Res Publica 2005

Eye Witness #1

James Anderson was a physician for the Montgomery-based 187th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. His son, Montgomery physician Noble Anderson, said his father performed a routine examination on Bush at Dannelly Air National Guard base in 1972.

The military doctor says that Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun brought Bush by his office for an exam, Noble Anderson said. James Anderson could not remember which month he saw Bush, only that it was some time in 1972. (Source: Jessica M. Walker, “Doctor Recalls Treating Bush,” Feb. 15, 2004, Montgomery Advertiser)

Eye Witness #2

Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun that he remembers George W. Bush showing up for duty in Alabama in 1972, reading safety magazines and flight manuals in an office as he performed his weekend obligations.

“I saw him each drill period,” retired Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun said. “He was very aggressive about doing his duty there. He never complained about it. ... He was very dedicated to what he was doing in the Guard. He showed up on time and he left at the end of the day.”

The 69-year-old president of an Atlanta insulation company said Bush showed up for work at Dannelly Air National Guard Base for drills on at least six occasions. Bush and Calhoun had both been trained as fighter pilots, and Calhoun said the two would swap “war stories” and even eat lunch together on base.

“He sat in my office most of the time he would read,” Calhoun said. “He had your training manuals from your aircraft he was flying. He'd study those some. He'd read safety magazines, which is a common thing for pilots.” (Source: Allen G. Breed, “Ex-Guardsman Says Bush Served in Ala.,” Feb. 13, 2004, Associated Press)

Eye Witness #3

Retired Master Sgt. James Copeland, who lives in Hartselle, retired from the Air Force on Jan. 31, 1980. He was the disbursement accounting supervisor, a full-time position, for Dannelly Air National Guard Base in Montgomery from Oct. 28, 1971, to Oct. 27, 1975. His office was less than 100 yards from the hangar where Bush performed drills.

Copeland, 65, remembers meeting Bush on two occasions. He does not remember the precise dates. On one occasion, Copeland said, Bush and Lt. Col. John “Bill” Calhoun came to Copeland's office with a question about Bush’s pay. Copeland is not sure, but he believes the question had to do with where to mail Bush's checks.

“You hear people saying that everybody (at Dannelly) knew the Bushes. Well, that's just a lie,” Copeland said. “He was just another pilot. No one paid any more attention to him than to anyone else. There was no hoopla.” (Source: Eric Fleischauer, “Former Dannelly worker: Bush not AWOL,” Feb. 16, 2004, The Daily Decatur)

Eye Witness #4

Joe LeFevers, a member of the 187th in 1972, said he remembers seeing Bush in unit offices and being told that Bush was in Montgomery to work on Blount's campaign.

"I was going in the orderly room over there one day, and they said, `This is Lt. Bush,'" LeFevers said Tuesday. "They pointed him out to me ... the reason I remember it is because I associate him with Red Blount." (Source: Mary Orndorff & Brett J. Blackledge, “Bush Was At Alabama Base, Says Ex-Guardsman,” Feb. 11, 2004, Birmingham News)

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There are also corroborating witnesses as well. Read the rest, join in the discussion at Free Republic.

# posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 2:11 PM