One question, folks: Who in their right mind would have wanted to serve in Vietnam?
George W. Bush
- Requested and was granted training on the F-102. At the time
he requested the training, the F-102 was active in Vietnam
- After being flight qualified, requested assignment in Vietnam.
At the time, F-102 was active in Vietnam. His request was
denied because his superior officers deemed him too "green"
for combat duty.
- After having more experience, again requested assignment to
Vietnam. This time his request was denied because the F-102
was not active in Vietnam.
John Kerry
- Requested assignment on Swift boats at a time when their
duty was not upriver, but shore. A Boston Globe story
reported, "Kerry also believed a swift boat assignment would
keep him away from the frontlines of combat."
John Kerry himself wrote, in 1986, "At the time, the boats had
very little to do with war. They were engaged in coastal
patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing.
Although I wanted to see for myself what was going on, I
didn't really want to get involved in the war."
Points well made. This I think is something we should emphasize. President Bush wanted to serve in combat & John Kerry did not. However, because of (to quote Shakespeare) "giddy Fortune's furious fickle wheel", President Bush wound up in Texas, and John Kerry wound up in the Mekong Delta.