Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323150641
label
"My Impressions of World War II" - Life Magazine 8/89 [4]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323150641
contentType
document
title
"My Impressions of World War II" - Life Magazine 8/89 [4]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13499-009
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323150641
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
f3a4fca9d2d5010a
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13499
Folder ID Number:
13499-009
Folder Title:
"My Impressions of World War II" - Life Magazine 8/89 [4]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
4
5
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.02
SEPBUSHC V:02 HJ:Y 00064
02-AUG-89 16:41 PAGE:
1
OP:LF1 ;08/02,16:38 OR:LAN
FR:LF1-LFE
FMT: 12p6
FG:LFE
MS:
OK:
RP:8
NO:e7 ID:09-01-89 PF:g
***
L 0001
LIFE September '89
L 0002
Bush (Captions) Pp 70-76
L 0003
Kinney/Simone/Sheehan/Geeslin
L 0004
CG
L 0005
L 0006
L 0007
L 0008
Pp 71- Cap 9
L 0009
«««««
40
0009 (cc8p6)(cc8p6)(rr)(xh)
L 0010
Opposite: Late in 1944,
0009
(vs.5,2,.5)
L 0011
Lt. (j.g.) George Bush
L 0012
with combat crewmen
right
LN0013
Leo Nadeau (teft) and Joe
(left)
LN0014
Reichart/was part of a
X
L 0015
Naval air squadron in the
Lif crediting photos, credit Leo
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.03
SEPBUSHC
V:02 PAGE: 0002
L 0016 Pacific. Above: Bush fills
L 0017 out his flight log
L 0018
aboard the U.S.S. San
4
L 0019 Jacinto.
L 0020
0
<<<<<
15 1
0020 (cc10p)(cc10p)(vs.75,1,
C 0021
Pp 72 Cap 2
0020
1.5)(rc)(xh)
C 0022
C 0023
At Andover prep in 1942, senior
C 0024
George ``Poppy'' Bush was
CN0025
captain of the baseball team and
C 0026
George L. ``Flop^` Follansbee
C 0027
was the coach.
C 0028
C 0029 Cap 3
C 0030
CN0031
Bush's Grumman Avenger torpedo
CN0032
bomber was named
C 0033 ``Barbara. His was the number two
X
C 0034 plane in his squadron. His other
three
yes
C 0035
four aircraft were named
CN0036
after his fiancé too.
C 0037
C 0038
Pp 74 & 75 Cap 1
C 0039
C 0040
After duty in the Pacific, Bush
C 0041
returned home, and on
C 0042
January 6, 1945, married Barbara
C 0043
Pierce at her family's church
C 0044
in Rye, N.Y. Their engagement had
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.04
SEPBUSHC
V:02 PAGE: 0003
C 0045
been a secret.
C 0046
C 0047 Cap 3
C 0048
five
CN0049
George The Jr the first of four sons,
C 0050
gets a lift at their home in
C 0051
New Haven while papa was still in
CN0052
college at Yale. The Bushes
C 0053 also had two daughters >one died
C 0054
in infancy
C 0055
C 0056
Pp 76 Cap 1
C 0057
C 0058
In Tokyo last February for the
C 0059
funeral of Emperor
C 0060
Hirohito, President Bush joined
C 0061
heads of state from 162
C 0062
other countries. The palanquin was
C 0063
carried through the streets by
C 0064
members of the Imperial Guard.
(END)
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.05
SEPWWII V:09 HJ:Y 00320
02-AUG-89 16:33 PAGE:
1
OP:LAN ;08/02, 16:24 OR:FGAN FR:LAN-LFE
FMT:26
FG:LFE
MS:
OK:
RP:8
NO:e8 ID:09-01-89 PF:g
***
L 0001
LIFE SEPTEMBER WORLD WAR II Pps 70-78
L 0002
Bush/simons/bentkowski/
L 0003 goldberg/Kinney/Geeslin
LN0004 GHC CG
L 0005
L 0006
Caps 3, 4, 5 (DEPT SLUG)
L 0007
L 0008 ANNIVERSARY
L 0009
L 0010
Cap 7 (ART)
L 0011
L 0012 A BOY
L 0013
GOES TO
L 0014 WAR
L 0015
«
0015
5
(uflhed)
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.06
SEPWWII
«
V:09 PAGE: 0002
0015
(cp22,,20p)*
!
L 0016 Cap 2
L 0017
L 0018 by GEORGE BUSH
L 0019
<<<<<<<<
0019 (cp28,30,16p6)(xh)(r)
0
L 0020 Cap 8
5
L 0021
L 0022
THE PRESIDENT RECALLS
L 0023
HIS THREE-YEAR TOUR
L 0024
OF DUTY AS A
L 0025
NAVY PILOT
LN0026
L 0027
«
0027
0
(st)
L 0028
4
L 0029
Cap 1 PRECEDE TK
L. 0030
L 0031
(cbp71,c1,151)
0
PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 51 LINES DEFINED
(cbp72,c1,129,c2,129)
(cbp74,c1,134,c2,134)
(cbp75,c1,134,c2,134)
(cbp76,c1,124)
L 0032
"December 7, 1941
1
0032 (ir58l,6p,171,10p,331,
0
0033 0 1 was walking across the campus at Andover when 1 0032 6p,11,7p9,31,6p,251,
heard the
0032 10p,431,6p,251,10p,391,
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.07
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0003
1 0034 news. I was 17. It came as a shock<-->a jolt<-->
0032 6p,11,7p9)(il871,0,171,
an awakening. I
0032 4p,421,0,251,4p,431,0,
0 0035 did not fully comprehend world affairs. My
0032
251,4p)
interests were our
1 0036 undefeated soccer season just finished,
basketball<-->basebali
0 0037 coming up. Christmas vacation only a couple of
weeks away,
1 0038 graduation, then college. Things changed
instantly. I knew
L 0039 right then that I wanted to go into the service.
