Just for the record, William Cohen, Sec. Rumsfeld's predecessor and appointed by President Clinton is a moderate Republican. He was not a Democrat.

As far as serving in the National Guard goes, if you were a draft-age male alive in the sixties, and not real keen on slogging through rice paddies, then you were looking for a National Guard Unit that wasn't full. And, those units were full all around the country, not with a bunch of guys looking to get some pre-training in before they were activated. I know of people that traveled far and wide looking for a unit that wasn't full. Spending the Viet Nam era in a Guard Unit did not say much about your patriotism. No offense to our National Guard, but that was the reality of the mid and late 60's. I was always surprised that this did not get much talk during all the "Swift Boat" stuff. I also had many friends in the Guard during this time that missed a lot of drills and this was overlooked with a "wink and a nod." Remember how our military was viewed at that time and I think you will, maybe reluctantly, have to agree. It is no surprise that a President's Guard duty records seemed to be non-existent for some of that period.

Sorry if this offends any of you, but the 60's were not that long ago to remember just what was going on here and especially with respect to finding your way in to the National Guard.

best regards,

Ed Pirie
West Topsham, Vermont