Key insights

• 🛩️ George HW Bush escaped being eaten by Japanese soldiers during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• ⚔️ He wanted to enlist immediately after the attack and aspired to serve as an aviator.
• ✈️ George Bush joined the US Navy at 18, became a pilot at 19, gained experience in significant battles of WWII, and made a forced water landing.
• 🌊 He participated in the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific and battles over Marcos and Wake Island.
• 📻 Lieutenant George HW Bush was involved in a dramatic mission to destroy a radio tower on the island of Chichi Jima during World War II, despite being attacked and encountering a plane crash.
• 🏊 After his plane crash, George H.W. Bush struggled to stay afloat and avoid capture by the Japanese before being rescued by American fighter planes.
• 🍴 Several downed aviators suffered severe torture and four of them were killed and eaten by Japanese officers on the island.
• 🕰️ George H.W. Bush was unaware of a crime where aviators were cannibalized during World War 2, and it wasn't known publicly until 2003.

Q&A

• When was it publicly known that aviators were cannibalized during World War II?

  The crime where aviators were cannibalized during World War II was not publicly known until 2003. George H.W. Bush continued to fight over the Philippines and was honorably discharged in 1945.

• What was the fate of downed aviators on the island?

  Several downed aviators suffered severe torture, and four of them were killed and eaten by Japanese officers on the island. The bodies of four aviators were used to prepare a meal for Japanese officers, including a surgeon and a general, who feasted on the cooked liver of one of the dead US pilots.

• What happened to George H.W. Bush during World War II?

  During the war, George H.W. Bush's plane made a forced water landing after the battle of the Philippine Sea. He was involved in a mission to destroy a radio tower on the Bonin islands and was attacked by strong anti-aircraft defense but successfully destroyed the tower. After his plane crash, he struggled to stay afloat and avoid capture by the Japanese before being rescued by American fighter planes.

• Who was George H.W. Bush and what was his role in World War II?

  George H.W. Bush was the last US president to serve in combat. He joined the US Navy at 18, became a pilot at 19, and participated in significant battles of WWII. He was involved in a dramatic mission to destroy a radio tower on the island of Chichi Jima, despite being attacked and encountering a plane crash.

• 00:00 George HW Bush, the last US president to serve in combat, escaped being eaten by Japanese soldiers during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wanted to enlist immediately after the attack and aspired to serve as an aviator.
• 00:58 George Bush joined the US Navy at 18, became a pilot at 19, gained experience in significant battles of WWII, and made a forced water landing.
• 01:52 Lieutenant George HW Bush was involved in a dramatic mission to destroy a radio tower on the island of Chichi Jima during World War II, despite being attacked and encountering a plane crash.
• 02:46 After his plane crash, George H.W. Bush struggled to stay afloat and avoid capture by the Japanese before being rescued by American fighter planes.
• 03:37 Several downed aviators suffered severe torture and four of them were killed and eaten by Japanese officers on the island.
• 04:32 George H.W. Bush was unaware of a crime where aviators were cannibalized during World War 2, and it wasn't known publicly until 2003. He continued to fight over the Philippines and was honorably discharged in 1945.