L 0040
L 0041 December 8, 1941
1
1 0042 Our headmaster, a great historian and tough
0
disciplinarian,
1 0043 summoned us all into George Washington Hall, the
school's
0 0044 assembly place. There was the normal joking,
kidding, sloppy
0 0045 posture. Dr. Claude M. Fuess called to order the
800 students
1 0046 by saying something like this: ``Your count. y is
at war. We
0 0047 have just played the Star-Spangled Banner. From
4
0
now on when
0 0048 the Star-Spangled Banner is played you will stand
4
0
at attention,
0 0049 hands at your sides and you will show respect.
From that day
0 0050 on, without fail, I have stood at attention when
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.08
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0004
the national
L 0051 anthem was played.
L 0052
LN0053 June 12, 1942
1
2 0054 Secretary of War Henry Stimson, an alumnus of
0
Andover,
1 N0055 spoke at our commencement. He encouraged the
graduating
0 0056 class to get some college education before
serving. I was deter-
0 0057 mined not to go on to college but to become a
Navy pilot. Sec-
1
0058 retary Stimson was a towering world figure but I
wondered
L 0059
about this call of his.
L 0060
2 N0061 On the same day, my 18th birthday, I was sworn
into the
0 N0062 Navy as a Seaman Second Class, the first step
towards becom-
1 0063 ing a Navy pilot. I was a scared nervous kid. The
Navy had
0 0064 just changed the rules. It no longer required two
years of col-
0 0065 lege before becoming a Navy pilot; pilots were
urgently need-
2 0066 ed. Walter Levering, Lt. USNR, swore me in at
Boston. I
L 0067 went on active duty as an aviation cadet August
6, 1942.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.09
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0005
L 0068
L 0069 August 6, 1942
1
0 0070 I climbed on a southbound train at Penn Station.
0
My dad was
0 0071 a big, strong guy. He put his arm around me and
said goodbye.
0 0072 I'd never seen my dad shed a tear before. We
arrived in Chapel
0 0073 Hill, N.C. and 1 met my great friend The
Splendid Splinter**
1 0074 Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. We all stood
in awe of
L 0075 the famous hitter who was in the same program.
L 0076
L 0077 June, 1943
1
1 0078 Having been stationed at Chapel Hill for
0
preflight, Minne-
0 N0079 apolis for primary training, and Corpus Christi
for advanced,
0 N0080 I received my Navy wings and Ensign's commission
June 9. I
0 0081 was still 18 years old. I wanted to fly in
combat. All my class-
1 0082 mates wanted to as well. I fell in love early on
with the 'low
END OF BLOCK PAGE 71 COLUMN 1
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P.10
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0006
PAGE 72 COLUMN 1 29 LINES DEFINED
1 0083 and slow' torpedo bombers. The Grumman Avenger
carried
1 0084 2,000 pounds of bombs, the biggest single-engine
aircraft in
0 0085 the fleet. It had a crew of three. I went off to
Fort Lauderdale
0 0086 to learn to fly it. Training up and down the East
coast, drop-
0 0087 ping torpedoes off Cape Cod, dummy bombs and
torpedoes in
4 0088 Lake Okeechobee, Fla., Chincoteague, Va.,
Charlestown,
0 0089 Rhode Island, Miami ... I saw em all. I had an
ensign's stripe
L 0090 and an admiral's confidence. I was a Navy pilot.
L 0091
L 0092 Spring-Summer 1944
1
2 0093 I was assigned to Air Group 51, the first to be
0
0 0094 aboard the new fast carrier San Jacinto, CVL 30.
4
0
0 0095 We went on a shakedown cruise to Trinidad, put
0 0096 San Jac into commission at Philadelphia, headed
4
0
2 0097 for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, touched
0 0098 the U.S. one last time at San Diego and then went
L 0099 West.
2 0100
Many of the air group and ship's company
1 N0101 had spent no time at sea. One roommate, subse-
1 0102 quently killed, Tom Waters had a red face, but
0 0103 the seas were so bad that his face literally
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P.11
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0007
turned
L 0104 green.
0 0105
We struck Wake Island on May 23, 1944. My
1 0106 close friend and roommate, Jim Wykes went off
1 0107 on-a search mission, and never came back. I lay
in my upper
0 0108 bunk and cried for my friend. No one saw me<-->
that wouldn't
L 0109 do.
L 0110
L 0111 September 2, 1944
1
END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 1
PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 29 LINES DEFINED
1 N0112 On this day at 0715, a division of VT-51,
0
composed of Com-
2 0113 mander Don Melvin, Doug West, Milt Moore and
myself,
1 0114 took off from the San Jacinto (my 50th combat
itolics
mission) fly-
2 0115 ing about 70 miles to destroy two radio stations
at Chichi
1 0116 Jima in the Bonin Islands. At the target area,
the sky was
1 0117 thick with black clouds of exploding enemy
antiaircraft fire.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P. 12
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0008
1 0118 Don Melvin led the attack on the target, followed
by Doug
L 0119
West and then me.
2 N0120
At about 0830, and moments after pushing
0 0121
over into my dive at 8,000 feet, I felt a jolt
as if a
0 0122
giant fist had rammed into the belly of the
plane.
