obligation. But from that point on, Bush failed to meet the attendance requirements established by Federal law, Department of Defense regulations, and Air Force policies and procedures for "obligated" members of the Air National Guard, and the Air Force requirement for an annual physical examination for pilots. [ [http://www.factcheck.org/democratic_groups_ad_revives_awol_allegation_against.html FactCheck.org: Democratic Group's Ad Revives "AWOL" Allegation Against Bush ] ]

Acceptance into the National Guard

During the 1968–1974 period, Presidents Johnson and Nixon decided against calling up National Guard units for service in Vietnam. As a result, National Guard service was widely portrayed as a way to avoid combat. The waiting list for the Guard at that time was extremely long, and there have been charges that young men from influential families were improperly moved to the top of the list. A similar accusation was leveled at Dan Quayle, who served in the Indiana National Guard, and was Vice President from 1989 to 1993.

According to various media outlets, Bush jumped to the top of a list of over 500 applicants for his position as a pilot despite receiving the minimum passing score (25) on the pilot entrance aptitude test and listing no other qualifications. Other reports indicated that although there were many candidates interested in weekend enlisted duty, there were fewer, if any, people who were both sufficiently educated to qualify for an officer pilot position and willing to commit to the more than one year of full-time service required of Air National Guard pilots. Ben Barnes, the former Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and Lieutenant Governor of Texas, stated under oath that he had called the head of the Texas Air National Guard, Brig. Gen. James Rose, to recommend Bush for a pilot spot at the request of Bush family friend Sidney Adger. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19990927/aponline190140_000.htm Man Says He OK'd Bush for Guard ] ] Later, Barnes repeated these claims in an interview with CBS News on September 8, 2004.

Former Texas legislator Jake Johnson has stated that before General Rose died, Rose told him that he had been responsible for Bush's acceptance into the Guard. Both George W. Bush and his father have stated that they did not ask Adger to intercede and were unaware of any action he may have taken. Walter Staudt, the colonel in command of Bush's squadron, has stated that he accepted Bush's application without receiving any outside pressure to do so. In a 1994 interview, Bush stated that he joined the Guard because "I was not prepared to shoot my eardrum out with a shotgun in order to get a deferment. Nor was I willing to go to Canada. So I chose to better myself by learning how to fly airplanes." [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4114162/ "Patriot Games"] , "MSNBC", February 2, 2004]

Air National Guard members could volunteer for active duty service with the Air Force in a program called Palace Alert, which deployed F-102 pilots to Europe and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand. According to three pilots from Bush's squadron, Bush inquired about this program but was advised by the base commander that he did not have the necessary experience (500 hours) at the time and that the F-102 was outdated. [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4271922/ War Stories - Newsweek Campaign 2004 - MSNBC.com ] ]

Flight performance and flight status in 1972 and 1973

Final flights

Flight logs released in September 2004 in response to a lawsuit (see below) showed that Bush, who had been flying solo in the F-102A Delta Dagger, an interceptor, for most of his career, flew nine times in T-33 trainers in February and March 1972 — nearly twice as many times as he had flown in T-33s in the prior 18 months. [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131961,00.html "Experts Examine Bush Pilot Logs"] , "Associated Press", September 10, 2004.] He also used a flight simulator, and was heavily focused on flying by instruments. [http://www.billingsgazette.com/newdex.php?display=rednews/2004/09/11/build/nation/60-bush-pilot.inc "Bush flew in training planes before losing pilot privileges"] , "Associated Press", September 11, 2004.] The logs also show that in March and April 1972, Bush twice needed multiple tries to land the F102 fighter.Susan Cooper Eastman, [http://web.archive.org/web/20041013165632/http://wjwb.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WJWB/MGArticle/JWB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031778123118&path=!frontpage "A Duval County woman says nerves ended W's National Guard service in Texas] , WJWB, September 23, 2004, accessed 2007-03-11.]

