Just like the vast majority of the presidents of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush also served in the military, earning high honors. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 18-year-old Bush decided to postpone his studies at Yale and enlisted in the Navy. Upon completion of a 10-month course he was commissioned as an ensign in the US Naval Reserve just 3 days before his 19th birthday, by which he became the youngest naval aviator at the time. A young George Herbert Walker Bush In June 1943 Bush started flying the Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In August 1943 he qualified as an aircraft carrier pilot with successful landings on the USS Sable aircraft carrier training ship. In December 1943 Bushs new squadron, the VT-51, was assigned to the newly commissioned USS San Jacinto, a light attack carrier. The San Jacinto reached Pearl Harbor in April 1944 and was given to Admiral Marc Mitschners task force of fast carriers. In July 1944 Bush participated in 13 air strikes, most of them in connection with the landings in Guam. In August Bush was promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) and the San Jacinto sailed to the area close to Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands. On September 2, 1944, escorted by Hellcat fighter planes, Bush and a small squadron of Avengers were flying a mission to take out a radio transmitter on Chichi Jima. During the mission Bushs squadron encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire and his plane was hit by flak. Bush had to fly his Avenger a few miles from the island where he bailed out from the damaged aircraft. Both of his crewmen were killed in action. Bush waited for four hours floating in the Pacific until he was rescued by the submarine USS Finback. Bush in an Avenger coincidentally named Barbara Eventually Bush returned to San Jacinto and took part in several operations in the Philippines. His squadron was replaced early in 1945. Through 1944 Bush flew 58 combat missions, and during his service he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and three Air Medals. For his experience in combat Bush was reassigned to the Norfolk Navy Base, where he was put in charge of training new torpedo bomber pilots. Bush was honorably discharged in September 1945 after the Japanese capitulation.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 18:01:00 +0000
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