Ed: Republican, Democrat (and I am neither), it doesn't matter. My point is that most SecDefs in recent years haven't served in uniform in any capacity. For that matter, neither FDR nor Wilson served, yet both led the nation into war. So Will's finding "interest" in the Bushies' lack of service is disingenuous at best.

As for the Guard, members have always been on call for service, whether in natural disasters, civil upheaval or national defense. Whether or not they are called up depends on the state and the nation. During the Vietnam war, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam. I was in the Guard from 1953 to 1961, and make no apologies for being willing to serve - rather than getting deferments - while going to school and while raising a family.

Like it or not, GWB and Rummy earned the right to wear US military uniforms. Their predecessors, most of their vociferous critics - and most Americans today - have not.

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