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On September 2, 1944, future US President George H. W. Bush bailed from a burning plane during a mission in the Pacific. From the article:
"George H.W. Bush’s Dangerous Role in WWII
With the wings of his plane on fire and smoke pouring into the cockpit, future President George H.W. Bush parachuted into the Pacific Ocean, where he floated for hours on a life raft, vomiting uncontrollably and bleeding profusely from his forehead.
Still, Bush could count himself among the lucky ones.
Rescued from the water by a U.S. submarine, he managed to avoid the grisly fate suffered by so many airmen during World War II, including his two crewmates, who both died in the attack. Soldiers who fought in World War II, the deadliest conflict in history, performed any number of risky jobs. Of these, few, if any, were as perilous as flying in an airplane.
“It’s a very dangerous environment even without the combat,” says Jeremy Kinney, World War II curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. He points out that, without the pressurized cabins of today’s aircraft, airmen had to wear oxygen masks and worry about staying warm.
U.S. Warplanes Were Dangerous to Fly
Richard Overy, author of numerous World War II books, including The Bombers and the Bombed: Allied Air War Over Europe, 1940-1945, adds that technical problems were “common on aircraft mass-produced and not always properly checked,” and that inclement weather and pilot error likewise caused plenty of accidents.
Thousands of U.S. warplanes never even made it to the front, crashing instead during training or in route to combat. Bush himself crash-landed during a practice bombing run in Virginia, emerging unscathed despite totaling his plane. Later on, Bush witnessed a fellow pilot panic and smash right into an aircraft carrier’s landing crew, showcasing how pilot stress and fear could turn deadly, even in a non-combat situation.
The fighting, of course, also took a harsh toll on airmen, who confronted anti-aircraft fire from below and fire from enemy planes in the sky, with only a razor-thin hull to protect them.
“You had to be constantly on guard,” Kinney says. “It’s very taxing on their mental stability.” Being shot at in an airplane could be so nerve-racking, in fact, that one British paratrooper spoke of how on D-Day he couldn’t wait to jump out, behind enemy lines, where “we knew we would be safer.”
U.S. Airmen Made Up Nearly One-Quarter of U.S. Deaths
Overall, about 100,000 U.S. airmen died in World War II, representing nearly one-quarter of total U.S. fatalities. The material costs of maintaining an air force were likewise astronomical, with the United States losing almost 100,000 of its 300,000 planes produced during the conflict.
The U.S. Eighth Air Force, which bombed German-occupied Europe from 1942 onward, bore a particularly heavy burden. More than 26,000 of its men, fully one-third of its total aircrew, died in combat. “There was no big battle but just a slow attrition as they flew out night after night,” Overy says. “A few bomber pilots managed to survive perhaps 50 missions but that was extremely rare. Usually a pilot who survived was pretty burned out after 30.”
Yet as bad as it was for the United States, it was even worse for other countries. Britain’s Royal Air Force Bomber Command, for example, lost almost half its aircrew in World War II, whereas, on the Axis side, hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese airmen were killed. Overy explains that Axis air casualty rates were especially high toward the end of the conflict, when the Allies dominated the skies.
For all countries in the conflict, Overy says, about 25 percent of pilots would be killed or seriously injured each month in peak combat, and in some battles the loss rate reached as high as 40 percent.
George Bush was nearly one of these casualties. Enlisting in the Navy’s flight training program fresh out of high school, he then flew 58 combat missions in the Pacific, first seeing action in May 1944 at the head of a three-man Avenger torpedo bomber. “He was the leader,” Kinney says, “responsible for making the team operate efficiently.”
Bush and his crew first ran into trouble that June, when anti-aircraft fire forced them to make an emergency water landing. (A U.S. destroyer rescued them minutes after the crash.)
George Bush Bailed After Being Hit by Anti-Aircraft Fire
Then, on September 2, 1944, he was again hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing run on the Japanese island of Chichi Jima. “Suddenly there was a jolt,” Bush wrote later, “as if a massive fist had crunched into the belly of the plane. Smoke poured into the cockpit, and I could see flames rippling across the crease of the wing, edging toward the fuel tanks.”
Bush dropped his four 500-pound bombs on the target, a radio facility, and subsequently bailed out over the ocean, though not before bonking his head on the plane’s tail and ripping part of his parachute. His travails continued once in the waves, as jellyfish stings and swallowing too much seawater rendered him nauseous. Nonetheless, he managed to swim to a life raft and remain afloat until a U.S. submarine eventually rescued him.
