Farewell to an American Icon By Barry McCaffrey ’60, GEN USA (ret.) It is difficult to imagine a figure of American public life more emblematic of non sibi service than George H.W. Bush ’42. His legacy is the American equivalent of a noble public life. I was privileged to serve with President Bush during the years when he was our 41st president and commander in chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. His sense of integrity and fairness, his rich record of public service as a congressman, U.S. ambassador to China and the United Nations, CIA director, twoterm vice president, and World War II Navy attack pilot gave him huge credibility and trust among those in the Armed Forces. I supported President Bush while assigned as the three-star military assistant to General Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During this period of enormous national security consequence, I accompanied President Bush to arms control conferences in Vienna, Helsinki, and Moscow as a military assistant. I also joined the JCS chairman during White House meetings of the National Security Council. President Bush successfully navigated the foreign policy issues of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Grenada operation, the Somali Civil War, the START II Treaty, the Invasion of Panama to restore the rule of law and end the Noriega dictatorship, and the monumental peace dialog with Gorbachev and then Yeltsin. President Bush and General Powell made such a mature and cautious team—respectful and trusted by foreign leaders, adverse to the risks of war, and protective of the lives and dignity of our service men and women. My strongest memories of our president were during the Gulf War—Desert Storm and the campaign to free Kuwait from the brutal occupation of Saddam Hussein. President Bush and Secretary of State James Baker put together a coalition of 40 nations under the auspices of the United Nations to amass overwhelming allied military power. Following a massive 30-day air campaign, we fell on the Iraqis and then crushed their resistance with a four-day ground campaign. I served as commander of the 24th Infantry Division, a force of 26,000 soldiers and
1,600 armored vehicles. On 24 February 1991 we conducted a 400-kilometer “left hook” attack around the Iraqi Army in a four-day blitzkrieg campaign. We were so appreciative when President Bush visited our U.S. families at Ft. Stewart, Georgia, where my wife, Jill, had the honor of introducing him to a crowd of thousands. In fact, I’m looking at his note to her now as I write. And prior to our overseas attack, the president and first lady also visited our division in Saudi Arabia with senior congressional leaders during Thanksgiving weekend. In his opening remarks to the thousands of 24th Infantry Division soldiers I had assembled, he recalled that during November 1944, he was flying ground support combat missions for the 24th Infantry Division, then fighting in the Philippines. Every one of us welled up with tears. This was a man who knew what we faced; he had been there with us 47 years earlier. President Bush’s greatest military credibility was earned by his combat service in WWII as the youngest naval aviator during the massive and bloody Pacific campaigns against the Japanese Empire. He enlisted on his 18th birthday following the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. It was a miracle he survived his 58 combat missions, as many did not. More than 60,000 naval personnel perished at sea. Among many other accomplishments during this time, he successfully pressed home an attack even though his aircraft was hit and burning; he was rescued by a U.S. submarine. For this, Bush was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross. He would eventually return to combat. When President Bush died at age 94 on 30 November 2018, my final duty was to serve as a member of a ceremonial delegation of retired senior military commanders from the Gulf War, led by General Colin Powell. We went to pay our respects as our former commander lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. It is hard to imagine America will ever again see such a commander in chief of the Armed Forces as respected as George H.W. Bush.
For more on George H.W. Bush’s Andover years, see the winter 2019 issue of Andover magazine at www.andover.edu/alumni/andover-magazine.
The Blue Guidon The Newsletter of Andover and the Military
Spring 2019
George H.W. Bush ’42: From World War II Pilot to Commander in Chief We devote this issue of The Blue Guidon to Andover’s most illustrious alumnus, George Herbert Walker Bush, Class of 1942. He was, in the words of biographer Jon Meacham, “America’s last great soldier statesman.” No one better exemplified the devotion to service that is at the heart of Andover’s non sibi credo. No alumnus more deeply embodied the ethos and fundamental purpose of the Andover and the Military Committee than Navy pilot and 41st President George H.W. Bush. —Robert M. Tuller Jr. ’82, P’21, ’23, Editor
Navy pilot George Bush in TBM Avenger, 1944
In 2011, Andover magazine marked the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a series of reminiscences authored by alumni. The first of these was written by George Bush. Andover, he said, shaped his commitment to service and his steely decision to join the Navy on the day he graduated—his 18th birthday.
