George Bush, 41st President, Dies at 94
George Herbert Walker Bush, the president who managed the end of the Cold War and forged a global coalition to oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait, has died at age 94. In a political career that spanned three decades, he lost his bid for re-election and lived to see his son win the Oval Office.
The death of Bush — nicknamed “41” to distinguish himself from son George W. Bush, “43” — was announced in a statement released late Friday.
“Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died,” his son, former President George W. Bush, said in a statement released by family spokesman Jim McGrath. “George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”
His death, which was announced by his office, came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush.
Mr. Bush had a form of Parkinson’s disease that forced him to use a wheelchair or motorized scooter in recent years, and he had been in and out of hospitals during that time as his health declined. In April, a day after attending Mrs. Bush’s funeral, he was treated for an infection that had spread to his blood. In 2013, he was in dire enough shape with bronchitis that former President George W. Bush, his son, solicited ideas for a eulogy.
But he proved resilient each time. In 2013 he told well-wishers, through an aide, to “put the harps back in the closet.”
On the day he turned 18 years old, Bush both graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and enlisted in the Navy, little more than six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Less than a year later, when he was still 18, he received his wings and officer’s commission, believed to be the Navy’s youngest pilot.
For the next two years, with World War II at its peak, Bush flew torpedo bombers off the USS San Jacinto. On Sept. 2, 1944, his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while he was on a bombing run in the Pacific. Bush bailed and was rescued by a submarine, but his two crewmembers were killed. Bush would later say he thought of them every day.
Source: George Bush, 41st President, Dies at 94
Category: Historical, Politics, Veterans in politics, Veterans in the news, War Stories
President George H. W. Bush was also the first baseman and captain of the Yale baseball team in 1947 and 1948:
“George H.W. Bush Loved Baseball and Had The Leather To Prove It:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-love-baseball-dating-back-days-yale/2171698002/
Rest In Peace, Sir. Salute.
You are now with Barbara and your Daughter, Robin:
“Touching Cartoon Reunites George H.W. Bush With Wife Barbara and Daughter Robin:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/01/george-h-w-bush-reunited-barbara-and-robin-touching-cartoon/2172695002/
For this post only and in honor of our 41st President: Go Navy.
Fair winds and following seas, President
Bush.
Fair winds and following seas, Mr President. Thank you for being a part of the Greatest Generation, and for your leadership throughout Desert Storm
That is a really nice photo of the man.
Rest in peace warrior.
Rest In Peace Mr. President.
What an amazing life. What an amazing man.
Catch the tailwind, Mr. President. Straight on ’til morning.
Fly high young man!
Details of LTJG George H. W. Bush and his crew being shot down on a bombing run against a Japanese radio station on the island of ChiChi Jima while flying a TBM Avenger from Torpedo Squadron Fifty-One (VT-51) operating from USS SAN JACINTO (CVL-30), and his subsequent rescue by the submarine USS FINBACK (SS-230), are found at the Naval History and Heritage Command link below: ‘Vice President Bush Calls World War II Experience “Sobering”‘ https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w/ltjg-george-bush-in-world-war-ii.html ‘[…] It was September 2, 1944. Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush was a pilot with Torpedo Squadron Fifty-One (VT-51 ) aboard the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30), a light carrier which was deployed in the North Pacific. Just two years earlier, on June 12, 1942, Bush had graduated from high school and joined the Navy as a seaman, second class. But, in less than a year, he completed flight training at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, was commissioned an ensign, and went on to fly TBM Avengers with VT-51. For a time, he was the youngest pilot in Naval Aviation. On that sunny morning of September, Bush woke aboard San Jacinto prepared to fly one of the 58 attack missions he would fly during the war. However, this particular mission would end a little differently than his other 57. The target was a Japanese radio station on ChiChi Jima, located about 600 miles southwest of Japan in the Bonin Islands. For a time, the enemy on that tiny island had been intercepting U.S. military radio transmissions and warning Japan and occupied enemy islands of impending American air strikes. It had to be destroyed. Before 0900, Bush and two aircrewmen (his regular radioman, Radioman Second Class John Delaney, and substitute gunner Lieutenant Junior Grade William White) strapped themselves inside an Avenger and catapulted off San Jacinto. Three other bomb-laden VT-51 aircraft, as well as a number of VF-51’s F6F Hellcats, joined the mission. “I was replaced by Ltjg. White at the last minute,” said Leo W. Nadeau, then an ordnanceman second class who flew as Bush’s gunner on all but two of his attack missions. “As… Read more »
What’s not in that account is that of the nine men whose planes went down over or near that island, only the future president survived. Those who were captured were tortured and murdered. The commanding general was hanged after the war.
