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After hearing the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. Bush decided he wanted to serve his country. On his 18th birthday, shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the Navy.
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After completing training, Bush was assigned to the Navy Air Base in Corpus Christi. Since he would not be 19 for another three days, he became the youngest naval aviator to serve at that time.
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Bush received a promotion in the U.S. Navy. He became a junior grade Lieutenant.
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Bush was flying a mission attacking Japanese operations at Chichijima, Japan. His plane was shot and caught on fire, but he still completed his attack mission before going down in the ocean, where he was eventually rescued.
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Following the surrender of the Japanese in WWII, George H.W. Bush was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. During his naval career, he had flown a total of 1,228 miles, and also received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic completion of the Chichijima mission.
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Bush graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor or Arts in Economics. Thanks to an accelerated program, he was able to complete his graduation requirements in 2.5 years instead of 4 years.
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Bush was the captain and first baseman of the Yale Baseball Team when he had the opportunity to meet baseball star Babe Ruth at Yale Field in New Haven, Connecticut.
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First daughter, Pauline Robinson Bush. Robin was diagnosed with leukemia.
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On April 4th, 1951, the Bush-Overbey Oil Developement Company was filed as a Foreign For-Profit Corporation in the State of Texas. The company was co-founded by George H.W. Bush with his business partner John Overbey.
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In 1964, Bush became the Chairman of the Republican Party in Harris County, Texas. (exact date is not found in records). This marked the beginning of his career in politics.
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Bush was elected to the House of Representatives. He was the first Republican to be elected to the House to represent the Houston area.
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Bush won the Republican primary elections, but ultimately lost the Senate race to Democratic candidate Lloyd Bentsen.
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Bush was appointed as the Ambassador to the United Nations by President Richard Nixon. Bush served in this office for two years.
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Bush accepted a position as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He used this position to defend the Republican party in the midst of the Watergate scandal involving then-President Richard Nixon.
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George H.W. Bush was appointed as the Director of Central Intelligence. During this service in this role, he helped to restore confidence in the agency, after allegations of illegal activities against the CIA.
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George H.W. Bush became the Vice President when Ronald Reagan won the Presidential election. During his term, President Reagan was shot and wounded, but still remained in office. Bush oversaw task forces on drug smuggling and deregulation.
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Following Reagan's re-election for the Presidency, Bush began his second term as Vice President. During this term, he served as acting President for 8 hours while President Reagan underwent a surgery.
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George H.W. Bush was inaugurated as President of the United States. During his presidency, Bush enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Immigrants Act of 1990. He also enacted military operations in the Persian Gulf.
