FOR THE RECORD: PRESIDENTS IN UNIFORM, PART IV
on the carrier. The U.S.S. Monterey participated in virtually all the major sea battles in the South Pacific, including assaults on Wake Island, Okinawa, and the recapture of the Philippines. Ford earned an impressive ten battle stars during his service on the Monterey.
President Jimmy Carter entered the navy just after the end of World War II, serving from 1946 to 1953. Serving as electronics officer on several submarines, he became part of the nuclear submarine program in 1951. When Carter’s father died in 1953, Carter resigned his commission to return home and manage the family business.
Ronald Reagan served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was an officer in the army reserve and was called up to active duty after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His poor eyesight prevented his assignment to a combat unit. He served for a while supervising the loading of convoys and attending war-bond rallies, taking advantage of his popularity as a movie star. He was transferred to the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit, where he narrated preflight training films. While in the service, he appeared in Irving Berlin’s musical film “This Is The Army” made in 1943.
George Bush enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday, June 12, 1942. He attended flight training and became the youngest pilot in the navy. He was assigned to VT-51, a torpedo bomber squadron on the carrier U.S.S. San Jacinto. He flew a Grumman Avenger, a three-man single-engine aircraft with a 2,000-pound payload. He flew 58 combat missions, logging a total of 1,228 hours of flight during his 39 months of service. He took part in the campaigns against Wake Island, Guam, and Saipan. On June 19, 1944, he was forced to land at sea, and narrowly escaped before his plane exploded. He was rescued at sea by the submarine U.S.S. Bronson.
On another mission on September 2, 1944, Bush’s plane was struck by anti-aircraft fire. Despite flames and smoke in the cockpit, Bush completed the bombing run and limped out to sea before giving the order to bail out. One of the crew was already dead, and Bush was seriously injured when he hit the tail of the plane as he bailed out. His scalp was sliced open, and his parachute ripped, but he made it safely into the water and into the yellow raft from his seatback. After three hours, the submarine U.S.S. Finback picked
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