An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Dec. 7, 2018

America Bids Goodbye to President George H.W. Bush

Defense.gov

WASHINGTON -- Eulogies hailed former President George Herbert Walker Bush as both a great and a good man at a state funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral here today.

The nation’s 41st president died Nov. 30 at the age of 94. President Donald J. Trump and former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter attended the service to pay respects to Bush and to offer condolences to his family and to Americans.

Bush’s son – former President George W. Bush – delivered a eulogy, along with historian Jon Meacham, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson. More than 4,000 service members and Defense Department civilians participated in all of the events around the state funeral.

All spoke of Bush’s energy, compassion, humility and values. “His life code was: Tell the truth. Be strong. Do your best. Try hard. Forgive. Stay the course,” said Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize winner. “And that was, and is, the most American of creeds.”

All said that Bush’s Navy service during World War II affected him throughout his life. During a bombing run on the Japanese-held island of Chichi Jima in 1944, Bush’s plane was hit. He completed the bombing run and turned to the sea. He called on his two crewmates to bail out and then hit the silk himself. He landed in the water and was later recovered by the submarine USS Finback.

His son said his father embraced life because he almost died twice: as a teenager with a staph infection and “a few years later, he was alone in the Pacific on a life raft, praying his rescuers would find him before the enemy did,” he said. “God answered those prayers. It turned out he had other plans for George H.W. Bush.

“For Dad’s part, I think those brushes with death made him cherish the gift of life,” he continued. “And he vowed to live every day to the fullest.”

Bush came home from war and married his love, Barbara, and the young family moved to Texas, where the elder Bush entered the oil business.

Call to Public Service

But the call to public service was strong, and he was elected to serve in the House of Representatives. He later served as the director of the CIA, led the U.S. liaison office in China before formal diplomatic relations were established, ands served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1981 he took office vice president of the United States. He was elected president in 1988, succeeding President Ronald Reagan, the first vice president elected to succeed his president since Martin Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson in 1837.

All the eulogists spoke of Bush’s efforts in foreign policy. Operations Desert Storm and Just Cause, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union were just a few of the momentous events during his presidential service. They also spoke of the American with Disabilities Act that he signed and his support for environmental laws and his courage to reach across the aisle to hammer down a bill that put the United States on a sound fiscal path, even though it cost him his second term.

“I believe it will be said that no occupant of the Oval Office was more courageous, more principled and more honorable that George Herbert Walker Bush,” Mulroney said.

The younger Bush said his father was a mentor to many –- including the man who defeated him in 1992, Bill Clinton.
“Of course, Dad taught me another special lesson: he showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity, leads with courage and acts with love in his heart for the citizens of our country,” Bush said.

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,198
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With President Wesley Simina of the Federated States of Micronesia
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

AUKUS Trilateral Statement
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - The Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia; the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom; and Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense,...

U.S., India launch Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024
Courtesy Photo
March 21, 2024 - Indian and U.S. combined armed forces began Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024 with the arrival of amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), March 18 and an opening ceremony March 19.This is the third time U.S. and...

USACE: Ensuring Safety Every Step of the Way
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) is the premier Department of Defense (DoD) military construction (MILCON) agent in the Pacific, providing facilities-related design and construction work in Japan for all military services and agencies. With over 60 years of experience in designing and constructing facilities in Japan, JED possesses the experience in Japanese standards and specifications, regulations, construction practices, maintenance requirements, and culture needed to ensure facilities are built with the utmost safety and professionalism. Photo by Charles Maib.
March 21, 2024 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) is the premier Department of Defense (DoD) military construction (MILCON) agent in the Pacific, providing facilities-related design and construction work...

THAAD Battery in Guam Successfully Completes Table VIII Evaluation
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense launcher used by E-3 Air Defense Artillery THAAD Battery as part of their Table VIII certification in Dededo, Guam, March 13, 2024. The THAAD battery, equipped with a state-of-the-art missile defense system, is tasked with defending Guam against ballistic missile threats. (U.S. Army Photo by Maj. Trevor Wild)
March 21, 2024 - In a testament to readiness and operational excellence, Task Force Talon's E-3 ADA THAAD Battery conducted a Table VIII evaluation for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system stationed in Guam, March 11-15,...