[wordup] John Kerry vs. George W. Bush's Military History

[Adam Shand]

It's better on the web site as it does it side by side, but this will 
do for a quick scan.

All you American's overseas ... VOTE!

Adam.

From: http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2004/02/02_400.html

Brothers in Arms?
February 8, 2004

George W. Bush and John Kerry both spent their mid twenties in uniform. 
The similarities end there.

George W. Bush

February, 1968:
A senior at Yale, Bush takes an Air Force officers test. He scores in 
25th percentile in the pilot aptitude portion, and declares that he 
does not wish to serve overseas.

May 27, 1968:
Bush enlists in Texas Air National Guard. Aided by Texas House Speaker 
Ben Barnes, he jumps over waiting list. He pledges two years of active 
duty and four years of reserve duty.

June 9, 1968:
Bush's student deferment expires.

September 1968:
After basic training, Bush pulls inactive duty to act as gopher on 
Florida Senator Edward J. Gurney's campaign.

November 1968:
After Gurney wins, Bush is reactivated and transferred to Georgia.

November 1969:
Bush is flown to the White House by President Nixon for a date with 
daughter Tricia.

December 1969:
Bush transfers to Houston and moves into Chateaux Dijon complex. Laura 
lives there too, but they don't meet till later.

March 1970:
Bush gets his wings.

June 1970:
Bush joins the Guard's "Champagne Unit," where he flies with sons of 
Texas' elite.

November 3, 1970:
George Bush Sr. loses Senate election to Lloyd Bentsen, whose son is 
also in the "Champagne Unit."

November 7, 1970:
Bush is promoted to first lieutenant. Rejected by University of Texas 
School of Law.

January 1971:
The Texas Air National Guard begins testing for drugs during physicals.

Spring 1971:
Bush is hired by a Texas agricultural importer. He uses a National 
Guard F-102 to shuttle tropical plants from Florida.

May 26, 1972:
Bush transfers to Alabama Guard unit so he can work on Senator William 
Blount's reelection campaign. According to his commanding officer, Bush 
never shows up for duty while in Alabama.

August 1972:
Bush is grounded for missing a mandatory physical.

November 1972:
Bush returns to Houston, but never reports for Guard duty.

December 1972:
In D.C. for the holidays, Bush takes 16-year-old brother Marvin 
drinking and driving. Confronted by father, Bush suggests they settle 
it "mano a mano."

October 1, 1973:
The Air National Guard relieves Bush from commitment eight months 
early, allowing him to attend Harvard Business School.

---------------------------------------------------

John Kerry

February 18, 1966:
A senior at Yale, Kerry commits to enlist in the Navy.

December, 1967:
Kerry is assigned as an Ensign to the guided-missile frigate USS 
Gridley. After five-months aboard, he returns to San Diego to undergo 
training to command a Swift boat, used by the Navy for patrols in 
Vietnam.

June, 1968:
Kerry is promoted to Lieutenant.

November 17, 1968:
Kerry arrives in Vietnam, where he is given command of Swift boat No. 
44, operating in the Mekong Delta.

December 2, 1968:
Kerry gets his first taste of intense combat, and is wounded in the 
arm. He is awarded a Purple Heart.

January, 1969:
Kerry takes command of a new Swift boat, completing 18 missions over 48 
days, almost all in the Mekong Delta area.

February 20, 1969:
Kerry is wounded again, taking shrapnel in the left thigh, after a 
gunboat battle. He is awarded a second Purple Heart.

February 28, 1969:
Kerry and his boat crew, coming under attack while patroling in the 
Mekong Delta, decide to counterattack. In the middle of the ensuing 
firefight, Kerry leaves his boat, pursues a Viet Cong fighter into a 
small hut, kills him, and retreives a rocket launcher. He is awarded a 
Silver Star.

March 13, 1969:
A mine detonates near Kerry's boat, wounding him in the right arm. He 
is awarded a third Purple Heart. He is also awarded a Bronze Star for 
pulling a crew member, who had fallen overboard, back on the boat 
amidst a firefight.

April, 1969:
According to Navy rules, sailors that have been wounded three times in 
combat are eligible to be transfered to the U.S. for noncombat duty. 
Kerry is transferred to desk duty in Brooklyn, NY.

January 3, 1970:
Kerry requests that he be discharged early from the Navy so that he can 
run for Congress in Massachusetts' Third District. The request is 
granted, and Kerry begins his first political campaign.

February 1970:
Kerry drops his bid for the Democratic nomination and supports Robert 
F. Drinan. Drinan, a staunch opponent of the war, wins the race and 
goes on to serve in Congress for ten years.

June 1970:
Kerry joins Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and becomes one of the 
group's unofficial spokespeople.

April 23, 1971:
Kerry helps to organize a huge anti-war protest outside Congress, 
earning a place on president Richard Nixon's "enemies' list." He joins 
a group of Vietnam veterans who throw medals and campaign ribbons over 
a fence in front of the Capitol.

April 23, 1971:
Kerry testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He tells 
lawmakers: "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a 
mistake?"

November 10, 1971:
Kerry quits Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

April 1972:
Kerry moves to Massachusetts' 5th District to run for Congress again. 
He wins the Democratic nomination but loses to Republican Paul Cronin, 
in part because of his anti-war views.

November 1972:
After losing the election, Kerry is hired as a regional coordinator for 
Cooperative for American Relief to Everywhere(CARE).

September, 1973:
Kerry enrolls at Boston College Law School.