Dog Ate Bush's Military Records Says Pentagon

"Thanks for getting me into that 'Champagne" unit of the National Guard here in Texas, Dad. Whew! That was a close one."

Pentagon: Bush Military Records Destroyed

Fri Jul 9,10:49 AM ET

WASHINGTON - Military payroll records that could more fully document President Bush's whereabouts during his service in the Texas Air National Guard were inadvertently destroyed, according to the Pentagon.

In a letter responding to a freedom of information request by The Associated Press, the Defense Department said that microfilm containing the pertinent National Guard payroll records was damaged and could not be salvaged. The damaged material included payroll records for the first quarter of 1969 and the third quarter of 1972.

"President Bush's payroll records for those two quarters were among the records destroyed," wrote C.Y. Talbott, of the Pentagon's Freedom of Information and Security Review section. "Searches for back-up paper copies of the missing records were unsuccessful." (SEE LINK ABOVE FOR REST OF STORY)