Staudt speaks out about Bush memo debacle to New Braunfels paper

The New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung ^ | September 22, 2004 | Leigh Jones

[naturalized]

Three weeks ago, New Braunfels resident Col. Walter Staudt became a national figure, albeit a silent one.

Ever since he was named in a controversial memo CBS aired purporting to prove that President George W. Bush’s Texas Air National Guard service record was “sugar-coated” due to political pressure, Staudt has been bombarded by reporters wanting him to verify or disavow those claims.

When the phone rings, he does not answer, and when someone comes to the door, he only opens it a crack.

“I counted up to 40 calls last Monday, but I probably got 50 or 60 phone calls that day,” he said. “Lots of them even come to the door.”

Staudt, 81, has only given interviews to ABC and the Herald-Zeitung.

He is not trying to be rude, but he has answered these questions before.

“The subject started when (Bush’s) daddy ran for vice president, and it’s been going on ever since,” he said. “I don’t have much to tell. It’s simple to me. There was no political influence. That’s the truth.”

[naturalized]

Straight from the horse's mouth.

[The G Man]

Good stuff. Thanks for posting that.

[js1138]

A German newspaper in Texas? Veeeery interesting.

[Wonder Warthog]

"A German newspaper in Texas? Veeeery interesting."

Well, the New Braunsfels area WAS settled by Germans, and still retains a heavy dose of German influence today--the newspaper name obviously being one of them.

[NonValueAdded]

Here is the nut of the story:

As brigadier general of Bush’s unit, Staudt was responsible for enrolling anybody who wanted to enter pilot training.

He maintains no one did Bush any favors — no one had to.

“He was a good candidate, well educated,” he said. “We needed pilots, and he wanted to be one.”

[Sacajaweau]

Tell Dan "in the can" that this is a pretty good source. He's alive and not a gossip monger like the little old lady.

[sarasotarepublican]

It's about time this got covered. Last Friday, late afternoon, ABC came out with a report stating that the information on those documents were false.

The great Mark Levin was reading it on air during his program with airs between 6-8pm. I faxed the article to Rush, Hannity and Laura. Not a peep from anyone. This is a big story. I am so tired of these dimocrat yahoos constantly echoing the same rhetoric. "The documents are fake, but the story is real."

I hope Hannity hits this one home tonight.

[Loyal Buckeye]

I believe a lot of Germans imigrated to the U.S. in the 1800's and settled in Texas.

[rightazrain]

Yes they did. And they hold onto their traditions, names, etc. though now they are 100% proud Americans.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

A German newspaper in Texas? Veeeery interesting.

A lot of Germans settled in central Texas...It's one of those things a lot of people don't realize but gives Texas the flavor it has...Admiral Nimetz was born in Fredricksburg, which is smack in the German settlement area, and a neat place to visit...

[vrwinger]

No, no, NO! You obviously have NOT been paying attention! Bush jumped past thousands of candidates to get into the TxANG! Barnes said so! LOL!

The qualifications were not easy to meet, and the candidate was committed to two years or so of full time training up front... There was NOT a long line of people waiting...Why let the facts get in the way of a good smear job??

[Agent Smith]

BUMP

[randita]

I'd love to have a nickel every time a liberal pundit says it's common knowledge that Bush received preferential treatment because his Daddy was rich and influential. Here's a retired Col. in the position to know first hand what happened, and he says that just ain't so.

[Paleo Conservative]

He should sue C^BS News for slander. The Killian family can't sue, becaue only live people can be slandered. Mickey Kaus says such a suit could be used as an investigational weapon against the perpetrators of the memo fraud to get information useful for criminal invetigations.

[JaguarXKE]

Here's a retired Col. in the position to know first hand what happened, and he says that just ain't so.

Since when does the left give a rat's *** about the truth?

Jag

[Robert A Cook PE]

The (Catholic, anti-slavery) German settlers in Bastrop, New Braunfels, Castroville, Round Rock, Rockne, Schertz, Cibalo and points around Austin-San Antonio were so strong from 1835-1860 that that area almost "seceded" from Texas when it left the US to join the Confederacy.
Couple of waves of German immigration: first was 1835-1855, then again after the Franco-Prussian war in the mid-1870's. Less after the 1890-1910's when Germanic immigration lessened as the Slav's, Jews, Italians, and southern Europeans became more common into NY.
My great-grandmother (Bastrop-Rockne area) spoke nothing but German through the mid-20's. My grandmother grew up speaking German at home and at church. Likewise on my wife's side down near Castroville.

German POW camps were set in that area because they could find lots of German-speaking locals to hire the POW's in WWII to work on the farms and roads.

[Dick Vomer]

Well, the New Braunsfels area WAS settled by Germans, and still retains a heavy dose of German influence today--the newspaper name obviously being one of them.

I remember when Kinky Friedman (Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jew Boys) ran as mayor of a (Kerrville ?)neighboring town on the platform that he wouldn't declare war against New Braunfels...hilarious...

[rod1]

Yep New Bransfeld, Kerrville, Comfort, etc. towns ringing the hill country just North of San Antonio were all settled by Germans about 1850-60 (early for Texas as per "the Alamo and its indepedendence from Mexico). A high proportion of the population in those small towns were bilingual at least when I was growning up in SA. So having a a German language community newspaper is quite logical. The Aussies are also in NB as that is where John Newcombe established his tennis ranch back around the early 70s. South of SA are villages established by Polish, Slavic and Italian emigrants.

Of course SA itself is a majority Hispanic population and has been for decades.

[normy]

Not only that but there was a major internment camp for Germans in Texas during WWII, we're not supposed to know much about that either.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Bush jumped past thousands of candidates to get into the TxANG! Barnes said so! LOL!

. . . which is why we see people on every streetcorner today who applied to TANG for a cushy billet as a fighter pilot, and were refused for no reason!

Oh, that's right - they were all killed in Vietnam! Every name on The Wall is of someone who applied to TANG to be a garritrooper who was entirely safe from being sent to Vietnam!

</sarcasm>