It has also been reported that some of the US aircrew who were captured at ChiChi Jima and subsequently tortured/murdered by the Japanese were also eaten by senior Japanese officers. ‘Japanese Soldiers Cannibalised US Airmen On Chichi Jima, WWII’ https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/japanese-soldiers-cannibalised-us-airme.html “[…] Because of its strategic importance as a radio communications base, Chichi Jima was heavily fortified, and a seaborne invasion would have been costly for the Allies. Consequently, the island was subjected to many aerial attacks by US aircraft in 1944/45. More than one hundred US airmen were shot down, either over the island itself or over the sea surrounding it. Most of the men died in their aircraft or were killed by Japanese troops, but a few escaped instant death, and some of those were captured. Only three men were rescued by US submarines, and of those was George H. W. Bush, who eventually became President of the United States. The captured men were subjected to varying degrees of torture before being killed with bamboo spears or Japanese military swords, but evidence came to light of some far more barbaric practices. At least four of the captured men were beheaded, and their livers and thigh muscles were later served up at banquets attended by senior Japanese officers. A witness at a later War crimes trial, held on the island of Guam, stated that he saw one American beheaded as he was forced to kneel by an open grave. The following day human flesh, including a liver, was served to Japanese officers for dinner. There was evidence of at least three other similar events, all of them involving cannibalism, and Rear Admiral Kunizo Mori and Army Major General Yoshio Tachibana were both sentenced to death by hanging for their part in ordering the deaths and subsequent consumption of the American airmen. At the time, the appalling crimes were considered too distressing to report to the families of the dead men, and the files were classified as secret. In 2003, a book by James Bradley called ‘Flyboys’ was published, and it included details of the events on Chichi Jima. At the… Read more »
James Bradley, author of “Flags of Our Fathers,” wrote a pretty good book on that. As if that weren’t bad enough, it seems that the motive for the cannibalism was at least partly to fuck with one of their own radiomen who was a neisei and had been stranded in Japan at the start of the war and conscripted because he spoke English. Sad, sad story, and horrifying that not only could such a despicable act be committed, but also that it could be done for completely petty reasons. Cannibalism was disturbingly common in the Japanese military, who held that non-Japanese were subhuman.
The Flyboys by James Bradley. I highly recommend it.
President Bush was a Great American. I admire him greatly.
Sorry, Mick. Completely missed your reference to Bradley’s book. Too early in the morning, Pacific time, plus a couple of busy nights.
Tanks Mick. That was a great summary.
Ditto.
Throughout 1944, President George H. W. Bush had flown 58 combat missions for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), three Air Medals with two Gold Stars and the Presidential Unit Citation awarded San Jacinto (CVL-30):
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html
Here is his Citation for the DFC:
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w/bush-citation.html
Without doubt, the most honorable President for whom I served. It was an honor and a privilege to be under his command.
You more than earned your peace, Mr. President. Prayers for your family during this time. And for all of us who mourn your passing.
Very well put, OWB.
I got to hear him talk at Camp Pendleton in the mid 90’s. He was a very modest man and told all of us (Officers and SNCO of the 1st MARDIV) about his decisions during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and how his experience in WWII and his faith helped him. I walked away that day respecting him even more.
