Colonel relieved of command for failing fitness test

Jeff Schogol, Air Force Times | USATODAY

The Air Force removed the commander of the Grand Forks Air Base in North Dakota because he failed his physical fitness test.

Col. Tim Bush is no longer in command of the 319th Air Base Wing at the base as of Wednesday, Maj. Mike Andrews, spokesman for Air Mobility Command, said in a statement. The wing's vice commander, Col. Christopher Mann, is interim commander until a replacement is found.

Bush had failed the physical fitness test because his waistline was measured at 41 inches, 2 inches above the limit, he said.

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

The colonel told his airmen the same day, announcing it at the end of a routine commander's call.

"I closed by discussing our Air Force traditions, our core values and our standards, and that we are the greatest Air Force the world has ever seen because we have standards and we enforce those standards and we hold people accountable," Bush told Air Force Times. "In this case, I didn't meet it, so I need to step down as commander.

"I offered the wing a final salute and then I left the stage," Bush said.

Until that point, Bush had an enviable record. His previous assignments include serving as presidential advance agent for Air Force One, aide-de-camp to the commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and deputy director of mobility forces for U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. He was a 1988 Air Force Academy graduate.

His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

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Maj. Gen. William Bender, the Air Force Expeditionary Center commander who oversees administrative control for six wings and two groups within Air Mobility Command, made the decision to relieve Bush of command.

When talking about the abrupt end of his Air Force career, Bush stressed repeatedly that the Air Force has its standards for a reason and no one should be exempt from them.

"As a wing commander, I have a duty and responsibility to adhere to and enforce all Air Force standards, and in this particular case, I did not meet an Air Force standard," Bush said. "When you don't meet the standards as the commander, you can't be the commander."

He expressed no ill will toward the Air Force for relieving him of command.

"A tough decision for my chain of command, but in terms of enforcing equitably up and down all ranks, the Air Force made a fair and just decision," Bush said.

This was not the first time Bush has had problems with the physical fitness test. After having shoulder surgery a year ago, he was unable to complete it, he said. After some recovery, he passed the test in May but still could not do the pushup portion of the test.

On his latest test, he was able to pass everything except the waist measurement.

"I'm always confident that I can pass situps, pushups and run; I never had a problem with that, but I've been a big guy all my life," Bush said. "I'm not a string bean, but I think I'm prepared to do what my Air Force and nation ask me to do," Bush said. "However, in this particular situation, I did not meet the standard, and so I have to step down as the commander."

The Air Force's fitness standards have been a "moving target" since Bush graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1988, he said. "But we have better standards now than we did when I joined the Air Force in the '80s, and we have a better Air Force because of it."

Laurie Johnson, Bush's sister, remembers one moment that shows just how deeply Bush believes the Air Force makes the right call.

Johnson, who also was in the Air Force, was passed over for promotion to lieutenant colonel because of an error on someone else's part, she said. When she told her brother about it, Bush told her to fight the decision.

"I remember his words to me, too. He said, 'Sis, the Air Force is fair and sometimes their initial decision might not be a fair one; however, the thing I love about the military is that there are always ways to come around and have your stuff looked at fairly,'" she said.

Ultimately, she won and was promoted.

Bush was a true mentor to noncommissioned officers who went the extra mile — celebrating with them when they were promoted, Johnson said.

"He was the one who flew down on his own dime, a lot of times, to be at their ceremonies to congratulate them — to actually be that presence and not just send a note but actually be there," she said. "You just don't see that in all the leadership."

For Bush, who has requested to retire, the future suddenly has become uncertain.

"My wife and I are exploring any and all opportunities," he said. "My daughter will graduate high school here in Grand Forks on May 26, so we'll stay here in the local area until she graduates."

Bush hopes airmen can use his experience as a teachable moment.

"I think the airmen need to know it doesn't matter whether you have one stripe (or) you've got bars, stars, leaves or eagles; you are accountable to meet the Air Force standards," he said.