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[[Image:Gwtgg.jpg|thumb|right]]
[[Image:Gwtgg.jpg|thumb|right]]
'''George Herbert Walker Bush''' is a World War II veteran who served as the 41st [[President of the United States of America]], serving January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993. During most of his public career, George Bush served other presidents loyally in a number of important positions. Not until 1988, after eight years as vice president under [[Ronald Reagan]], did Bush, a self-effacing man, step into the limelight as the Republican nominee for president. For the first time he had an opportunity to articulate his vision for America's future.
Few presidential candidates had entered a campaign so ill defined in the eyes of the American voters. Bush's two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, the only office to which he had been elected on his own, were almost two decades in the past by 1988. His service in appointive positions—as U.S. delegate to the [[United Nations]], chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]], envoy to [[China]], and director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]—had provided only an occasional hint of his political philosophy. He had sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 as a moderate, but after becoming Reagan's running mate he had taken conservative positions identical to those of Reagan.
Few presidential candidates had entered a campaign so ill defined in the eyes of the American voters. Bush's two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, the only office to which he had been elected on his own, were almost two decades in the past by 1988. His service in appointive positions—as U.S. delegate to the [[United Nations]], chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]], envoy to [[China]], and director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]—had provided only an occasional hint of his political philosophy. He had sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 as a moderate, but after becoming Reagan's running mate he had taken conservative positions identical to those of Reagan.
== Early Years ==
== Early Years ==
With his sister and three brothers, Bush was raised in Greenwich. George Bush attended Greenwich Country Day School before entering [[Phillips Academy]] in Andover, Massachusetts. At Andover, he played Varsity baseball, was captain of the basketball and soccer teams, and president of the senior class.
With his sister and three brothers, Bush was raised in Greenwich. George Bush attended Greenwich Country Day School before entering [[Phillips Academy]] in Andover, Massachusetts. At Andover, he played Varsity baseball, was captain of the basketball and soccer teams, and president of the senior class.
When George Bush graduated from Andover, he had already been admitted to Yale University, but the United States had entered World War II, and he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve instead. At age 18, he was commissioned as an Ensign, and for a time he became the youngest pilot in the Navy. Serving in the Pacific theater, he flew 58 combat missions. On one mission over the Pacific, as a torpedo bomber pilot he was shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire and was rescued from the water by a U. S. submarine. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action.
When George Bush graduated from Andover, he had already been admitted to Yale University, but the United States had entered World War II, and he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve on his 18th birthday instead. After completing the 10-month course, he was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve at Corpus Christi at 18 years old, which made him the youngest naval aviator to that date.
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Serving in the Pacific theater, he flew 58 combat missions. On one mission over the Pacific, as a torpedo bomber pilot his aircraft was hit by Japanese antiaircraft fire and his engine caught on fire. Despite the fact that his plane was on fire, he completed his attack and released the bombs over his target, scoring several damaging hits. With his engine on fire, Bush flew several miles from the island, where he and one other crew member on the TBM Avenger bailed out of the aircraft.
While Bush waited four hours in his inflated raft, several fighters circled protectively overhead until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback. For this action Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. During the month he remained on the USS Finback, Bush participated in the rescue of other pilots.
== Presidency ==
== Presidency ==