The final two entries of Bush's official flight logs show him being assigned to work as an instructional pilot in late May 1972 at a Texas Air National Guard base. But Bush left for Alabama in mid-May (see next section) and his pay records show he wasn't paid for any work on the two dates of the instructional pilot assignment. The logs have a code indicating the assignments were eventually deleted from his official records.

Flight physical

By regulation, National Guard pilots were required to take and pass an annual physical in order to remain in flight status, in the three months prior to a pilot's birthday (in Bush's case, July 6). For reasons that are unclear, Bush apparently chose not to take this mandatory physical examination in mid-1972, thus ending his pilot's career. He never flew again after April 15, 1972.

As a result of his failure to take his physical, his flight status was suspended by his commander on 1 August 1972, confirmed by Col Bobby Hodges on 5 September 1972 and confirmed again by a National Guard Bureau order on September 29 1972, which meant he no longer was authorized to fly as a pilot.

The document directly orders Bush to acknowledge the suspension in writing ("Off will comply with para 2-10, AFM 35-13") but there is no evidence Bush obeyed this order and no evidence that he did not. The Air Force regulation cited here, AFM 35-13 Para 2-29m [http://www.glcq.com/regs/35-13_1971.pdf] required the commander of Bush's Texas National Guard unit to "direct an investigation as to why the individual failed to accomplish the medical examination" [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20040930/ai_n11479878 Bush's Guard record clean, White House says | Deseret News (Salt Lake City) | Find Articles at BNET.com ] ] but there is no evidence this investigation ever occurred.

Following the investigation, the local commander was required to either convene a Flying Evaluation Board to review Bush’s suspension or to forward a detailed report on his case up the chain of command. Either way, there should have been a record of the investigation. [cite news| publisher=Arizona Daily Star| date=February 12 2004| url=http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/relatedarticles/9588.php| title= White House defends Bush service in Guard| accessdate=2006-07-02]

Although he had taken the physical twice previously by flight surgeons, Bush says that he wanted to wait to take the physical until it could be done by his own private doctor. Regulations require that the physical be performed by an Air Force doctor. Air Force Flight Surgeons were assigned to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where Bush purportedly drilled in October and November 1972 and in January 1973. There is no record of his attendance in the 187th Alabama ANG. The Alabama unit’s commanders say they never saw Bush or any paperwork showing he performed drills there. However a January 1973 document references a dental exam that Bush received at the Alabama base. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6257505/ More Bush service documents found - Politics - MSNBC.com ] ]

There is no record of a physical being taken in either 1972 or in 1973, the last two years in which Bush attended drills. According to his released military records, Bush never flew again as a National Guard pilot after April 1972, and was suspended from flying on August 1,1972. [ [http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gwbush/gwb72-73milpay-p1.html "President George W. Bush"] (FindLaw)] .

Drill attendance in 1972 and 1973

During 2004, various people, including Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, accused Bush of being absent without leave (AWOL) from the National Guard in 1972–73. These charges were based on gaps in the documentation of Bush's service and the number of drills performed. [ [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/20/bush_guard_records/index.html "Bush in the National Guard: A Primer"] Salon.com — September 20, 2004]

White House communications director Dan Bartlett and others, who called the charge election-year propaganda rebutted the charges by noting that Bush was honorably discharged and that there was no AWOL charge against him.

Released military records show that Bush's documented service record through mid-April 1972 (Bush drilled on the 15th and 16th) is without gaps. On May 24, 1972, Bush submitted a form requesting a transfer to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Alabama. The squadron was under the command of Lt. Colonel Reese R. Bricken. Based on his application, he was already in Alabama at work on the Senate campaign of Winton M. Blount, who was a friend of his father. Jimmy Allison was a longtime family friend who helped him get the campaign work. [ [http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/02/allison/index.html George W. Bush's missing year - Salon.com ] ]