During this time, U.S. fighter planes drove off some Japanese boats that pursued him, thus saving him from the gruesome torture suffered by other American captives on Chichi Jima. His two crewmates, however, weren’t so lucky. (One’s parachute apparently failed to open and the other never made it out of the plane.)
Historians agree that airmen like Bush—not to mention actors Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable, future U.S. senator and presidential candidate George McGovern, and New York Yankees infielder Jerry Coleman, plus hundreds of thousands of non-famous participants—played a vital role in winning the war.
“Despite the high loss rates, air power was critical,” Overy says, “particularly aircraft engaged in … operations [to destroy] the enemy's airpower or in tactical support of operations on the ground or the sea.”
To this day, airplanes remain a key part of how wars are waged, though as Kinney points out, the scale and scope (and danger) of World War II’s air battles has not since been matched."
"George H.W. Bush’s Dangerous Role in WWII
With the wings of his plane on fire and smoke pouring into the cockpit, future President George H.W. Bush parachuted into the Pacific Ocean, where he floated for hours on a life raft, vomiting uncontrollably and bleeding profusely from his forehead.
Still, Bush could count himself among the lucky ones.
Rescued from the water by a U.S. submarine, he managed to avoid the grisly fate suffered by so many airmen during World War II, including his two crewmates, who both died in the attack. Soldiers who fought in World War II, the deadliest conflict in history, performed any number of risky jobs. Of these, few, if any, were as perilous as flying in an airplane.
“It’s a very dangerous environment even without the combat,” says Jeremy Kinney, World War II curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. He points out that, without the pressurized cabins of today’s aircraft, airmen had to wear oxygen masks and worry about staying warm.
U.S. Warplanes Were Dangerous to Fly
Richard Overy, author of numerous World War II books, including The Bombers and the Bombed: Allied Air War Over Europe, 1940-1945, adds that technical problems were “common on aircraft mass-produced and not always properly checked,” and that inclement weather and pilot error likewise caused plenty of accidents.
Thousands of U.S. warplanes never even made it to the front, crashing instead during training or in route to combat. Bush himself crash-landed during a practice bombing run in Virginia, emerging unscathed despite totaling his plane. Later on, Bush witnessed a fellow pilot panic and smash right into an aircraft carrier’s landing crew, showcasing how pilot stress and fear could turn deadly, even in a non-combat situation.
The fighting, of course, also took a harsh toll on airmen, who confronted anti-aircraft fire from below and fire from enemy planes in the sky, with only a razor-thin hull to protect them.
“You had to be constantly on guard,” Kinney says. “It’s very taxing on their mental stability.” Being shot at in an airplane could be so nerve-racking, in fact, that one British paratrooper spoke of how on D-Day he couldn’t wait to jump out, behind enemy lines, where “we knew we would be safer.”
U.S. Airmen Made Up Nearly One-Quarter of U.S. Deaths
Overall, about 100,000 U.S. airmen died in World War II, representing nearly one-quarter of total U.S. fatalities. The material costs of maintaining an air force were likewise astronomical, with the United States losing almost 100,000 of its 300,000 planes produced during the conflict.
The U.S. Eighth Air Force, which bombed German-occupied Europe from 1942 onward, bore a particularly heavy burden. More than 26,000 of its men, fully one-third of its total aircrew, died in combat. “There was no big battle but just a slow attrition as they flew out night after night,” Overy says. “A few bomber pilots managed to survive perhaps 50 missions but that was extremely rare. Usually a pilot who survived was pretty burned out after 30.”
Yet as bad as it was for the United States, it was even worse for other countries. Britain’s Royal Air Force Bomber Command, for example, lost almost half its aircrew in World War II, whereas, on the Axis side, hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese airmen were killed. Overy explains that Axis air casualty rates were especially high toward the end of the conflict, when the Allies dominated the skies.
For all countries in the conflict, Overy says, about 25 percent of pilots would be killed or seriously injured each month in peak combat, and in some battles the loss rate reached as high as 40 percent.
George Bush was nearly one of these casualties. Enlisting in the Navy’s flight training program fresh out of high school, he then flew 58 combat missions in the Pacific, first seeing action in May 1944 at the head of a three-man Avenger torpedo bomber. “He was the leader,” Kinney says, “responsible for making the team operate efficiently.”
Bush and his crew first ran into trouble that June, when anti-aircraft fire forced them to make an emergency water landing. (A U.S. destroyer rescued them minutes after the crash.)
