Billy Burpelson wrote:
D Peter Maus wrote:

Not only a pilot, but an F102 pilot...one of the hardest aircraft to
fly. And his own wing commander proudly stated he was one of the MOST
accomplished F102 pilots in the Guard.

Let me ask a legitimate question...

Do you think the wing commander's statement may have been influenced by
the commander knowing that W's daddy was a big shot in Washington?


No, I don't think so. GHW Bush was a military hero, himself. He knew
and understood the value of the truth in training pilots to serve in
combat.

More importantly, a wing commander doesn't get to be a wing commander
without the hide to tell the truth and fade the heat.



Or maybe he should have committed a career ending move by telling the
truth. What would you do?

I'm no stranger to politically sensitive situations in my career. And
while not as visible as the President and his son, I have been put in a
situation where telling the truth to a corporate vice president about
his own kid could have been instantly fatal to my career, and being out
of the public eye, I could have been launched from the building and no
one would have been the wiser.

I told the truth.

Things got a little warm in my chair for a while. But the VP knew
that truth is a much more actionable, and substantive commodity than a
lie. And though he didn't like it....he accepted it, and acted accordingly.

I was with the company for another 11 years.

A wing commander worth his salt would tell the truth, as well.

P.S.

Speaking of career ending moves, how about the Generals in Iraq 2 or 3
years ago who said "We need more troops" (a 'surge', if you will) and
got forced into early retirement for their trouble.


As I recall, there was no forced retirement.

And as I recall, the politics of the comments didn't involve only the
White House.

The problems with the comments is the way they were made, and where
they were made. Not what was actually said.



A few years later, W 'came up' with the brilliant idea of a 'surge'. I
wonder if W ever apologized (or re-instated) those generals who
originally brought it up...


The surge had been under discussion for some time well before it was
discussed publicly. And it didn't originate with Mr Bush. It originated
with his Generals. And would not have been publicly discussed had it not
been for political opposition leaking the strategy to the press.