A friend came to me with the supposition: What if GWB failed to report to his flight physical, not because he was on coke, but because he was trying to avoid training for an aircraft type that might be used in 'Nam?
I think it is a reasonable idea, and one that has not been explored by the press at all.
Here’s what we know – GWB was trained to fly the F-102, an obsolete aircraft that ended its operational deployment in SEA prior to him getting his wings.
We also know that the F-106 was a direct desendant of the F-102, was used in SEA, and probably would have been an easy transition for any “dagger” pilot. Was this aircraft ever deployed to the Texas ANG or the Alabama ANG?
Were other types of aircraft used in 'Nam scheduled to be deployed to the Texas or Alabama ANG? Were any F-102 pilots in those units transitioned to them? Did any of those pilots end up in SEA?
Last question (and I already know it is rhetorical, because I know several) – did any ANG aviators end up in 'Nam?
Political axe-grinding aside, some information about the planes you mention.
First, neither the F-102 nor the F-106 were extensively deployed in that theater, being designed for high-altitude, high-speed interception of incoming Soviet bombers. The NVAF was notably lacking in such threats, so only a relatively small number of F-102’s were sent to this theater. This deployment lasted from 1965-1969. Bush only entered the Guard in May, 1968 and completed his flight training in 1969. There wasn’t much overlap between Bush’s Guard service and the deployment of this aircraft in Vietnam.
OTOH, Guard and AFR units in the continental US were doing this sort of thing throughout the Cold War. The F-102 entered service in 1956 and was only retired in 1976. The Houston unit continued to use this plane until 1974. This is exactly what F-102’s were designed to do. Similarly the F-106 was used exclusively by the Aerospace Defense Command until that organization was disbanded in 1980, and not deployed to Vietnam. Although it was considered for Vietnam service, it never went.
I think your “avoiding type training” theory fails on these points.
Additionally, in February Newsweek reported that GWB and three other pilots from his squadron attempted to volunteer for service in Southeast Asia under a program called “Palace Alert”. If I recall the article correctly, this was on the tail end of the F-102’s deployment in the area. Apparently, Bush and another pilot were turned down because they lacked experience in the aircraft (he was, after all, fresh from pilot training), but the other two pilots were accepted to the program and shipped out.
Your friend is the only person I’ve ever heard suggest that cocaine was a reason for Bush to skip the flight physical. Got any news sources for that allegation?
Well, I’m not the one with the ax to grind. I have seen allegations of drugs/alcohol being the reason behind the non-physical, but I’m not going to offer any cites because they are not all that credible…
I still wonder why anybody hasn’t submitted a theory similar to this in the media. It has to be more credible than some of the other crap I hear. And I still have to question why any military pilot would take actions and/or not do things to keep his wings
Maybe because a “theory like this” needs work before it fits the documented facts.
Given that “more credible” is a relative term, I guess so. But who would offer such a theory to the media? Most of the talking heads are either
A: ex-military types too well-informed about the service history of this type and the President
B: political types too uninformed to consider it
Your friend falls into that “just knowledgable enough to be dangerous” gray area. 