Irregularities in Bush’s transfer request

On May 26, Bricken, (commander of the 9921st), approved Bush’s application for transfer. Bricken wrote: “You already understand that this is a Training Category G, Pay Group None, Reserve Section MM proposition.” As an obligated Reservist, Bush was in “Training Category A,” which required the 48 periods of inactive duty training, and 15 days of active duty training, and was required to remain in that Training Category. Training Category “G” offered no training at all. According to Air Force regulations (AFM 35-3, paragraph 14-6), being in "Training Category A" meant that "If a member...will be unable to further train with his unit because of an impending change of residence,...he is required to sign a statement that he has been counseled." That counseling included notifying Bush of his obligation to find a new unit with which he could fulfill his training obligations. [http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/opinion/lechliter.pdf "President George W. Bush's Military Service: A Critical Analysis", Ret. Col. Lechlighter]

Transfer request is rejected and subsequent performance

Throughout this period, Bush remained obligated to train with his Texas unit, or perform substitute training each month. Bush’s records show that he is credited with no training during these months. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/02/10/bush_credited_for_guard_drills/ Bush credited for Guard drills - The Boston Globe ] ] Colonel Bricken is on record as stating that Bush made no effort to participate as a Guardsman with the 9921st. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/bush/articles/2000/05/23/1_year_gap_in_bushs_guard_duty Boston.com / News / Politics / Presidential candidates / George W. Bush / 1-year gap in Bush's guard duty ] ]

More than a month after the ARPC rejected Bush's transfer request, on September 5, 1972, Bush requested permission to "perform equivalent duty" at the 187th Tactical Recon Group in Alabama "for the months of September, October, and November." He quickly received approval to do so, and was told to report to Lt. Col. William Turnipseed, the base commander, for drills on October 7 and 8, and November 4 and 5 (the September drill dates of the unit had already passed). Bush's grandfather, former U.S. Senator Prescott Bush, died of cancer on October 8, and Bush served as a pallbearer at the funeral in Greenwich, Connecticut. Turnipseed has said that he could not recall whether Bush reported on those occasions. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7372-2004Feb2.html Bush's Guard Service In Question (washingtonpost.com) ] ]

In 2004 John "Bill" Calhoun, a former Alabama Air National Guard officer who had served at the Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Montgomery, home of the 187th, claimed he had seen Bush report for duty "at least six times" between May and October 1972, and that Bush had in fact spent time in his office. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-02-13-bush-military_x.htm USATODAY.com - Former Guardsman: Bush served with me in Alabama ] ] However, the payment and retirement records the White House handed out three days prior to Calhoun's claims show that Bush received no pay or attendance credits from April until the end of October 1972. [ [http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=1257 W's AWOL Spin Update! ] ]

A column in the "Birmingham News" (Alabama) elicited memories from people who remembered Bush when he was in Alabama, working for the Blount campaign: "None have specific recollections about Bush and the National Guard. Some heard he was serving but never saw for themselves." Opinions of him during this time ranged from good (amiable, well liked, and fond of sports) to bad (bragging about drinking and allegations he trashed a cottage where he was living). [http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1077963426278660.xml ; convenience copy at http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=74159] Winton Blount's son Tom said "He was an attractive person, kind of a 'frat boy.' I didn't like him." [cite news|publisher=Village Voice|date=February 11 2004|url= http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0406,mondo1,50942,6.html |title= Dubya in 'Bama: 'God's Gift to Women' | accessdate=2007-07-10]

Released records show that Bush was paid for service for the days of January 4–6 and 8–10, 1973, and that he received a dental examination at Dannelly in Alabama on January 6. [cite news| publisher=The Nation| date=February 19 2004| url=http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames?pid=1264| title= What Bush's Guard File Reveals| accessdate=2006-07-10]

Between 1972 and 1973, Bush dated Mavanee Bear, another member of Blount's campaign staff. Bear stated "I know he served" because he had to regularly reschedule meetings, but also stated "I didn't see him in uniform." When later back in Texas, she frequently saw him in uniform, stating "I think he was mostly just flying in circles over Houston." [ [http://newyorker.com/printable/?talk/040301ta_talk_mayer Old Flames: The Guard Years: The New Yorker ] ]

Back in Houston, in late 1972 or early 1973, Bush did unpaid volunteer work for a number of months with an inner-city poverty program, Project P.U.L.L. (Professional United Leadership League) the brainchild of John White, a former professional football player and civic leader. [ [http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/9990590.htm McClatchy Washington Bureau | Homepage ] ] The April service presumably occurred at his home base, Ellington Air Force Base, in Houston. However there is nothing in the released documents showing that he actually reported on those days, or where, or what duties he performed.