A Fateful Decision I distinctly remember December 7, 1941. I recall walking across the campus at Andover with several friends when we heard the news…Feelings of shock, of course, soon gave way to a national sense of outrage…Six months after Pearl Harbor, I received my diploma. Secretary of War (and Andover board president) Henry Stimson, himself an Andover grad, delivered the commencement address. He told members of my class that the coming war would be a long one, and though America needed fighting men,
we would better serve our country by getting more education before getting in uniform. By then, I had already decided that college would have to wait. I was determined to become a naval aviator—and the sooner I could enlist, the better. Still, after the graduation ceremony, my father approached me in the crowded hallway outside the auditorium...“George,” he said, “did the Secretary say anything to change your mind?” “No, sir,” I replied. “I am going in.” Dad nodded and shook my hand. On my 18th birthday, I went to Boston and was sworn into the Navy as a Seaman Second Class. Not long thereafter, Dad took me to Penn Station to put me on a railway coach headed south to North Carolina and pre-flight training. As we parted ways that day, it was the only time I ever saw my father shed a tear. Driving this decision to forego college and join the war effort immediately, I am sure, was my Dad’s own service in World War I—but there was more to it. I was also heeding the Andover motto, non sibi.
Exerpts from All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings
Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited By James Donnelly ‘82, CAPT USN (ret.) Some of you may have had the privilege of working closely with President George H.W. Bush in support of Phillips Academy or the government. I was not as fortunate. Although I had a few close encounters with him, including a handshake at the 1985 Army-Navy game, I mostly admired him from afar. Yet hearing him speak several times at Andover led me to believe that given the opportunity, I would have enjoyed meeting him personally and sharing a sea story or two. Perhaps you would agree. Like many of us, Bush grew to appreciate basic necessities during his military indoctrination, mentioning to his family that his greatest luxury was then a swallow of cold water at the end of a five-mile hike. During training, he started to think about post-military options that didn’t include college, which seems now to be a direct adaptation to the military’s Spartan lifestyle and his growing self-confidence in his own work ethic. Many aspects of his flight school experience are as relevant today as ever. Bush described his nervousness in check-rides and the elation of passing a safefor-solo check, finally earning the instructor’s confidence. He described an occasional mishap, a friend’s engine failure and crash landing, and his own brush with death as he clipped a tree that was too near the runway but managed to land the aircraft unharmed. Many of us might also identify with his sentiment, “You don’t ever get scared till afterwards”—a quote from All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings. Bush earned his Navy wings at the age of 19— an amazing feat by today’s standards—and sent a note to his family, thanking them for their support, then restating his dedication to his military task at hand. The urgency of the war cut through much
of the bureaucratic process that is commonplace today. When Bush crashed a TBF Avenger during fleet training—the aircraft was a total loss—he was returned to the flight schedule the next day. Once in the Pacific and fully proficient in aircraft carrier flight operations, Bush continued to hone his flying skills and to learn from the challenging circumstances he was dealt. Following an engine failure, he was forced to ditch his TBM Avenger—the heaviest single-engine aircraft in WWII. He performed the ditching maneuver successfully, and he and his two crewmates were picked up by a destroyer and transferred back to the aircraft carrier. His flying skill and coolness under pressure earned him a reputation as the squadron’s best pilot, according to squadron mate Ted White. White asked to fly off-crew as Bush’s gunner during a dangerous combat mission against a defended radio station on Chichi Jima. During the mission, Bush’s aircraft was hit by enemy fire, but he continued on course until successfully dropping his bombs on target. He then followed procedures to allow his crewmates to bail out, then parachuted to safety himself. Unfortunately, he was the only survivor, but his heroic actions earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross. President George H.W. Bush was a great leader in turbulent times, exuding self-confidence, drive, and compassion for those who served under him. It seems clear that his early experiences in the military were a positive influence on his follow-on service in government. My only regret is that we were not able to engage him in the AATM community before he passed. We all would have been enriched!
