The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

I doubt this will get much play in the "mainstream" press...

The Washington Times (reported by FrontPage) printed a piece by Col. William Campenni, a man who served with President Bush in the Air National Guard. It is a stirring piece, one that will no doubt get glossed over because of the refusal of the Left to admit that a) Bush served his full term in the ANG, b) Flying jet planes is no cakewalk and c) The hundreds of thousands who have served in the ANG served honorably and fulfilled their duty to the country.

As Col. Campenni points out, the jet fighter duty was pretty hazardous stuff and Bush was trained on the F-102 and his unit used them exclusively. The F-102 (remember this was the Cold War and guarding our airspace was a real and constant priority) is an air defense fighter, incapable of bombing missions and thus virtually worthless in Vietnam. Lots of regular service folks in the Air Force don't serve in combat areas, but try telling the Pentagon that the airmen at NORAD and in the tiny radar stations worldwide are not serving their country. Missle crews silently standing post in Nebraksa, the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming will likely never be shot at but still are serving their country to the fullest. As Col. Campenni states:

In the Cold War, the air defense of the United States was borne primarily by the Air National Guard, by such people as Lt. Bush and me and a lot of others. Six of those with whom I served in those years never made their 30th birthdays because they died in crashes flying air-defense missions.

Hardly the safe and easy way out....

The double standard here is infuriating. During the 1992 and 1996 elections, the Left cried and rent their garments whenever anyone questioned Bill Clinton, a man who was a well-known and admitted draft dodger. Anyone who would equate serving in the Air National Guard and flying jets with shirking your draft responsibilities and fleeing the country should be slapped. Certainly serving in the guard was less dangerous than serving in 'Nam. It is also legal, as is getting a college deferment. What is NOT legal is to ignore the draft entirely, refusing to serve in any capacity without even the most basic legal excuse. Bill Clinton is a coward. George Bush and John Kerry, to both of their credits, did serve in the Armed Forces albeit in different capacities. To suggets otherwise is to denigrate the service of the thousands of loyal Americans who have served in the National Guard.