0 0123
My plane had been hit in the engine area. Smoke
1 0124
poured into the cockpit and flames were spread-
0 0125
ing aft toward the fuel tanks in the wings. Navy
0 0126
training had taught us to complete the mission. I
1 0127
instinctively continued in the dive, homed in on
0 0128
the target, unloaded our four 500 hundred pound
0 0129
bombs, pulled away heading East toward the sea.
1
0130
A few miles from shore, I told my crewmen, Ted
0 N0131
White and John Delaney, to bail out. As I bailed
o 0132
out, my head struck the tail of the plane, momen-
1 0133
tarily knocking me out. I was landing in the wa-
1 0134
ter when the Japanese sent two boats out after
0 0135
me. Melvin, West and Moore along with our Hell-
L 0136 cat fighter escorts drove the boats away.
0 0137
I was in the life raft about two hours,
wondering if my life
1 0138 would be spared. I prayed to God, I was sick to
my stomach
0 0139 and again I cried. I was a very scared kid, just
20, away from
0 0140 his mother and dad, paddling against the wind
trying to
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P.14
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0010
L 0161
L 0162 October 1944
1
3
0163 Back in Pearl Harbor for a week at a ``rest
0
2 0164 home after some essential refresher fly-
1
0165 ing, I hitchhiked back to the fleet<-->Task Force
1 0166 38 under Admiral William "`Bull'' Halsey off the
0
0167 Philippines. I wondered at the tremendous Naval
0167
(co William(?))
1
0168 power in and around Pearl Harbor and at Ulithi
0
0169 Atoll. You could feel things moving our way. We
were shown
0 0170 pictures of Japanese atrocities. It was
Hirohito's fault. Hitler
1 0171 was beginning to get kicked hard in Europe but
for us there
0 0172 was one unifying symbol<-->Hirohito and the evil
he represent-
0 0173 ed. I wanted badly to rejoin my squadron<-->to
fly more, to do
L 0174 my part.
END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN
1
PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED
L 0175
L 0176 November 1944
1
0 N0177 I flew my final combat mission, the 58th, over
0
the Luzon area,
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P.15
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0011
0 N0178
November 29. Puffs of antiaircraft fire, black
and
0
0179
menacing were nothing like the concentrated fire
1
0180
over Chichi Jima. Still you wonder. There was a
0
0181
sense of exhilaration in our ready room. We were
1
0182
going home. We'd probably make it for Christ-
1
0183
mas. Several of our VT-5 squadron mates had
0
0184
been killed, but that was accepted. In a sense,
the
0 0185
ferocity of the battle helped heal the hurt for
our
1
0186
fallen comrades. It was our duty, our honor. We
1
0187
were fighting for the USA against tyranny. The
o 0188
country was united. We, on a carrier, were a
part
1
0189
of something great and good. At times we were
L 0190
scared, but there were never any doubts.
L 0191
D
L 0192
Christmas Eve 1944
1
0 0193
I arrive home. I stop at the Rye IN.Y Station
0
on
+
o
0194
the the way to Greenwich. There my fiancee, Bar-
0
0195
bara, climbs on the train. We go the 10 minutes
to
1
0196
Greenwich. My mother and dad meet us. I was
0 0197
glad to be home for Christmas Day, I counted my
0 0198
blessings. 1 was glad to be surrounded by love.
At
1 N0199
church the next day, Christmas Day, I thanked
0
0200
God I was home<-->and in the quiet of our
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P. 16
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0012
church I
3 0201
thought about Jim Wykes, Dick Houle, Tom
)
0202
Waters, Ted White, John Delaney and the others
L
0203 who would never come home for Christmas.
1 0204
I asked "Why?" but there was not any agony
about the
0 0205 cause. There were no divisions about the war. We
were right.
1 0206 God was on our side. We had suffered a surprise
attack and
1 0207 now, three years later, we were winning; and I, a
20 year old
o 0208 Lt. (j.g.) was part of the greatest fighting
force in the world. I
END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 2
PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED
1 0209 had grown up. I had flown with the best off a
great carrier
0 0210 that flew the Texas flag into battle. I was part
of a team. We
0 0211 cared about each other in our squadron. We
understood each
0
0212 other's fears and loves. We played together, sang
2 0213 together, flew together. We bitched about our
1 0214 Squadron Commander<-->too tough, too demand-
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.17
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0013
0 0215 ing, too serious. But we loved to fly on his wing<
L 0216 we respected Don Melvin.
1
0217
If we hot dogged it or risked the lives of the
1
0218
ship's crew by some careless maneuver, Captain
o
0219 Harold M. ``Beauty'' Martin would kick some se-
1
0220
rious butt, but we bragged about him. He didn't
2
0221
know me from Adam's off Ox. But why should
1
0222 he?<-->I had one stripe, finally 1<1/2>, and he
had 4.
L 0223 We gave him a lot of room, a lot of respect.
2
0224
We were the best pilots. When we ground-
0
0225
looped on land, it was that damned gust of wind,
1
0226 or it was low hydraulics in the left brake. When
o
0227 we missed the proper wire landing on the carrier,
o
0228 it was that crazy landing signal officer
...
Damn
0 0229 fool, had me too high all the way in, or too
fast, or
2 0230 too slow"; but we never told him. He held our
2
0231
lives in his hands. And besides, the skipper al-
L 0232
ways thought he was right.
0 0233
We were the best
...
cocky devils, sure of
our
3
0234
ability, sure of our mission. We knew exactly
LN0235 what had to be done. We knew we would win.
