WASHINGTON - After trying to quell stories about his Vietnam-era military record, President Bush is seeking to move beyond it by meeting with National Guard members in Louisiana.
Bush was spending Tuesday at Fort Polk, La., giving a speech to thank troops there for their service and sacrifice, White House aides said. Two soldiers killed by a roadside bomb while on mounted patrol in Iraq (news - web sites) last week were assigned to Fort Polk.
In the address, Bush also was reminding troops about the stakes in the war on terrorism and in Iraq.
Fort Polk is home to a regiment due to return soon from a year of service in Iraq. The 4,000-strong 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, in Iraq since last March, is to return sometime in March or April. It is to be replaced by a brigade from the 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas, as part of a larger troop rotation announced earlier by the Pentagon.
After the speech, Bush was lunching with National Guard members at the base. Thousands of Guard troops have trained at Fort Polk in recent months.
The president's visit is bound to serve as a reminder of a story that consumed the White House last week: Bush's record of service in the Texas Air National Guard in the early 1970s.
At issue is whether he showed up for service in Alabama after receiving permission to serve there temporarily in 1972-1973. Bush says he recalls serving there, but there is scant documentation proving it.
Late Friday, the White House released hundreds of pages of documents it said comprised Bush's entire military record, but the records offered no definitive answers.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry has kept silent on the flap in recent days, but he used Bush's trip to Louisiana to criticize the president's treatment of the military.
"With Kerry, veterans will have a veteran in the White House who fights to make sure they get the benefits they deserve," Kerry said.
Kerry said Bush's policies had threatened to undermine troops' pay, health care and battlefield protection.
"John Kerry will keep America's promise to those who served their country bravely," the Democratic presidential front-runner said.
The base Bush was visiting houses the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center for training exercises with the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Fort Polk is also home to a variety of units — the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment affiliated with the XVIII Airborne Corps, and the Warrior Brigade, which contains several units with early deploying wartime missions. Medical, dental and military police commands are also assigned to the post.
The Fort Polk has played a role in the war on terrorism by providing training for the Army's light infantry and special operations forces and by deploying troops to Operations Enduring Freedom and Noble Eagle. Fort Polk soldiers also participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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