The National Guard during the Vietnam conflict was a repository for pampered rich boys hoping to ride out the war without sacrifice. Times have changed, along with spin.

Yeah, like that rich kid who grew up to be the minorty leader of the house, Dick "My dads a milkman" gephardt, who served from 1965 to 1970 in the Missouri guard. Or how about those rich kids who joined the guard 1964 only to die during rescue operations in 1965's Hurricane Betsy and later in Hurricane Camille or the as 125 who died patrolling the streets of watts, detroit, cleveland, washington D.C during the riots?

Or how about those slackers in the Coast Guard? We all know what kind of people joint the Coast Guard.

Service is service. Period.

Let no one denigrate any man or woman because of the choice in service that they choose to do. Thats what a democracy is all about. The National Guard then and now a fine choice, if you could get it. Despite the "spin" of the left, the National Guard throught the 1960's took in a great deal of people who could be described as less than rich, many of whom even went on to have great careers in the regular military.

And if you are alluding to the young Lt. Bush and his service, Ask yourself this, why would anyone choose to serve as the pilot of a single engine jet fighter if you could just as easily be the supply officer? I dont care who your daddy is, its just your ass in the "pointy end", and you have to fly it. And I dont care who your daddy is, if your in my sqaudron and you are less than capable on your checkride, the flight surgeon is going to receive a quick whisper from the commander that the young lt. seems to be ahen - "suffering from a heart arrythmia", which will cause him to lose his flight status for awhile.

As a squadron commander, the very last person on earth that is going to fly one of my planes is the kid of someone important unless the kids is damn near godlike with the aircraft. Because if the young "scion of the rich family" pulls an imitation of a big lawn dart with one of my airplanes and crashes into an elementary school, the family of this kid will barbeque your ass.

If you want to know the #1 best way to avoid service in Vietnam, it was simple. Dont get drafted, join for 4 years and ask for advanced training, your chances of getting it were very good and as a result, you were likely going to do duty in Germany or Korea. If you did that, your chances of Vietnam service between 1965 and 1972 was very low. Or you could join the Navy or Air Force. I dont think anyone on this site is going to say that people in the Navy crews of submarines or destroyers or bomber maintenance crews were slacking off rich boys during the vietnam war.

National Guard members give up a great deal to serve their community and their nation, and to say that they are just rich kids then or now belies the sacrifices that they have always done in service to this country.

its not spin sonny jim, its a fact.