The documents might be legit, except we are just hearing the Democrats and CBS's interpretation. Just like the AP reports heard boos instead of applause for Clinton.
CYA 18 August 1973 Interpretation
Bush was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in October 1973. The CYA document is dated 18 August 1973.
The higher ups wanted the Colonel to give Bush a good final review before he left. The Colonel just documented that he couldn't do this, because he hadn't observed Bush in the previous year (Bush was in Alabama, the Colonel in Texas). This document is just to protect the Colonel's butt in case some one questions him in the future why he may have been too lazy to give Bush a review.
Suspension of Flight Status 1st - August 1972 Interpretation
I just see this a the Colonel wanting a replacement for Bush asap in 1972. You can even interpret statement (1) as the Colonel himself ordering Bush not to get a checkup.
19 May 1972 Interpretation
Just the Colonel documenting that he tried to keep Bush on in Alabama, in case someone later accuses the Colonel of running a holiday camp.
Yes, colonels definitely ran some "holiday camps" as you put it. That's why IGs were all the time busting them for that, or something else very much like that.
Over in Deutschland back in the late 1960s more than one colonel (e.g. a couple of the guys who rotated through my unit in fact) made sure certain guys in the the medical platoon got winter duty at Garmish.
One day an IG discovered that all the medics getting this special assignment were "ta-da, ta-ta-ta-da" HOMOSEXUAL!
Although no one could ever say whether or not these colonels had sent the gayblades off to Garmish as a reward, or just to get them out of the unit, they really got into some trouble.
I would imagine "W"s colonel had every incentive imagineable to provide CYA memos showing every step "W" took to get out of Texas and into 'bama.
Makes me wonder just who it was in charge of the 'bama scene anyway. That, and the failure of the Log Cabin Republicans to endorse "W" this time out might go a long way toward explaining why there are a couple of old party boys from 'bama telling us they really don't ever remember "W" attending a single drill there.
Maybe they really were "expecting him" because there really weren't all that many single guys, or maybe they were "expecting him" because he was fresh meat.
This cries out for investigation.