Momentous life shaped by family, faith, service

Moments make a man. George H.W. Bush had more big moments than most men. At just 20 years old, Navy Lt. Bush was dive-bombing Japanese targets in the South Pacific when enemy fire shredded his plane. He bailed out, his head careening off the horizontal stabilizer. He tried to tell his two fellow crewmen to jump as well, but he never knew if they heard him. Neither of them lived. Bush never got over the guilt he felt. When the young pilot hit the water, he inflated his flotation device and then broke down and cried. He thought about his family. He was scared to death. Suddenly, a Japanese boat bore down on him, but the threat was thwarted when a plane from Bush’s division strafed the enemy. A few hours later, a submarine emerged next to the young flyer. As he described it, “I saw this thing coming out of the water and I said to myself, ‘Jeez, I hope it’s one of ours.’” It was. In all, George Bush flew 58 combat missions. Just a year later he was married to the love of his life, Barbara. Shortly after they had a son, George W., and three years later a daughter, Robin. One day 3-year-old Robin was lethargic and not her playful self. A trip to the doctor revealed horrifying news: She had leukemia. The Bushes were told to prepare for their daughter’s death in a matter of weeks. George Bush was devastated and couldn’t bear to stay in the room when his little Robin underwent blood transfusions. Weeks before her fourth birthday, with her parents by her side, Robin passed away. It is moments like these that help to explain why Bush was so often reserved. Perhaps it wasn’t that there was nothing to say, but rather there was too much to say. The Bush family grew to five children who went along with their dad on a remarkable ride. George Bush worked his way to prominence in the Texas petroleum industry. In 1966 he won a seat in the House of Representatives, was later appointed ambassador to the U.N. and named chairman of the Republican National Committee by Richard Nixon. In 1975, Gerald Ford put Bush in charge of the CIA. By 1980 he became Ronald Reagan’s running mate. In 1988 it was Bush’s turn at the top of the ticket, and he defeated Democrat Mike Dukakis to become the 41st president. These achievements in the life of any person would be enough to stand on their own, but Bush brought to them all his deep personal experience of family, loss and the toll of war. This informed his “kinder, gentler” approach to public life. George H.W. Bush served as president precisely when we needed him: To soberly oversee the end of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Iron Curtain and to build a coalition in the Persian gulf to repel Saddam Hussein’s forces out of Kuwait.

Missions accomplished. George H.W. Bush was a man of character and decency. His remarkable life more than his politics shaped his worldview. That is why men and women of all political stripes are shedding a tear for him. And they should. George Bush devoted nearly his entire adult life to the service of his country. This moment belongs to him.