A Future President Almost Lost in World War II!
- Laci Barry Post
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
My family recently visited the National Archives in Washington DC. Of course, the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and 19th Amendment were wonderful to see, but an unexpected piece of World War II history stopped me. It was an Aircraft Action Report from September 2, 1945. The first part of the document lists the loss of aircraft. Under “Extent of Loss or Damage, Remarks,” the report reads “Crashed in Ocean--Lost.” The next section on the report lists “Personnel Casualties.” Two men, Lt. W.G. White and J.L. Delaney, are listed as “Missing in action.” There is a note under their names saying, “The pilot (Lt. (jg) G.H.W. Bush) of the TBM-1C which was lost, parachuted to water and was picked up by rescue submarine, which reported him unhurt.” A future U.S. President was almost lost fighting for our country in World War II!
The report lists President Bush as unhurt, but that is not completely true. While escaping the burning plane, he hit his head on the tail of the plane, and once in the sea, he suffered jellyfish stings and swallowed too much salt water, which made him nauseous. Vomiting and bleeding profusely, he managed to swim to a nearby life raft and stay afloat for hours until his rescue.
George H. W. Bush enlisted in the Navy’s flight school right out of high school and first saw action in May 1944. He went on to fly 58 combat missions in the Pacific. While this last mission ended tragically in the loss of two of his comrades and their plane, they completed their mission as the team dropped four 500-pound bombs on their assigned target.
To hear President Bush talk about this near-death war experience himself, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KTkfqk-OGw, a video project made possible by the U.S. Naval Institute. Also, If you are visiting the National Archives, be sure to see the Aircraft Action Report for yourself!
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