Yes to this. I couldn’t say it any better.
I know you all do not find Huffington Post credible and I don’t blame you. It is not.
However, this article has a real neat section on Bush senior’s life in pictures. A series of 36 pictures from childhood to retirement.
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5c02617fe4b04fb211684c7b
Nice chronology. Tanks.
Ditto.
When hell freezes over twice, I’ll compliment that POS Lars.
2/17th Air Cav:
😅😂🤣😆
Current temperature in Hell, Michigan is 35 Degrees, so it is getting there (freezing).
https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/mi/hell
And a bit of background on Hell, Michigan:
“Hell, Michigan is an unincorporated community in Putnam Township, Livingston County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is near the border with Washtenaw County, about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Ann Arbor. Hell is three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Pinckney via Patterson Lake Road. The community is served by the Pinckney post office with ZIP Code 48169.”
Who knew? 😉
goarmybeatnavy😎
God Speed and Fare Well Mr. President; Peace be unto your Family. Thank you for your service to our country.
I was gifted a 1st Edition copy of Mr. Bradley’s book last weekend. I’am about a 1/3rd way thru it. So far a very good eye opening read. The book was originally gifted to a gentleman that was high up in the RNC and whose father had supposedly served with Lt Bush.
2/17 Air Cav…you owe me a new screen for my chrome book. (grin!)
To follow the example of Another Pat, and to pay honors to LT GHW Bush….GO NAVAL AVIATION!
I am tired of all the ass kissing and patting this sucker on the back! People have short memories..like when 41 was talking about his 1000 points of light and the new world order! and how he said “if people knew what we had done, they would be in the streets with torches and pitchforks! then there was always the pictures of him patting womens asses while his wife was right there….no thank you..he was an a.h. imho!
RIP
A life well-lived, indeed.
Served in World War II as a Naval Aviator
Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale (1948)
Literally became a millionaire in the oil business (1948-1966)
Member, US House of Representatives (1967-1971)
US Ambassador to the UN (1971-1973)
Chairman, RNC (1973-1974) – during his tenure, he formally requested that Nixon resign
US Envoy to the PRC (1974-1976)
Director of Central Intelligence (1976-1977)
Vice President of the United States (1981-1989)
President of the United States (1989-1993 – and screw you, H. Ross Perot)
He also lived long enough (age 94) to see two of his sons serve as state Governors, and one serve as POTUS.
Rest in peace, Sir.
President Bush certainly had a good long run. May he rest in peace.
The last combat WWII President. As stated above, he enlisted right out of high school. Carter was an undergrad in Georgia who had always wanted to go to Annapolis, so mid-war he started there and was commissioned in 1946 after the war. No further comment.
RIP.
It will be interesting to see the media heaping praise on him now that he’s gone, instead of the scorn and ridicule when he was in office, “War for oil”, “so out of touch that he didn’t know about grocery store barcodes” (a lie). As with Goldwater, the media loves dead Republicans.
No kidding. A year ago they were accusing him of being a serial molester.
RIP, Mr. President.
Don’t worry, the lefties are already attacking him; the fine folks at Salon.com and the DU are hard at it. Out of respect for the man I’ll not sully this post with links.
I read about the Twitter blue checkmark mafia besmirching the memory of a good man as well. They are truly terrible people.
PSA – Do not go looking for any of these stories. It’ll make you lose what little faith you have left in the decency of humanity.
YOU really think they won’t be kissing obozo’s ass when he dies? REALLY?
A leader and warrior who walked the walk. RIP…
God rest him well and be with his family.
Rest In Peace, Mr. President.
Amazing man. Rest In Peace, Mr. President.
Rest well Mr. President. We are the poorer for your loss.
RIP, sir.
An honorable man who served his country in so many ways.
A young man survived the ‘forge of war’, and became a President. He was one tough mother.