In a document dated May 2, 1973, Bush's immediate superiors gave him his annual performance review for the period from May 1, 1972 to April 30, 1973. The review stated that "Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of the report." Lt. Col. William D. Harris Jr. and Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian also wrote, "A civilian occupation made it necessary for him to move to Montgomery, Ala. He cleared this base on 15 May 1972 and has been performing equivalent training in a non-flying status with the 187 Tac Recon Gp. Dannelly ANG Base, Alabama."

For May 1973, Bush was paid for service on 1–3, 8–11, 19–20, 22–24, and 29–31 May. For June, he was paid for 5 days; for July (his last month of drilling) for 19 days. As of the end of July, 1973, he had been in the National Guard for a little over five years.

Lawrence Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for President Ronald Reagan, has reviewed the payroll records for Bush's last two years of service, and concluded that they indicate that Bush did not fulfill his obligations and could have been ordered to active duty as a result. [ [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/roane040908.htm USNews.com: Bush's military service in question - again (9/8/04) ] ]

Six-year service obligation

On May 27, 1968, Bush signed a six year obligation to complete "48 scheduled inactive-duty training periods" each fiscal year (typically consisting of four four-hour periods during one weekend each month), plus a minimum of 15 days of Annual Active Duty Training. For Bush, as a pilot, this was typically split into periods of duty of a few days each during the year.

"The Boston Globe" reported on September 8, 2004 that "Bush fell well short of meeting his military obligation". [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/09/08/bush_fell_short_on_duty_at_guard/ Bush fell short on duty at Guard - The Boston Globe ] ]

Early release from military obligations

On July 30, 1973, his last day of paid service in the Texas National Guard, Bush signed a statement that "I have been counseled this date regarding my plans to leave my present Reserve of [sic] assignment due to moving from this area. I understand that: a. If I disassociate from my current Ready Reserve Assignment, it is my responsibility to locate and be assigned to another Reserve Forces unit or mobilization augmentation position. If I fail to do so, I am subject to involuntary order to active duty for up to 24 months under the provisions of AFM 35-3, chapter 14."

On September 5, 1973, Bush requested discharge from service, to be effective on October 1. He wrote, "I am moving to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Harvard Business School as a full time student." [web cite|title= George W. Bush's letter of request for discharge for the Texas Air National Guard |date=1973-09-05|url=http://users.cis.net/coldfeet/doc27.gif|type=gif|accessdate=2006-06-15] Jerry Killian recommended approval of the discharge the following day. Bush had completed five years, four months, and five days toward his six-year service obligation.

On October 1, 1973, Bush was honorably discharged from the Texas Air National Guard and transferred to the inactive reserves in Denver, Colorado. He was discharged from the Air Force Reserve on November 21, 1974 thus completing his service to the guard.

Release of military records

During the 2000 presidential campaign, various military records of Bush were made public by the Bush campaign.

On February 13, 2004, more than 700 additional pages of documents on Bush's service were released, including those from the National Personnel Records Center, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. This release is claimed by some to contradict the February 8, 2004, statement by Bush to "Meet the Press" interviewer Tim Russert that "We did [authorize the release of everything] in 2000, by the way." In response, Bush contended that he was referring only to documents already in his possession, as opposed to the newly released documents from military sources.

On June 22, 2004, The Associated Press sued the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force, seeking access to all of Bush's records during his military service.

