Bush didn't respect the National Guard then and he doesn't respect it now,

[bigtree]

Remember, in Vietnam:

9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam era (August 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975)

National Guard: 6,140 served; 101 died.

Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam.

* Hostile deaths: 47,359.
* Non-hostile deaths: 10,797.
________________________________________

U.S. Casualties In Iraq Rising
Associated Press

June 1, 2004

For the National Guard and Reserve, whose part-time soldiers make up at least one-third of the 135,000 American troops in Iraq, the trend in casualties during May was especially troubling.

At least 22 citizen soldiers died, nearly one-third of all U.S. losses in May. As a percentage of the month's death toll, that is about double what it had been in most previous months of the war. It also shows that the Guard and Reserve are bearing an increasing combat load.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0%2C13319%2CFL_deaths_060104%2C00.html
_____________________________________________

Pentagon casualty reports show that 100 members of the National Guard and 57 members of the Reserves have died in Iraq since the war started in March 2003 — either killed in action or by noncombat causes.

Three states - Arkansas, North Carolina and Washington - now have an Army National Guard combat brigade in Iraq. In the next rotation of troops that will begin late this summer, there will be at least three others, and probably a fourth, plus a National Guard division headquarters.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-06-26-reserves_x.htm?csp=15

[bigtree]

1. .

[bigtree]

2. .

[John_H]

3. I hope Kerry is working on a way to artfully say what you just said

in his speech to the National Guard Association.

This is robably too strong:

"We can debate whether or not George Bush fulfilled his responsibilites to the National Guard 35 years ago. But tens of thousands of guardspeople and their families will tell you without any doubt that he is shirking his responsibilities to the National Guard today."

Then hit overextending tours, no health coverage, etc.

[bigtree]

4. That's it!

This is great timing to have that speech so close to the revelations, with possibly more to come. I don't even think it matters what his reception is. He can just keep hitting his points that he has made about the overdeployment and push his Military Bill of Rights. (http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/veterans/milfamilies.html)