George Bush Bailed After Being Hit by Anti-Aircraft Fire
Then, on September 2, 1944, he was again hit by anti-aircraft fire during a bombing run on the Japanese island of Chichi Jima. “Suddenly there was a jolt,” Bush wrote later, “as if a massive fist had crunched into the belly of the plane. Smoke poured into the cockpit, and I could see flames rippling across the crease of the wing, edging toward the fuel tanks.”
Bush dropped his four 500-pound bombs on the target, a radio facility, and subsequently bailed out over the ocean, though not before bonking his head on the plane’s tail and ripping part of his parachute. His travails continued once in the waves, as jellyfish stings and swallowing too much seawater rendered him nauseous. Nonetheless, he managed to swim to a life raft and remain afloat until a U.S. submarine eventually rescued him.
During this time, U.S. fighter planes drove off some Japanese boats that pursued him, thus saving him from the gruesome torture suffered by other American captives on Chichi Jima. His two crewmates, however, weren’t so lucky. (One’s parachute apparently failed to open and the other never made it out of the plane.)
Historians agree that airmen like Bush—not to mention actors Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable, future U.S. senator and presidential candidate George McGovern, and New York Yankees infielder Jerry Coleman, plus hundreds of thousands of non-famous participants—played a vital role in winning the war.
“Despite the high loss rates, air power was critical,” Overy says, “particularly aircraft engaged in … operations [to destroy] the enemy's airpower or in tactical support of operations on the ground or the sea.”
To this day, airplanes remain a key part of how wars are waged, though as Kinney points out, the scale and scope (and danger) of World War II’s air battles has not since been matched."
George H.W. Bush’s Dangerous Role in WWII
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
WWII World War Two
Office of the President (POTUS)
World History
American History
Military History
WWII World War Two Office of the President (POTUS) World History American History Military History
Posted >1 y ago
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George H.W. Bush: My extraordinary life | 1999 CNN Interview
In a 1999 interview with CNN's Larry King, former president George H.W. Bush talked about his life from the time he served in World War II, his political pat...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on September 2, 1944 future US President George H. W. Bush bailed from a burning plane during a mission in the Pacific
George H.W. Bush: My extraordinary life | November 2, 1999 CNN Interview
In a 1999 interview with CNN's Larry King, former president George H.W. Bush talked about his life from the time he served in World War II, his political path to the White House and what it's like to be the patriarch of a political dynasty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTi0D5DSgX0
Images:
1. USNR LT George Herbert Walker Bush as a pilot in a TBM Avenger, seated in an aircraft
2. A young George H.W. Bush, center, during his service in the Navy during World War II.
3. United States Naval Reserve LT George H.W. Bush piloting a Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors)
4. George Bush being rescued by the submarine, the U.S.S. Finback, after being shot down while on a bombing run of the Island of Chi Chi Jima on September 2, 1944.
Background from {[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html/]}
"George Herbert Walker Bush
12 June 1924 − 30 November 2018
LTJG George Bush's citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross
Christman, Timothy J. "Vice President Bush Calls WWII Experience 'Sobering.'; Naval Aviation News 67 (Mar-Apr 1985): 12-15.
George Bush in World War II: A Short Bibliography.
Upon hearing of the Pearl Harbor attack, while a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, George Bush decided he wanted to join the Navy to become an aviator. Six months later, after graduation, he enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday 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 U.S. Naval Reserve on 9 June 1943, several days before his 19th birthday, making him one of the youngest naval aviators.
After finishing flight training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron (VT-51) as photographic officer in September 1943. As part of Air Group 51, his squadron was based on USS San Jacinto in the spring of 1944. San Jacinto was part of Task Force 58 that participated in operations against Marcus and Wake Islands in May, and then in the Marianas during June. On 19 June, the task force triumphed in one of the largest air battles of the war. During the return of his aircraft from the mission, Ensign Bush's aircraft made a forced water landing. The destroyer, USS Clarence K. Bronson, rescued the crew, but the plane was lost. On 25 July, Ensign Bush and another pilot received credit for sinking a small cargo ship.
After Bush was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on 1 August, San Jacinto commenced operations against the Japanese in the Bonin Islands. On 2 September 1944, Bush piloted one of four aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chi Chi Jima. For this mission his crew included Radioman Second Class John Delaney, and Lieutenant Junior Grade William White, USNR, who substituted for Bush's regular gunner. During their attack, four TBM Avengers from VT-51 encountered intense antiaircraft fire. While starting the attack, Bush's aircraft was hit and his engine caught on fire. He completed his attack and released the bombs over his target scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft. However, the other man's chute did not open and he fell to his death. It was never determined which man bailed out with Bush. Both Delaney and White were killed in action. While Bush anxiously waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine, USS Finback. During the month he remained on Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.