From George H.W. Bush’s September 3, 1944, letter to his parents describing his Chichi Jima mission—being shot down, the loss of his crew, and his rescue by the submarine USS Finback:
“There was no sign of Del or Ted anywhere around. I looked as I floated down and afterwards kept my eye open from the raft, but to no avail. The ALUMNI CURRENTLY ON ACTIVE DUTY
fact that our planes didn’t seem to be searching anymore showed me pretty clearly they had not gotten out…It bothers me so very much. I did tell them
Joseph Simourian ’18
Hunter Washburn ’00
Nicholas Isenhower ’18
Justin Accomando ’99
Annette Bell ’16
Grancis Santana ’99
terribly responsible for their fate…You can imagine how happy I was when I
Benjamin Bolduc ’16
Ali Ghaffari ’98
saw this submarine hove into view. They pulled me out of the raft and took
AnnaMaria Dear ’16
Luis Gonzalez ’97
me below where they fixed me up. As I write this I am aboard the sub—don’t
Anirudh Murali ’16
Michelle Kalas ’97
know how long I will be here, or when I will get back to the squadron…Last
Nicholas Forti ’15
Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96
Alexandra Bell ’13
Rush Taylor ’96
Taylor Perkins ’12
Kenny Weiner ’96
Christopher Kent ’11
Randy Allen ’95
Adrian Lehnen ’10
Laurie Coffey ’95
received a message aboard here last nite saying that only one chute opened.
Ansley White ’10
Rebecca Calder ‘94
All in all, it is terribly discouraging and frankly it bothers me a good deal…”
Jake Bean ’08
Matthew Macarah ’93
Hanson Causbie ’08
Ryan Shann ’93
Jess Choi ’08
Craig Der Ananian ’91
Eamon Hegarty ’08
Kenneth Jambor ’91
Walker Washburn ’08
Eric Hawn ’89
Lauren Johnson ’07
Rob Patrick ’88
Helal Syed ’07
Graeme Henderson ’83, P’14
Connor Flynn ’06 Jenn Bales ’04 Steve Draheim ’04
Kazimierz Kotlow ’83
and when I bailed out I felt that they must have gone, and yet now I feel so
night I rolled and tossed. I kept reliving the whole experience. My heart aches for the families of those two boys with me…There is a possibility that they parachuted and I didn’t see them, but I am afraid it is quite remote as we
Forty-seven years later, George Bush was president of the United States and commander in chief. In response to Iraq’s conquest of Kuwait in 1990, the Bush administration organized an international coalition that, through the United Nations, demanded Iraq withdraw by January 15, 1991, or suffer the consequences. On January 5, in a last ditch effort to avoid war, President Bush wrote to Saddam Hussein directly:
Douglas Creedon ’79
Matt Fram ’04
“We stand at the brink of war between Iraq and the world. This is a war
Aaron Stroble ’04
that began with your invasion of Kuwait; this is a war that can be ended
Nick Ksiazek ’03 Cat Reppert ’02 Eric Chase ’01 Gil Barndollar ’00 Jarreau Jones ’00 Matthew Sullivan ’00
Bush is rescued by the USS Finback in 1944.
This list, based on data we receive from alumni, may be incomplete. If you or someone you know is not on this list, please email Jenny Savino at jsavino@andover.edu.
only by Iraq’s full and unconditional compliance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 678. I am writing now, directly, because what is at stake demands that no opportunity be lost to avoid what would be a certain calamity for the people of Iraq…The United States will not be separated from its coalition partners...What is at issue here is not the future of Kuwait—it will be free, its government will be restored—but rather the future of Iraq. This choice is yours to make…You may be tempted to find solace in the diversity of opinion that is American democracy. You should resist any such
THE BLUE GUIDON
The Newsletter of Andover and the Military Vol. 7, No. 2 Published biannually by the Office of Academy Resources, Phillips Academy
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EDITOR
Robert Tuller ’82, P’21, ’23
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
George Rider ’51, P’86, GP’22
HISTORIAN
David Chase, Faculty Emeritus
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Charlie Dean ’79, P’10, Chair James Donnelly ’82, Vice Chair Christine Balling ’86 Tom Beaton ’73 Livy Coe ’04 Laurie Coffey ’95
Karl Novick ’07 Robert Patrick ’88 George Rider ’51, P’86, GP’22 Robert Tuller ’82, P’21, ’23 Don Way ’63 Kenny Weiner ’96
temptation. Diversity should not be confused with division. Nor should you underestimate, as others have before you, America’s will.”
President Bush shares Thanksgiving dinner with troops in Saudi Arabia on November 22, 1990.
Editor’s note: Without historian David Chase’s vital partnership and collaboration, this special issue honoring George H.W. Bush ’42 would not have been possible. Thank you, David.
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