L 0236
L 0237 Winter - Spring 1945
1
0
0238 Having been engaged since the Fall of 1943 while
0
I was train-
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.18
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0014
0 0239 ing up and down the East Coast, on January 6,
1945, Barbara
2 0240 Pierce and I exchanged wedding vows at the
Presbyterian
I
1 0241 Church in Rye, N.Y. I was probably wearing my
Navy uni-
proudly
X
1 0242 form. My VT-51 squadron mates, Richard B.
Playstead and
END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 1
PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED
0 0243 Milton Moore were in attendance. Barbara and I
had time for
L 0244 a honeymoon at Sea Isle, Georgia.
1
0245
Then off we went to carrier re-qualification in
the Great
2
0246
Lakes. We bought our first car<-->a 1941 Plym-
0
0247
outh<-->price $350 and drove across Canada to
join
1
0248
our squadron in Lewiston, Maine. Up and down
1
0249
the East Coast in VT-153, a new torpedo squad-
1
0250
ron manned by some of my pals from V T-51 I
+
1
0251
checked out in the F4U, the hot-shot gull wing
0
0252
Corsair fighter
...
and for a moment I
wondered if
0
0253
``low and slow was good enough for me
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.19
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0015
anymore.
1
0254
A fleeting thought only, since by now the feel of
1 0255
the TBF was a part of my very existence. The
0 0256
TBF was a forgiving airplane<-->and though I
was
0 0257
a pretty good pilot, I'd still make some pilot's
er-
L 0258
rors that needed forgiveness.
L. 0259
L 0260
August 14, 1945
1
0
0261
I'm just 21 now. We are based in Virginia. Barba-
o
1
0262
ra and I are having more time together. As our
0 0263
new squadron, with orders in hand to go back to
3 0264
the Pacific, starts our final training, the war
3 0265
ends. I'll never forget the screaming and the
2 0266
cheering and the dancing in the street and the
1
0267
praying. Bar and I went to church and we said
0
0268
thanks. The war's end meant we would not have
0
0269
to be separated, and that I would not have to
cov-
0 N0270
er any more landings of Marines on beaches<-->
see-
1
0271
ing them get slaughtered as the Japanese dug in
to defend
L 0272
their homeland.
L 0273
L 0274
September 18, 1945
1
1
0275 I am discharged from the Navy on ``points'' and
0
now I go to
1
0276 college. The togetherness of it all is gone. We
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P.20
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0016
re-focus,
END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 2
PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 24 LINES DEFINED
1 0277 It's soccer, baseball<-->it's our first baby, and
economics classes. Barbara and I
0 0278 know family joy, and the happiness of being at
school and looking forward short-
0 N0279 ly thereafter to a new life in our West. We have
lots of new friends. The letters
L 0280 from the shipmates slow down. They are finding
their new way, too.
L 0281
L 0282 June 1948
1
0 0283 A brand new college grad, my first job ahead, I
o
drive to Odessa, Texas: The war
L 0284 seems, far behind<-->ahead lies a whole new
exciting life.
L 0285
L 0286 January 20, 1989
1
o
0287 I am sworn in as President of the United States.
0
A TBF on a float goes by in our
0 0288 Inaugural parade. On it are some squadron mates
from VT-51 They are smiling
L 0289 and waving. No one knows who they are. But I
+
know.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P. 21
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0017
L 0290
L 0291 February, 1989
1
0 0292 I am in Japan for the funeral of Emperor
0
Hirohito. It is an icy cold day and the
0 0293 long ceremony is beautifully done. Sitting there
in the cold, surrounded by world
1 N0294 leaders, I had time to think. Yes, I thought
about the burst of antiaircraft fire
1 0295 from Chichi Jima that killed my friends, but that
thought did not dominate. I
0 0296 thought about Hirohito going to call on
MacArthur, about Japan's remarkable
0 0297 recovery and about her democracy. 1 thought about
the quiet little man and his
1 0298 love of nature and how that contrasted with the
horrible pictures we saw 45
1
0299
years
ago
...
I thought of Japan. And I thought
of forgiveness. Our alliance is
1 0300 strong, our friendship is genuine. They are now a
democracy. How remarkable
END OF BLOCK PAGE 76 COLUMN
1
WARNING: NO MORE BLOCKS DEFINED
0 0301 that is. Maybe Ted White, Jack Delaney, Jim
Wykes, Dick Houle and Tom Wa-
0 0302 ters did not die in vain. It was right that I
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P.22
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0018
went back to Japan to the Emperor's
L 0303 funeral. « [ã
0303
(ufbox)
1
(END)
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:04 TIMEINC NYK
P.01
?
TIME
TIME & LIFE BUILDING
WIREROOM
ROCKEFELLER CENTER
INCORPORATED
T.CO -
NEW YORK 10020
FAX:
(212) 522-0907
522-0908
522-0909
PHONE: (212) 522-1567/8
3975 - Don3
DATE 8/2
2598
FAX COVER SHEET
TO CHRISTIN GEAR
FAX # 202 456 6218
FROM SIMONS
DEPT LIFE EDIT
*******
NUMBER OF PAGE (S) TO FOLLOW: 21
*******
212-522-0909
0907
0908
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.02
,
:
SEPBUSHC V:02 HJ:Y 00064
OP:LF1
;08/02, 16:38 OR:LAN
02-AUG-89 16:41 PAGE:
1
FR:LF1-LFE
MS:
FMT:12p6
FG:LFE
OK:
RP:8
NO:e7 ID:09-01-89 PF:g
***
L 0001
LIFE September '89
L 0002
Bush (Captions) Pp 70-76
L 0003
Kinney/Simons Sheehan/Geeslin
L 0004 CG
L 0005
L 0006
L 0007
L 0008 Pp 71 Cap 9
L 0009
«««««
40
0009 (cc8p6)(cc8p6)(rr)(xh)
L 0010
Opposite: Late in 1944,
0009
(vs.5,2,.5)
L 0011
Lt. (j.g.) George Bush
L 0012
with combat crewmen
LN0013
Leo Nadeau (left) and Joe
e
LN0014
Reichart was part of a
L 0015
Naval air squadron in the
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.03
SEPBUSHC
V:02 PAGE: 0002
L 0016
Pacific. Above: Bush fills
L 0017
out his flight log
L 0018
aboard the U.S.S. San
4
L 0019
Jacinto.
