Colonel relieved of command for failing PT

By Jeff Schogol - Staff writer

Posted : Wednesday Mar 20, 2013 16:47:54 EDT

The Air Force has relieved a full colonel with an impeccable resume for failing his physical fitness test.

Effective immediately, Col. Tim Bush is no longer in command of the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., said Maj. Mike Andrews, spokesman for Air Mobility Command, in a statement Wednesday afternoon. The wing’s vice commander, Col. Christopher Mann, will serve as interim commander until a replacement is found.

“Bush was not relieved for alleged misconduct or wrongdoing,” said a news release from Air Mobility Command.

The decision was made by Maj. Gen. William Bender, Air Force Expeditionary Center commander, who oversees administrative control for six wings and two groups within Air Mobility Command, which includes the 319th Air Base Wing.

Bush told airmen at a commander’s call that he failed the waist measurement component of the PT test, said an Air Force official who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Bush has requested to retire, the official said.

Bush is a 1988 Air Force Academy graduate with a senior pilot rating, according to his Air Force biography. He has more than 2,100 flying hours in the T-37, T-38 and KC-135R/T.

“Colonel Bush has also served as Presidential Advance Agent for Air Force One, Aide de Camp to the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Commander, 384th Air Refueling Squadron, Commander, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, and Commander, 733d Air Mobility Squadron,” the biography says.

From January to May 2011, Bush served as the deputy director of mobility forces for U.S. Air Forces Central Command from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

https://www.airforcet...ling-pt-032013w

He'll have to suck it up and move on...

2100 hours? Senior Pilot? Sounds about right ... for a junior Major.

What is a failing score on the waist measurement these days? And how many feet did he bust it by?

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by LJ Driver

Hours vs position not withstanding, YGBSM. Unless there is more to this store (multiple fails, etc) this is supreme bullshit.

Unless there is more to this store (multiple fails, etc) this is supreme bullshit.

Disagree. This guy is a wing commander - it's his job not just to meet the standards, but to exceed them. It's not like this is a no-notice UCI, or a flight mishap down in a squadron that he had not direct oversignt over - it's his own freaking PT test - you have all year to stay in decent enough shape to pass. Any other guy fails? Yeah, the usual administrative slap or bad EPR/OPR, but again, this guy is a wing-freaking commander.

zb

Stupid.

2100 hours? Senior Pilot? Sounds about right ... for a junior Major.

Or a captain basic AC with 1 year TIG in a tanker squadron. WTF?

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by LockheedFix

He didn't become a pilot until he was captain so he started a little late.

He doesn't look that bad...

I sure as hell have seen a helluva lot worse!

Hours vs position not withstanding, YGBSM. Unless there is more to this store (multiple fails, etc) this is supreme bullshit.

Why? McGuire just fired the Sq/CC for the same exact thing, why wouldn't they hold a Wing King to the same standard. Col Bush was my Vice at my last base, he's a bigger guy, but I've seen worse.

This last assignment must have been stressful.

That's not Col Bush. That's the current Fairchild Vice.

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by Azimuth

I was wondering...Here are the bios...

https://www.grandforks.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=14753

https://www.fairchild.af.mil/library/biographies/bio_print.asp?bioID=12442&page=1

He didn't become a pilot until he was captain so he started a little late.

He graduated UPT in May 1992 according to his bio.

Hm. He was one of my 908EARS/CCs. Small world.

Word on the street is the waist measurement is going away soon.

Word on the street is the waist measurement is going away soon.

To be replaced with what asinine feat of strength?

Looks like our CSAF--and I don't mean that in a harsh way. There are much worse out there. Wonder if he had multiple failures?

Well, that's one way to get out quick! We used to call it "OPERATION Bon Bon." Fail waist, apply for retirement, get ADSCs waived, retire. Seen it used effectively by both officer and enlisted.

Not saying that happened here. This guy coulda just been railroaded by some new unwritten rule for GOs and Cols...damn shame, if so. Worse if Waist measurement goes away soon...

ETA: IMHBAO, no matter who you are, on your first failure, even CSAF or CMSAF, you should AT MOST get a counseling session on the importance the AF places on this entire ridiculous administrative physical assessment.

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by Learjetter

So... could this be semi-"on purpose"?

O-6, well-connected, highly placed... but has had enough and is considering retiring. Either on his own or after discussing (off line) with other senior officers, figures he can simultaneously draw attention to a broken system and get his exit sooner rather than later.

