For Immediate Release: October 17, 2000
For more information: Bob Fertik, bob@democrats.com 212-396-3457
Democrats.com Doubles $1,000 Reward Offered by Alabama Veterans for Proof of Bush's Military Service
Democrats.com, an independent news and community site for America's 100 million Democrats, today offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who can prove that George W. Bush actually reported for duty with the Alabama National Guard in 1972.
On Friday, a group of 10 Vietnam veterans from Birmingham, Alabama stood before television cameras from three major networks – CBS, NBC, and FOX - and offered $100 each as a reward, for a total of $1,000.
As reported in the Birmingham News on October 14, veteran John Stewart said: "We're not looking for people to just come off the streets to say, 'I know him and he was there.' We're looking for hard-core evidence."
"We applaud the effort by Vietnam veterans from Alabama to find out the truth about Bush's failure to report for duty in Alabama, contrary to a specific order," said Bob Fertik, co-founder of Democrats.com. "To show our solidarity, we will double the reward by offering an additional $1,000," he said.
The veterans' reward offer was broadcast repeatedly in Alabama over the weekend, but as of today no one has stepped forward to claim the reward.
"The person with proof might not be in Alabama. We want this offer to go way beyond Alabama, to anyone in the world who has access to the Internet," Fertik said.
Democrats.com has reported extensively on the Bush's military record in the Air National Guard from 1968 to 1974. On October 4, Democrats.com published the first independent review of Bush's record by an Air National Guard pilot, Bob Rogers.
The investigation by Rogers revealed that:
- Pilot George W. Bush was grounded from flight in 1972 with two years left to fly, very possibly as a direct or indirect result of substance abuse. Bush has never provided a credible explanation for why he stopped flying, even though the U.S. Government invested nearly $1 million training him to fly.
- Following his grounding, there is no hard evidence that George W. Bush ever reported for duty, despite several direct orders. Bush has said repeatedly during the campaign that he served his time – including specifically reporting for duty in Alabama – but his superior officers never saw him, and the campaign cannot produce any credible evidence.
Details about the reward – and the results of the Democrats.com investigation – are available at www.smokingjet.com.