L 0020
0
<<<<<
0020 (cc10p)(cc10p)(vs.75,1,
15 1
C 0021
Pp 72 Cap 2
0020
1.5)(rc)(xh)
C 0022
C 0023
At Andover prep in 1942, senior
C 0024
George ``Poppy'' Bush was
CN0025
captain of the baseball team and
C 0026
George L. ``Flop`` Follansbee
C 0027
was the coach.
C 0028
C 0029
Cap 3
C 0030
CN0031
Bush's Grumman Avenger torpedo
CN0032
bomber was named
C 0033
``Barbara.`` His was the number two
C 0034
plane in his squadron. His other
C 0035
four aircraft were named
CN0036
after his fiancé too.
C 0037
C 0038
Pp 74 & 75 Cap 1
C 0039
C 0040
After duty in the Pacific, Bush
C 0041
returned home, and on
C 0042
January 6, 1945, married Barbara
C 0043
Pierce at her family's church
c 0044
in Rye, N.Y. Their engagement had
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.04
SEPBUSHC
V:02 PAGE: 0003
C 0045
been a secret.
C 0046
C 0047
Cap 3
C 0048
CN0049
George The the first of four sons,
C 0050
gets a lift at their home in
C 0051
New Haven while papa was still in
CN0052
college at Yale. The Bushes.
C 0053
also had two daughters< >one died
after grad he
C 0054
in infancy.
movedto Tx
C 0055
C 0056
Pp 76 Cap 1
B went into
C 0057
the oil business
C 0058
In Tokyo last February for the
C 0059
funeral of Emperor
C 0060
Hirohito, President Bush joined
C 0061
heads of state from 162
C 0062
other countries. The palanquin was
C 0063
carried through the streets by
C 0064
members of the Imperial Guard.
(END)
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.05
SEPWWII
V:09 HJ:Y 00320
02-AUG-89 16:33 PAGE:
OP:LAN
1
;08/02,16:24 OR:FGAN
FR:LAN-LFE
FMT:26
MS:
FG:LFE
OK:
RP:8
NO:e8 ID:09-01-89 PF:g
***
L 0001
LIFE SEPTEMBER WORLD WAR II Pps 70-78
L 0002
Bush/simons/bentkowski/
L 0003
goldberg/Kinney/Geeslin
LN0004 GHC CG
L 0005
L 0006
Caps 3, 4, 5 (DEPT SLUG)
L 0007
L 0008 ANNIVERSARY
L 0009
L 0010
Cap 7 (ART)
L 0011
L 0012 A BOY
L 0013 GOES TO
L 0014 WAR
L 0015
«
5
0015
(uflhed)
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:05 TIMEINC NYK
P.06
«
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0002
0015
(cp22,,20p)*
L 0016
Cap 2
L 0017
L 0018
by GEORGE BUSH
L 0019
<<<<<<<
0
0019 (cp28,30,16p6)(xh)(rr)
L 0020 Cap 8
5
L 0021
L 0022
THE PRESIDENT RECALLS
L 0023
HIS THREE-YEAR TOUR
L 0024
OF DUTY AS A
L 0025
NAVY PILOT.
LN0026
L 0027
«
0027
0
(st)
L 0028
4
L 0029
Cap 1 PRECEDE TK
L. 0030
L 0031
(cbp71,c1,151)
0
PAGE 71 COLUMN 1 51 LINES DEFINED
(cbp72,c1,129,c2,129)
(cbp74,c1,134,c2,134)
(cbp75,c1,134,c2,134)
(cbp76,c1,124)
L 0032
<<<December 7, 1941
1
0032 (ir58l,6p,171,10p,331,
)
0033
1 was walking across the campus at Andover when I 0032
0
6p,11,7p9,31,6p,251,
heard the
0032 10p,431,6p,251,10p,391,
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.07
SEPWWII
1
0034
V:09 PAGE: 0003
news. I was 17. It came as a shock<-->a jolt<-->
0032 6p,11,7p9)(il871,0,171,
an awakening. I
0032 4p,421,0,251,4p,431,0,
0
0035
did not fully comprehend world affairs. My
0032
251,4p)
interests were our
1
0036 undefeated soccer season just finished,
basketball<-->baseball
0
0037 coming up. Christmas vacation only a couple of
weeks away,
1
0038 graduation, then college. Things changed
instantly. I knew
L 0039
right then that I wanted to go into the service.
L 0040
L 0041
December 8, 1941
1
1
0042
Our headmaster, a great historian and tough
0
disciplinarian,
1
0043
summoned us all into George Washington Hall, the
school's
0
0044 assembly place. There was the normal joking,
kidding, sloppy
0
0045 posture. Dr. Claude M. Fuess called to order the
800 students
1
0046 by saying something like this: ``Your count. y is
at war. We
0
0047
have just played the Star-Spangled Banner. From
4
0
;
now on when
o
0048 the Star-Spangled Banner is played you will stand
4
0
at attention,
0
0049
hands at your sides and you will show respect.