Subsequently, Bush returned to San Jacinto in November 1944 and participated in operations in the Philippines. When San Jacinto returned to Guam, the squadron, which had suffered 50 percent casualties of its pilots, was replaced and sent to the United States. Throughout 1944, he had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded San Jacinto.
Because of his valuable combat experience, Bush was reassigned to Norfolk and put in a training wing for new torpedo pilots. Later, he was assigned as a naval aviator in a new torpedo squadron, VT-153. With the surrender of Japan, he was honorably discharged in September 1945 and then entered Yale University.
Former Lieutenant George Herbert Walker Bush,
U.S. Naval Reserve Transcript of Naval Service
12 June 1924 Born in Milton, Massachusetts
13 June 1942 Enlisted in U.S. Naval Reserve
5 August 1942 Reported for Active Duty
8 June 1943 Honorably Discharged
9 June 1943 Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve and continued on Active Duty
1 August 1944 Lieutenant (junior grade)
18 September 1945 Released from Active Duty under honorable conditions
16 November 1948 Lieutenant
24 October 1955 Resignation accepted under honorable conditions
SHIPS AND STATIONS
U.S. Naval Air Station, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Instrn) June 1943 - August 1943
Naval Air Operational Training Command Carrier Qualification Training Unit U.S. Naval Air Station, Glenview, Ill. (Instrn) August 1943 - August 1943
Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, US Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Va. (Instrn) August 1943 - September 1943
Carrier Aircraft Service 21 (Instrn) September 1943 - September 1943
Torpedo Squadron 51 (Naval Aviator) September 1943 - December 1943
Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, U.S. Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Va. December 1944 - February 1945
Torpedo Squadron 97 February 1945 - March 1945
Torpedo Squadron 153 (Naval Aviator) March 1945 - September 1945
Headquarters, FIFTH Naval District September 1945 - September 1945
PERSONAL DECORATIONS Distinguished Flying Cross.
Air Medal with two gold stars in lieu of subsequent awards
Presidential Unit Citation awarded USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)
RESERVE AFFILIATION
NONE (Resigned 24 October 1955)
Other documents related to LTJG Bush at the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Torpedo Squadron FIFTY-ONE's Aircraft Action Report of 2 September 1944, World War II Reports, Archives Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command
Extracts from USS Finback's Tenth War Patrol Report on rescue of LTJG Bush, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland
Carrier Air Group TWENTY's Aircraft Action Report of 2 September 1944, World War II Reports, Archives Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command
Ships named for President George H. W. Bush:
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) - commissioned 10 January 2009"
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen LTC Greg Henning MSG Felipe De Leon Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SPC Woody Bullard Sgt (Join to see) SPC Nancy Greene SGT Denny Espinosa SGT Steve McFarland GySgt Gary Cordeiro SSG Robert Mark Odom SFC (Join to see)
George H.W. Bush: My extraordinary life | November 2, 1999 CNN Interview
In a 1999 interview with CNN's Larry King, former president George H.W. Bush talked about his life from the time he served in World War II, his political path to the White House and what it's like to be the patriarch of a political dynasty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTi0D5DSgX0
Images:
1. USNR LT George Herbert Walker Bush as a pilot in a TBM Avenger, seated in an aircraft
2. A young George H.W. Bush, center, during his service in the Navy during World War II.
3. United States Naval Reserve LT George H.W. Bush piloting a Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors)
4. George Bush being rescued by the submarine, the U.S.S. Finback, after being shot down while on a bombing run of the Island of Chi Chi Jima on September 2, 1944.
Background from {[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html/]}
"George Herbert Walker Bush
12 June 1924 − 30 November 2018
LTJG George Bush's citation for the Distinguished Flying Cross
Christman, Timothy J. "Vice President Bush Calls WWII Experience 'Sobering.'; Naval Aviation News 67 (Mar-Apr 1985): 12-15.
George Bush in World War II: A Short Bibliography.
Upon hearing of the Pearl Harbor attack, while a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, George Bush decided he wanted to join the Navy to become an aviator. Six months later, after graduation, he enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday 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 U.S. Naval Reserve on 9 June 1943, several days before his 19th birthday, making him one of the youngest naval aviators.
