A look back at the Life of President H.W. Bush
The Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to Lieutenant Colonel Al Hunt (grandfather of freshman Cole Hunt) and letter signed by George H.W. Bush
On November 30, 2018, President George H.W. Bush passed away at the age of 94.
In 1924, George H.W. Bush was born in small-town Milton, MA. Bush joined the US Navy at 18, and served as a seaman and airman during World War II.
He served from 1942 to 1945 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, and the Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, Bush pursued a career in politics. Bush’s first job in the world of politics was as a representative for Texas from 1967 to 1971, then from ‘71 to ‘73, he was the United States ambassador to the United Nations and the Director of Central Intelligence Agency. Bush also served as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, until he won the presidential election of 1989, becoming the 41st President of the United States.
On December 16th, I had the honor of talking with Corporal Ray Grooves. Grooves enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1941 and served on the Pacific coast, fighting in Peleliu, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa. He fought in the first marine division under General Chesty Puller and alongside George H.W. Bush.
I sat down with Corporal Grooves and his wife the day after the United States Marine Corps Ball. When I asked them about George H. W. Bush, Mrs. Grooves told me about a memory of hers that took place in the H.W. Bush library where she was fortunate enough to have met President Bush.
She began, “…Ray and I were in the Bush library in 1999. And as we were looking around, we saw President Bush! None of us in the group dared approach him. After he walked away someone in the group said ‘why don’t we go to the cemetery?’ so we all walked over there. And about 3-5 minutes later we saw an English Springer running around and I knew it was Millie, Bush’s dog. Following close behind was President Bush, and following close behind Bush was the secret service. Once they caught the dog I walked up and asked for a picture and Bush said ‘sure, but can we walk away from the graveyard, I don’t plan to be there for a long time.’” Mrs. Grooves said that President Bush was very pleasant and easy to feel comfortable with.
The Bush presidency is noted with many admirable acts: the Berlin wall came down, Bush met with Gorbachev and announced the end of the Cold War, and he signed landmark legislation with the Americans With Disabilities Act.