On July 8, 2004, the Pentagon reported that the microfilmed payroll records of Bush and numerous other service members had been inadvertently ruined in 1996 and 1997 by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service during a project to salvage deteriorating microfilm. The records lost included those covering July through September 1972, when Bush's claims of service in Alabama are in question, and the Pentagon reported that no paper backups could be found. CBS News military analyst Mitch Mitchell said there is no uniform or standard filing form and that most observers agree that National Guard records from that period are a mess. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/03/politics/main615317.shtml Gaps Remain In Bush Guard Service, CBS News Investigation Finds Holes In Bush Military Record] ]

On July 23, 2004, the Pentagon reported that the records it had previously reported destroyed had been found. A Pentagon official said the earlier statement that the records were destroyed was an "inadvertent oversight." The Pentagon released computerized payroll records covering Bush's 1972 service. Like the records released earlier by the White House, the newly released documents did not indicate that Bush performed any drills, in Alabama or elsewhere, during July through September 1972.

On September 7, 2004, the White House released the flight logs recording the flights done by Bush as a pilot. A Pentagon spokeswoman said the logs were found at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, which is the central repository for veterans' records. She said the logs were found among a batch of records sent to St. Louis from Norton Air Force Base in 1993, which were originally thought to contain records of active-duty officers rather than of National Guardsmen such as Bush.

On September 24, 2004, under court order resulting from an earlier FOIA lawsuit filed by the Associated Press, the Pentagon releases more documents. [cite web | title= Judge orders all Bush records released | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6022115 | accessdate=2007-10-04 ] On September 29, 2004, the White House released a November 1974 document, saying it had been in Bush's personnel file and that it had been found by the Pentagon.

On October 5, 2004, more than a week after a court-imposed deadline to turn over all records of Bush's military service, the Texas Air National Guard produced two previously unreleased documents (four pages of records) that include Bush's orders for his last day of active duty in 1973.

On October 14, 2004, two weeks after Texas National Guard officials signed an oath swearing they had turned over all records, the Texas National Guard released 31 additional pages of documents found by two retired Army lawyers who went through Guard files under an agreement between the Texas National Guard and The Associated Press, which sued to gain access to the files. A Guard spokesman defended the continuing discoveries, saying Guard officials didn’t find all of Bush’s records because they are disorganized and in poor shape. "These boxes are full of dirt and rat (excrement) and dead bugs. They have never been sitting in an uncontrolled climate," said Lt. Col. John Stanford. "It’s a tough task to go through archives that were not set up in a way that you could easily go through them."

Memos allegedly from Jerry Killian

The Killian documents were initially claimed by CBS to have come from the "personal files" of the late Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, Bush's squadron commander during Bush's Air National Guard service. [cite web | title= New Questions On Bush Guard Duty | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/08/60II/main641984.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-03 |date=2004-09-08] They describe preferential treatment during Bush's service, including pressure on Killian to "sugar coat" an annual officer rating report for the then 1st Lt. Bush. CBS aired the story amid more releases of Bush's official records by the Department of Defense, including one just the day before as the result of an FOIA lawsuit by the Associated Press. [cite web | title= AP Sues for Bush Guard Records | url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/departments/newsroom/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000543184 | accessdate=2007-10-03 ] The Killian documents were alleged to be fakes by bloggers, starting with a Free Republic posting by Harry MacDougald, a conservative Republican lawyer posting under the pseudonym of "Buckhead". MacDougald alleged that the formatting shown in the documents used proportional fonts that did not come into common use until the mid to late 90's and were therefore likely forgeries. [cite web | title= "Buckhead," who said CBS memos were forged, is a GOP-linked attorney | url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002039080_buckhead18.html | accessdate=2007-10-03|date=2002-03-18 ] [cite web | title= After Blogs Got Hits, CBS Got a Black Eye | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34153-2004Sep19.html | accessdate=2007-10-03 |date=2004-09-19]

The forgery allegations subsequently came to the attention of the mainstream media, especially after some experts also questioned the documents' authenticity and lack of a chain of custody. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/daily/graphics/cbsdocs_091804.html The Paper Trail: A Comparison of Documents] Washington Post, September 18, 2004] Kurtz, Howard [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21675-2004Sep14.html?nav=hcmodule Document Experts Say CBS Ignored Memo 'Red Flags'] "Washington Post", (2004-09-14) Accessed April 30 2006.] [ [http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/21939.html?cprose=5-39 Making Headlines, Not Setting Them] ] The original documents have never been submitted for authentication. The man who delivered the copies, Lt. Col. Bill Burkett, a former officer in the Texas Army National Guard, claims that he burned the originals. [http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-21-cover-guard_x.htm USA Today, September 21, 2004.]