From that day
D
0050 on, without fail, I have stood at attention when
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.08
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0004
the national
L 0051 anthem was played.
L 0052
LN0053 June 12, 1942
1
2
0054 Secretary of War Henry Stimson, an alumnus of
0
Andover,
1 N0055 spoke at our commencement. He encouraged the
graduating
0
0056 class to get some college education before
serving. I was deter-
0
0057
mined not to go on to college but to become a
Navy pilot. Sec-
1
0058
retary Stimson was a towering world figure but I
wondered
L 0059
about this call of his.
L 0060
2
N0061
On the same day, my 18th birthday, I was sworn
into the
0 N0062
Navy as a Seaman Second Class, the first step
towards becom-
1
0063 ing a Navy pilot. I was a scared nervous kid. The
Navy had
D
0064 just changed the rules. It no longer required two
years of col-
)
0065 lege before becoming a Nav pilot; pilots were
urgently need-
2
0066 ed. Walter Levering, Lt. USNR, swore me in at
Boston. I
L 0067
went on active duty as an aviation cadet August
6, 1942.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:06 TIMEINC NYK
P.09
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0005
L 0068
L 0069 August 6, 1942
1
0
0070 I climbed on a southbound train at Penn Station.
0
My dad was
0
0071 a big, strong guy. He put his arm around me and
said goodbye.
0
0072
I'd never seen my dad shed a tear before. We
arrived in Chapel
0
0073
Hill, N.C. and I met my great friend The
Splendid Splinter**
1
0074
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. We all stood
in awe of
L 0075 the famous hitter who was in the same program.
L 0076
L 0077 June, 1943
1
1
0078
Having been stationed at Chapel Hill for
0
preflight, Minne-
o N0079 apolis for primary training, and Corpus Christi
for advanced,
0 N0080 I received my Navy wings and Ensign's commission
June 9. I
0
0081 was still 18 years old. I wanted to fly in
combat. All my class-
1
0082 mates wanted to as well. I fell in love early on
with the 'low
END OF BLOCK PAGE 71 COLUMN
1
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P.10
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0006
PAGE 72 COLUMN
1
29 LINES DEFINED
1
0083 and slow' torpedo bombers. The Grumman Avenger
carried
1
0084 2,000 pounds of bombs, the biggest single-engine
aircraft in
0
0085 the fleet. It had a crew of three. I went off to
Fort Lauderdale
0
0086 to learn to fly it. Training up and down the East
coast, drop-
0
0087
ping torpedoes off Cape Cod, dummy bombs and
torpedoes in
4
0088
Lake Okeechobee, Fla., Chincoteague, Va.,
Charlestown,
0
0089
Rhode Island, Miami
...
I saw 'em all. I had an
ensign's stripe
L 0090
and an admiral's confidence. I was a Navy pilot.
L 0091
L 0092
Spring-Summer 1944
1
2
0093
I was assigned to Air Group 51, the first to be
0
D
0094
aboard the new fast carrier San Jacinto, CVL 30.
4
0
0
0095
We went on a shakedown cruise to Trinidad, put
)
0096
4 San Jac into commission at Philadelphia, headed
0
2
0097 for the Pacific via the Panama Canal, touched
)
0098
the U.S. one last time at San Diego and then went
L 0099 West.
!
0100
Many of the air group and ship's company
N0101
had spent no time at sea. One roommate, subse-
0102
quently killed, Tom Waters had a red face, but
0103
the seas were so bad that his face literally
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P.11
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0007
turned
L 0104 green.
0 0105
We struck Wake Island on May 23, 1944. My
other
1 0106 close friend and roommate, Jim Wykes went off
1 0107 on a search mission, and never came back. I lay
in my upper
0 0108 bunk and cried for my friend. No one saw me<-->
that wouldn't
L 0109 do.
L 0110
L 0111 September 2, 1944
1
END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 1
PAGE 72 COLUMN 2 29 LINES DEFINED
1 N0112 On this day at 0715, a division of VT-51,
0
composed of Com-
2 0113 mander Don Melvin, Doug West, Milt Moore and
myself,
1 0114 took off from the San Jacinto (my 50th combat
mission) fly-
2 0115 ing about 70 miles to destroy two radio stations
at Chichi
1 0116 Jima-in the Bonin Islands At the target area,
the sky was
1 0117 thick with black clouds of exploding enemy
antiaircraft fire.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:07 TIMEINC NYK
P.12
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0008
1
0118 Don Melvin led the attack on the target, followed
by Doug
L 0119
West and then me.
2 N0120
At about 0830, and moments after pushing
0 0121
over into my dive at 8,000 feet, I felt a jolt
as if a
0 0122
giant fist had rammed into the belly of the
plane.
we'd
0 0123
My plane had been hit in the engine area. Smoke
1
0124
poured into the cockpit and flames were spread-
o
0125
ing aft toward the fuel tanks in the wings. Navy
0 0126
training had taught us to complete the mission. I
1
0127
instinctively continued in the dive, homed in on
0 0128
the target, unloaded our four 500 hundred pound
0
0129
bombs, pulled away heading East toward the sea.
