Regardless of what one may think of the political career of the late President George H.W. Bush , who died recently at the age of 94, it seems worthwhile to remember his service as one of the youngest pilots in the US Navy during World War II, service for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism under fire.
When he heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. Bush, a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, decided that he wanted to be a Navy pilot. Immediately after graduation, on his 18th birthday, George Bush enlisted in the Navy and began preflight training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing the 10-month course, he was commissioned as an ensign in the US Naval Reserve on 9 June 1943, several days before his 19th birthday, making him one of the youngest naval aviators.
Ensign and then LTJG George Bush would go on to fly 58 combat missions as part of Torpedo Squadron (VT-51), Air Group 51, based on the carrier USS San Jacinto. In 1944, his squadron suffered a 300 percent casualty rate among its pilots. Bush survived winning three Air Medals as well as a Presidential Unit Citation.
In September of 1944, Bush’s squadron was conducting a bombing mission on a Japanese installation on the island of Chi Chi Jima in the Pacific when they encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire. The engine on Bush’s plane was set ablaze, yet Bush managed to release his bombs and head back toward the aircraft carrier San Jacinto before bailing out over the water. Three other crew members perished in the attack. After floating on a raft for four hours, a submarine crew fished a safe but exhausted Bush out of the water. His bravery in action earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross.
The USS George H.W. Bush, the tenth and final Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy, was named in honor of the 41st president.
President George H.W. Bush was known in later years for wearing colorful socks. He will be carried to his final resting place wearing a pair of socks honoring his service as a Navy pilot in World War II.
Your account of Bush’s plane being hit and his subsequent bailout is the first I saw which mentions the deaths oh his crewmen. Did they die from enemy fire, after bailing out or did they go down with the plane?
60 Minutes/CBS has George W and Jon Meacham recounting the incident. There is a transcript with the video. It was HW Bush and fellow crew members Delaney and White in the plane. They all parachuted out of the plane alive. HW hit his head on the tail bailing out and after landing found his crew mates had not survived. but didn’t say or possibly know if they died from injuries on the plane before bailing, being shot, hitting the plane as he had or not survived landing in the ocean. Sorry about taking so long to post. It took me a bit of looking to find where I heard about the account. HW may have given a more detailed account that exists on line or in a memoir/book. Jon Meacham is his Biographer. He didn’t want his 2 crew members to be forgotten.