CBS and Dan Rather initially defended the documents and the report, [cite web | title= CBS Stands By Bush-Guard Memos | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/11/politics/main642787.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-03 |date=2004-09-11] but on September 20, CBS News stated that it had been "misled" and that it could not authenticate the documents and should not have used them. [cite web | title= CBS: Bush Memo Story A 'Mistake' | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/21/politics/main644719.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-03 |date=2004-09-21] CBS then formed an independent panel headed by former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and retired Associated Press president Louis D. Boccardi to investigate the story and the handling of the Killian memos. [cite web | title= CBS Names Memo Probe Panel | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/06/politics/main641481.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-03 |date=2004-09-06] The final report of the panel, while not addressing the authenticity of the documents, faulted many of the decisions made in developing the story, and producer Mary Mapes along with three others were forced to resign from CBS News. [cite web | title= CBS Ousts 4 For Bush Guard Story | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/10/national/main665727.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-04 |date=2007-10-04] Prior to the panel report being completed, Rather announced the date of his retirement, [cite web | title= Dan Rather to Step Down at CBS | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7313-2004Nov23.html | accessdate=2007-10-04 |date=2004-11-23] left "60 Minutes Wednesday", stepped down as anchor on March 9, 2006, and then left CBS altogether on June 20, 2006. [cite web | title= Dan Rather Signs Off | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/19/national/main1727285.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-04 | date=2006-06-19] The CBS news show that had aired the memos, "60 Minutes Wednesday" was canceled on May 18, 2005, allegedly due to poor ratings and not because of the memos broadcast. [cite web | title= '60 Minutes' Wednesday Canceled | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/18/60II/main696185.shtml | accessdate=2007-10-04|date=2005-05-18 ] In September, 2007, Rather sued CBS and its former parent company, Viacom, for US$70 million, claiming that he had been made a "scapegoat" over the memos story. [cite web | title= Rather sues CBS for $70 million, saying he was made a scapegoat | url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/20/rather_sues_cbs_for_70_million_saying_he_was_made_a_scapegoat/ | date=2007-09-20|accessdate=2007-10-04 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/foi/bush_records/index.html Official Department of Defense website with released documents]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/news/2004-02-14-bush-docs.htm USA Today posting of released military records] — A number of links to various documents in .PDF format.
* [http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200402180840.asp "Bush and the National Guard: Case Closed"] — Byron York, "National Review", February 18, 2004
* [http://www.wbap.com/listingsentryheadline.asp?ID=239369&PT=wbaptopstories "Daughter of Ben Barnes Disputes Father's Claims as Political"] Text & Audio — WBAP.com (Texas Talk Radio)
* [http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040908/D84V54IG0.html "Lawsuit Uncovers New Bush Guard Records"] — Associated Press September 7, 2004
* [http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/09/08/bush_fell_short_on_duty_at_guard/ "Bush fell short on duty at Guard"] —"Boston Globe", September 8, 2004
* [http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=7089 "All Hat and All Hate"] "American Spectator", September 9, 2004
* [http://www.hillnews.com/york/090904.aspx "Before you fall for Dems’ spin, here are the facts"] Byron York, HillNews.com — September 9, 2004
* [http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/14/bush.texans/index.html "Group offers $50,000 for proof of Bush service"] CNN.com — September 14, 2004
* [http://www.warbirdforum.com/bushf102.htm George W. Bush: military pilot]