1
0130
A few miles from shore, I told my crewmen, Ted
0 N0131
White and John Delaney, to bail out. As I bailed
0
0132
out, my, head struck the tail of the plane, momen-
1
0133
tarily knocking me out. I was landing in the wa-
1
0134
ter when the Japanese sent two boats out after
0
0135
me. Melvin, West and Moore along with our Hell-
L 0136
cat fighter escorts drove the boats away.
0
0137
I. was in the life raft about two hours,
wondering if my life
1
0138
would be spared. I prayed to God, I was sick to
my stomach
0
0139
and again I cried. I was a very scared kid, just
20, away from
0
0140 his mother and dad, paddling against the wind
trying to
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P.13
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0009
END OF BLOCK PAGE 72 COLUMN 2
PAGE 74 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED
0 0141 get farther away from the Japanese-held island. I
later learned
1
0142 that my crewmen had been killed. Observers said
that two
0 0143 persons were seen leaving the plane. The
parachute of the oth-
1 0144 er person never opened, but mine did. God had
2
0145 spared me from that fate for whatever reason.
2
0146
Hellcat fighter pilots flew over my raft until I
1
0147 was rescued by the American submarine U.S.S.
L 0148 Finback around noon.
4
0
L 0149
L 0150 September 1944
1
0
0151 The Finback stayed on its war patrol in Japanese
0 4
0
o
0152
waters, and I along with two other rescued pilots
0
0153
and two crewmen spent the next 30 days standing
1
0154
watch and counting my blessings. We got depth
1
0155
charged by Japanese ships. The submariners in
2
0156 Finback didn't seem too concerned about that,
4
0
1
N0157 But Jim Beckman, Tom Keene and I, the three
2
0158
rescued pilots, didn't like that a bit. Finback's
4
0
2
0159
skipper won a Silver Star for sinking Japanese
L 0160 ships.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P.14
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0010
L 0161
L 0162 October 1944
1
3 0163 Back in Pearl Harbor for a week at a ``rest
0
2
0164 home then after some essential refresher fly-
1 0165 ing, I hitchhiked back to the fleet<-->Task Force
1 0166 38 under Admiral William ``Bull'' Halsey off the
0
0167 Philippines. I wondered at the tremendous Naval
0167
(co William(?))
1 0168 power in and around Pearl Harbor and at Ulithi
0 0169 Atoll. You could feel things moving our way. We
were shown
0 0170 pictures of Japanese atrocities. It was
Hirohito's fault. Hitler
1 0171 was beginning to get kicked hard in Europe but
for us there
o 0172 was one unifying symbol<-->Hirohito and the evil
he represent-
o 0173 ed. I wanted badly to rejoin my squadron<-->to
fly more, to do
L 0174 my part.
END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 1
PAGE 74 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED
L 0175
L 0176 November 1944
1
0 N0177 I flew my final combat/mission, the 58th, over
0
the Luzon area,
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
- 15
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0011
0 N0178
November 29. Puffs of antiaircraft fire, black
and
0 0179
menacing were nothing like the concentrated fire
1
0180
over Chichi Jima. Still you wonder. There was a
0 0181
sense of exhilaration in our ready room. We were
1
0182
going home. We'd probably make it for Christ-
1
0183
mas. Several of our VT 51 squadron mates had
0
0184
been killed, but that was accepted. In a sense,
the
0 0185
ferocity of the battle helped heal the hurt for
1
our
1
0186
fallen comrades It was our duty, our honor. We
1
0187
were fighting for the USA against tyranny. The
o 0188
country was united. We, on a carrier, were a
part
1
0189
of something great and good. At times we were
L 0190
scared, but there were never any doubts.
L 0191
L 0192
Christmas Eve 1944
1
0 0193
I arrive home. I stop at the Rye [N.Y.] Station
0
on
0 0194
the the way to Greenwich. There my fiancee, Bar-
0 0195
bara, climbs on the train. We go the 10 minutes
to
1 0196
Greenwich. My mother and dad meet us. I was
0 0197
glad to be home for Christmas Day, I counted my
0 0198
blessings. I was glad to be surrounded by love.
At
1 N0199
church the next day, Christmas Day I thanked
0 0200
God I was home<-->and in the quiet of our
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:08 TIMEINC NYK
P.16
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0012
church I
3 0201
thought about Jim Wykes, Dick Houle, Tom
0
0202
Waters, Ted White, John Delaney and the others
L 0203
who would never come home for Christmas.
1 0204
I, asked "Why?" but there was not any agony
about the
0 0205 cause. There were no divisions about the war. We
were right.
1 0206 God was on our side. We had suffered a surprise
attack and
1 0207 now, three years later, we were winning; and I, a
20 year old
0 0208 Lt. (j.g.) was part of the greatest fighting
force in the world. I
END OF BLOCK PAGE 74 COLUMN 2
PAGE 75 COLUMN 1 34 LINES DEFINED
1 0209 had grown up. I had flown with the best off a
great carrier
0 0210 that flew the Téxas flag into battle. I was part
of a team. We
0 0211 cared about each other in our squadron. We
understood each
0 0212 other's fears and loves. We played together, sang
2 0213 together, flew together. We bitched about our
1 0214 Squadron Commander<-->too tough, too demand-
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.17
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0013
0 0215 ing, too serious. But we loved to fly on his wing<
-->
L 0216
we respected Don Melvin.
1 0217
If we hot dogged it or risked the lives of the
1
0218
ship's crew by some careless maneuver, Captain
o
0219
Harold M. ``Beauty'' Martin would kick some se-
1
0220
rious butt, but we bragged about him. He didn't
2
0221
know me from Adam's off Ox. But why should
1
0222
he?<-->I had one stripe, finally 1<1/2>, and he
had 4.