[EDIT: Learjetter types faster than me]

[/conspiracy theory]

Even if I'm out to lunch on that (admittedly wild) scenario, this may be the best thing to happen wrt the PT idiocy (the implementation, not the concept) if it leads to changing the way we do business. If you (anyone--up to / including CSAF) can't see the idiocy in firing someone who was a superstar* yesterday because he failed a tape measure today... well, I have no words.

*don't know the guy, never heard of him, never worked with/for him... but, I've yet to read any negative, and he had to be doing something right (as defined by the machine) to get a wing....

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by Jughead

I get that we are the military and physical fitness is important. However, this is ridiculous and the focus that we often place on fitness is stupid. PT God does not equal good officer. I've seen it happen more that once during my career where someone got a DG or was pushed ahead because they could score a 100 on their PT test when they were lesser when it comes to officership. To fire an awesome officer because of failing a waist measurement is stupid. Did he pass the rest of the test? If so... huge foul! Good job AF, you just got rid of a great officer because his waist was a little thick. Nice one.

fitness ≠ waist measurement

There are more pictures out there, and recent ones. He's a tall Dude. I think he passes the Mark I Eyeball Test and presents to the public an image of a middle-aged, acceptable appearance (I'd even say better than average for an American)--illustrating how poor of an evaluation the waist measurement is for people of taller heights. Waist measurement advocates say they need this to determine which service members are of risk to heart disease and other problems due to their >39" abdomens--but if "risk" to future health is cause for a PT failure the same could be said of smokers. Our PT assessment has become more important than leadership attributes, job knowledge and communication skills--which is crazy.

The thing is that the standard is upfront and obvious. We can argue all day about "Is this a good standard?" As a WG/CC, how many airmen exited the service under his pen due to failing the same standard? What should you do with an organizational leader who doesn't pass the bar we set for everyone? He's got to go. Bending the standard for an O-6 is absolutely the wrong path to go down.

Hopefully, this starts a higher AF-level discussion on what our PT test is really trying to measure. I personally think the waist measurement is one of the better tests, as you can't just punch it out with two weeks worth of work: it takes actually living healthy to pass. Sure... body composition, pinch tests, or BMI may be better tools, and maybe the standard needs some updating. That said, we've set the standard a few years ago now: leaders absolutely should be expected to both enforce them and live up to them.

I know Col Bush from a prior assignment. Good all around guy and an excellent leader despite his low hours. I have mixed feelings about this thing. On the one hand, the AF has set the standard and is enforcing it regardless of rank. This is not always the case, so it's good to see the service be fair for a change. Problem is, it's just plain stupid policy. Col Bush is one more of those guys who you'd really like to see move up the chain and is now gone, leaving a hole that is ripe too be filled by some douchebag who couldn't lead a priest to a cub scout meeting. Hopefully this will wake some senior leaders up to the fact that they are loosing competent airmen to an arbitrary measurement that has nothing to do with job performance. It really is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Interesting perspective from the local media:

https://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/259356/

My buddy saw an old DO of ours who just finished a tour as a Wing CC and he asked him what the worst part about being a Wing CC was... "The most frustrating thing was when the AF forced me to kick out several outstanding troops who were great at their jobs just because they couldn't pass part of a PT test, but the useless slugs who sucked at their jobs and didn't give a shit, I was forced to keep."

Maj Gen Bender, the guy who fired him, is definitely one of the good guys. I've heard a few unconfirmed stories from guys who work in his office that there is a little more to the story than just the waist measurement (no crazy scandal or anything), but it was a tough call where the Gen didn't have much of a choice.

With that being said I think that PT standards need to be looked at for the good of the service. Passing a PT test for an 20 year old infantry soldier makes sense. While the soldier obviously needs to use his brain and think on the battle field, for the most part his body is the MWS... if he isn't in shape then he can't do his job and the lives of his fellow soldiers as well as the mission depend on it. When I do my walk around at Kabul and see some hydraulic fluid leaking out of an engine cowling, the last thing on my mind when the FCC is the only guy who can fix it is how many push-ups he can do or what his waist measurement is. This Wing CC didn't get the job because of his 1.5 mile time... he was hired for his brain, his management skills and (hopefully) his leadership skills. I've had more than a few co-pilots who spent 7 hrs crossing the pond talking about their workout plans and the different supplements they were taking who couldn't land the plane to save their life. I understand that the General probably didn't have a choice, but its a shame to see a Commander (who by all accounts was one of the good ones) be drummed out for something like this.

Edited March 21, 201312 yr by Rusty Pipes