After finishing flight training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron (VT-51) as photographic officer in September 1943. As part of Air Group 51, his squadron was based on USS San Jacinto in the spring of 1944. San Jacinto was part of Task Force 58 that participated in operations against Marcus and Wake Islands in May, and then in the Marianas during June. On 19 June, the task force triumphed in one of the largest air battles of the war. During the return of his aircraft from the mission, Ensign Bush's aircraft made a forced water landing. The destroyer, USS Clarence K. Bronson, rescued the crew, but the plane was lost. On 25 July, Ensign Bush and another pilot received credit for sinking a small cargo ship.
After Bush was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on 1 August, San Jacinto commenced operations against the Japanese in the Bonin Islands. On 2 September 1944, Bush piloted one of four aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chi Chi Jima. For this mission his crew included Radioman Second Class John Delaney, and Lieutenant Junior Grade William White, USNR, who substituted for Bush's regular gunner. During their attack, four TBM Avengers from VT-51 encountered intense antiaircraft fire. While starting the attack, Bush's aircraft was hit and his engine caught on fire. He completed his attack and released the bombs over his target scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft. However, the other man's chute did not open and he fell to his death. It was never determined which man bailed out with Bush. Both Delaney and White were killed in action. While Bush anxiously waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine, USS Finback. During the month he remained on Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.
Subsequently, Bush returned to San Jacinto in November 1944 and participated in operations in the Philippines. When San Jacinto returned to Guam, the squadron, which had suffered 50 percent casualties of its pilots, was replaced and sent to the United States. Throughout 1944, he had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded San Jacinto.
Because of his valuable combat experience, Bush was reassigned to Norfolk and put in a training wing for new torpedo pilots. Later, he was assigned as a naval aviator in a new torpedo squadron, VT-153. With the surrender of Japan, he was honorably discharged in September 1945 and then entered Yale University.
Former Lieutenant George Herbert Walker Bush,
U.S. Naval Reserve Transcript of Naval Service
12 June 1924 Born in Milton, Massachusetts
13 June 1942 Enlisted in U.S. Naval Reserve
5 August 1942 Reported for Active Duty
8 June 1943 Honorably Discharged
9 June 1943 Ensign, U.S. Naval Reserve and continued on Active Duty
1 August 1944 Lieutenant (junior grade)
18 September 1945 Released from Active Duty under honorable conditions
16 November 1948 Lieutenant
24 October 1955 Resignation accepted under honorable conditions
SHIPS AND STATIONS
U.S. Naval Air Station, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Instrn) June 1943 - August 1943
Naval Air Operational Training Command Carrier Qualification Training Unit U.S. Naval Air Station, Glenview, Ill. (Instrn) August 1943 - August 1943
Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, US Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Va. (Instrn) August 1943 - September 1943
Carrier Aircraft Service 21 (Instrn) September 1943 - September 1943
Torpedo Squadron 51 (Naval Aviator) September 1943 - December 1943
Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, U.S. Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Va. December 1944 - February 1945
Torpedo Squadron 97 February 1945 - March 1945
Torpedo Squadron 153 (Naval Aviator) March 1945 - September 1945
Headquarters, FIFTH Naval District September 1945 - September 1945
PERSONAL DECORATIONS Distinguished Flying Cross.
Air Medal with two gold stars in lieu of subsequent awards
Presidential Unit Citation awarded USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)
RESERVE AFFILIATION
NONE (Resigned 24 October 1955)
Other documents related to LTJG Bush at the Naval History and Heritage Command:
Torpedo Squadron FIFTY-ONE's Aircraft Action Report of 2 September 1944, World War II Reports, Archives Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command
Extracts from USS Finback's Tenth War Patrol Report on rescue of LTJG Bush, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland
Carrier Air Group TWENTY's Aircraft Action Report of 2 September 1944, World War II Reports, Archives Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command
Ships named for President George H. W. Bush:
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) - commissioned 10 January 2009"
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen LTC Greg Henning MSG Felipe De Leon Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SPC Woody Bullard Sgt (Join to see) SPC Nancy Greene SGT Denny Espinosa SGT Steve McFarland GySgt Gary Cordeiro SSG Robert Mark Odom SFC (Join to see)
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LTC Stephen F.
Former President George H. W. Bush on His World War II Experiences
Lieutenant Junior Grade George H.W. Bush, USNR, served 1942–1955 Former President George Herbert Walker Bush spoke with the U.S. Naval Institute on 27 April ...
