While off the Japanese island of Chichijima on this historic day, Sept. 2, 1944, then-future President George H.W. Bush was the sole survivor after his plane was shot down by enemy fire, according to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
At the time, 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 aircraft carrier that was deployed to the North Pacific, according to the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.
Bush's squadron was conducting a bombing mission when it encountered intense anti-aircraft fire, according to U.S. Navy records.
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“Bush's plane's engine caught fire, but Bush managed to drop his bombs and return to the carrier San Jacinto before jumping into the water,” History.com said.
Bush parachuted safely into the water.
George H.W. Bush was captain of Yale's champion baseball team, while completing college in two and a half years after war service, Phi Beta Kappa, Economics, in 1948. (George Bush Presidential Library/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Once in the water, he released his yellow inflatable lifeboat, got in and quickly paddled out to sea, the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command said.
Two other crew members were killed in the attack, the source said.
When he was 20, Bush was a naval aviator who survived for hours in the ocean until he was rescued by a U.S. submarine, according to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
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The lifeboat submarine USS Finback surfaced and sailors pulled it from the water, according to the New England Historical Society.
Bush's words upon being rescued were: “I'm happy to be on board.”
President Bush later described the event as one of the most dramatic moments of his life.
He then spent a month on the submarine, often standing watch from midnight to four in the morning, the same source said.
President Bush later described the event as one of the most dramatic moments of his life.
He is reported to have said the event was an experience that gave him a “sobering understanding of war and peace,” according to the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.
In this Tuesday, June 12, 2012, file photo, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, arrive for the premiere of the HBO documentary about their life near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
“There's no question it broadened my horizons,” Bush also said of the incident, the source said.
Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry in action, according to WhiteHouse.gov.
Born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924, he came from a family with extensive experience in public service and became a student leader at Phillips Academy in Andover. On his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, WhiteHouse.gov reported.
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He was the youngest pilot in the Navy when he received his wings and flew 58 combat missions during World War II, the source said.
Before serving as Vice President from 1981 to 1989 under Ronald Reagan, President Bush held a number of high-level positions.
Bush focused his energies on completing his education and starting a family.
In January 1945 he married Barbara Pierce. They had six children: George, Robin (who died in infancy), John (known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin and Dorothy.
On the South Lawn of the White House, President George H.W. Bush (1924-2018) speaks before the signing ceremony for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Washington, DC, July 26, 1990. (Ron Sachs/CNP/Getty Images)
George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, served from 2001 to 2009.
President Bush Sr. came to Yale on the GI Bill program and graduated from Yale in 1948.
Bush was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
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“President Bush was the first sitting vice president to ascend to the presidency since 1837, and he was also only the second American president to serve a full term without partisan control in either chamber of Congress,” the National Constitution Center said.
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Prior to serving as Vice President from 1981 to 1989 under Ronald Reagan, President Bush held a number of high-level positions, including U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Head of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
George HW Bush passed away on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94.
