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.
He flew the Avenger, which had a three-man crew. It was the heaviest plane the Navy dared to fly off an aircraft carrier. His target on Sept. 2, 1944, was a Japanese radio transmitter on the island of Chichijima.
A Navy animation shows his plane was hit as he began his run into the target. But he stayed with it until he dropped his bombs, before trying to get back over water. Fliers who parachuted down onto the island were executed. So out over the water, Mr. Bush told his crew to bail out.
Two parachutes came out of the aircraft. One opened, which was presumably Lt. j.g. Bush. The other, what’s called a streamer â the parachute didn’t open. Neither of the other two crewmen were seen again. Mr. Bush landed in the water and swam to a life raft.
The Japanese came out after him. Some fighters from the flight were able to strafe the Japanese boats and keep them away during the four hours that Bush was actually in the water.
The U.S. submarine, USS Finback, got to him before the Japanese could. Bush was actually surprised when out of nowhere this submarine surfaces right next to him. A 20-year-old George H.W. Bush spent 30 days on that submarine thinking, as he later told author James Bradley, “Why had I been spared and what did God have in store for me?”
MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF ROCHESTER
ROCHESTERMILITARY.COM