Former President George H. W. Bush on His World War II Experiences
Lieutenant Junior Grade George H.W. Bush, USNR, served 1942–1955
Former President George Herbert Walker Bush spoke with the U.S. Naval Institute on 27 April 2007. He tells the harrowing details of how he narrowly survived getting shot down near the island of Chichi Jima in the Pacific during WWII. A Naval aviator, Bush bailed out after his TBM Avenger torpedo bomber caught fire, and fortunately was picked up by the submarine USS Finback (SS-230).
The mission of the U.S. Naval Institute is to provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KTkfqk-OGw
FYI
1. USNR LT SBM Avenger pilot George Herbert Walker Bush in Barbara III
2. LT. George H. W. Bush with googles and bomber jacket
3. January 1945 wedding of George Herbert Walker Bush to his wife Barbara Pierce while he was on leave.
4. February 15, 1945 USNR LT George Herbert Walker Bush - Distinguished Service Cross citation
FYI SFC Bernard WalkoMaj Wayne CristSGM Bill Frazer
1LT Peter DustonCSM (Join to see)LT Brad McInnis
1SG Walter CraigPO3 Phyllis MaynardCpl (Join to see) CPL Dave Hoover [SSG Franklin BriantTSgt David L.[SGT Robert PryorSSG Chad HenningSPC Matthew Lamb CW5 Jack CardwellCapt Rich BuckleyMSG Andrew White SSG Donald H "Don" Bates Sgt Kelli Mays
Lieutenant Junior Grade George H.W. Bush, USNR, served 1942–1955
Former President George Herbert Walker Bush spoke with the U.S. Naval Institute on 27 April 2007. He tells the harrowing details of how he narrowly survived getting shot down near the island of Chichi Jima in the Pacific during WWII. A Naval aviator, Bush bailed out after his TBM Avenger torpedo bomber caught fire, and fortunately was picked up by the submarine USS Finback (SS-230).
The mission of the U.S. Naval Institute is to provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KTkfqk-OGw
FYI
1. USNR LT SBM Avenger pilot George Herbert Walker Bush in Barbara III
2. LT. George H. W. Bush with googles and bomber jacket
3. January 1945 wedding of George Herbert Walker Bush to his wife Barbara Pierce while he was on leave.
4. February 15, 1945 USNR LT George Herbert Walker Bush - Distinguished Service Cross citation
FYI SFC Bernard WalkoMaj Wayne CristSGM Bill Frazer
1LT Peter DustonCSM (Join to see)LT Brad McInnis
1SG Walter CraigPO3 Phyllis MaynardCpl (Join to see) CPL Dave Hoover [SSG Franklin BriantTSgt David L.[SGT Robert PryorSSG Chad HenningSPC Matthew Lamb CW5 Jack CardwellCapt Rich BuckleyMSG Andrew White SSG Donald H "Don" Bates Sgt Kelli Mays
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LTC Stephen F.
How George H.W. Bush survived being shot down during World War II
Former President George H.W. Bush was one of the youngest naval aviators in World War II. He flew 58 missions in the Pacific. One flight almost claimed his l...
How George H.W. Bush survived being shot down during World War II
Former President George H.W. Bush was one of the youngest naval aviators in World War II. He flew 58 missions in the Pacific. One flight almost claimed his life when he was shot down and forced to bail out over water. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin explains."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSCi7V2KQJc
FYI Maj Robert ThorntonTSgt George Rodriguez SGT Gregory Lawritson SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT (Join to see)CPT Tommy CurtisCol Carl WhickerSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCordSPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia CroftCW4 G.L. SmithSPC Russ BoltonLt Col Charlie Brown
Former President George H.W. Bush was one of the youngest naval aviators in World War II. He flew 58 missions in the Pacific. One flight almost claimed his life when he was shot down and forced to bail out over water. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin explains."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSCi7V2KQJc
FYI Maj Robert ThorntonTSgt George Rodriguez SGT Gregory Lawritson SGT John " Mac " McConnell SGT (Join to see)CPT Tommy CurtisCol Carl WhickerSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-Cwik LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCordSPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia CroftCW4 G.L. SmithSPC Russ BoltonLt Col Charlie Brown
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
SGT (Join to see) LTC Stephen F. Hard to Imagine Him as a Young LTJG, If I hadn't already seen the Video of the Sub Fishing Him Out of the Drink.
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My late/Adored father, the Hon. James Sloane Higgins, was the Captain of a Submarine; in World War II. SGT (Join to see)
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