L 0223
We gave him a lot of room, a lot of respect.
2
0224
We were the best pilots. When we ground-
0
0225
looped on land, it was that damned gust of wind,
1
0226
or it was low hydraulics in the left brake. When
o
0227
we missed the proper wire landing on the carrier,
0
0228
it was that crazy landing signal officer
`Damn
o
0229
fool, had me too high all the way in, or too
fast, or
2
0230
too slow''; but we never told him. He held our
2
0231
lives in his hands. And besides, the skipper al-
L 0232
ways thought he was right.
0 0233
We were the best
...
cocky devils, sure of
our
3
0234
ability, sure of our mission. We knew exactly
LN0235
what had to be done. We knew we would win.
L 0236
L
0237
Winter - Spring 1945
1
0
0238 Having been engaged since the Fall of 1943 while
0
I was train-
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.18
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0014
0 0239 ing up and down the East Coast, on January 6,
1945, Barbara
2 0240 Pierce and I exchanged wedding vows at the
Presbyterian
1 0241 Church in Rye, N.Y. I was probably wearing my
Navy uni-
1 0242 form. My VT-51 squadron mates, Richard B.
Playstead and
END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 1
PAGE 75 COLUMN 2 34 LINES DEFINED
0 0243 Milton Moore were in attendance. Barbara and I
had time for
L 0244 a honeymoon at Sea Isle, Georgia.
Island
1 0245
Then off we went to carrier re-qualification in
the Great
2 0246
Lakes. We bought our first car<-->a 1941 Plym-
0 0247
outh<-->price $350 and drove across Canada to
join
1
0248
our squadron in Lewiston, Maine. Up and down
1
0249
the East Coast in VT 153, a new torpedo squad-
1 0250
ron manned by some of my pals from VT 51. I
1
0251
checked out in the F4U, the hot-shot gull wing
0 0252
Corsair fighter ... and for a moment I
wondered if
0 0253
``low and slow was good enough for me
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:09 TIMEINC NYK
P.19
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0015
anymore.
1
0254
A fleeting thought only, since by now the feel of
1
0255
the-TBF was a part of my very existence. The
0 0256
TBF was a forgiving airplane<-->and though I
was
0 0257
a pretty good pilot, I'd still make some pilot's
er-
L 0258
rors that needed forgiveness.
L 0259
L 0260
August 14, 1945
1
0
0261
I'm just 21 now. We are based in Virginia. Barba-
0
1 0262
ra and I are having more time together. As our
0
0263
new squadron, with orders in hand to go back to
3 0264
the Pacific, starts our final training, the war
3 0265
ends. I'll never forget the screaming and the
2
0266
cheering and the dancing in the street and the
1
0267
praying. Bar and I went to church and we said
0
0268
thanks. The war's end meant we would not have
o 0269
to be separated, and that I would not have to
cov-
0 N0270
er any more landings of Marines on beaches<-->
see-
1
0271 ing them get slaughtered as the Japanese dug in
to defend
L 0272
their homeland.
L 0273
L 0274 September 18, 1945
1
1
0275 I am discharged from the Navy on ``points'' and
0
now I go to
1 0276 college. The togetherness of it all is gone. We
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P.20
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0016
re-focus.
END OF BLOCK PAGE 75 COLUMN 2
PAGE 76 COLUMN 1 24 LINES DEFINED
1 0277 It's soccer, baseball<-->it's our first baby, and
economics classes. Barbara and I
0 0278 know family joy, and the happiness of being at
school and looking forward short-
0 N0279 ly thereafter to a new life in our West. We have
lots of new friends. The letters
L 0280 from the shipmates slow down. They are finding
their new way, too.
L 0281
L 0282 June 1948
1
0 0283 A brand new college grad, my first job ahead, I
o
drive to Odessa, Texas. The war
L 0284 seems, far behind<-->ahead lies a whole new
exciting life.
L 0285
L 0286 January 20, 1989
1
0 0287 1. am sworn in as President of the United States.
0
A TBF on a float goes by in our
) 0288 Inaugural parade. On it are some squadron mates
from VT 51. They are smiling
L 0289 and waving. No one knows who they are. But I
know.
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P.21
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0017
L 0290
L 0291 February, 1989
1
0 0292 I am in Japan for the funeral of Emperor
0
Hirohito. It is an icy cold day and the
0 0293 long ceremony is beautifully done. Sitting there
in the cold, surrounded by world
1 N0294 leaders, I had time to think. Yes, I thought
about the burst of antiaircraft fire
1 0295 from Chichi Jima that killed my friends, but that
thought did not dominate. I
0 0296 thought about Hirohito going to call on
MacArthur, about Japan's remarkable
0 0297 recovery and about her democracy. I thought about
the quiet little man and his
1 0298 love of nature and how that contrasted with the
horrible pictures we saw 45
\
44
1
0299
years
ago
...
I thought of Japan. And I thought
of forgiveness. Our alliance is
1 0300 strong, our friendship is genuine. They are now a
democracy. How remarkable
END OF BLOCK PAGE 76 COLUMN 1
WARNING: NO MORE BLOCKS DEFINED
0 0301 that is. Maybe Ted White, Jack Delaney, Jim
Wykes, Dick Houle and Tom Wa-
0 0302 ters did not die in vain. It was right that I
AUG- 2-89 WED 17:10 TIMEINC NYK
P.22
SEPWWII
V:09 PAGE: 0018
went back to Japan to the Emperor's
L 0303 funeral. "|ä
0303
(ufbox)
1
(END)