George H. W. Bush went to sea in 1944, becoming one of the youngest aviators in the Navy. Assigned to the Pacific theater, he flew a TBF Avenger, a carrier based, torpedo bomber. On one fateful mission over the Japanese island of Chichijima, Bush and his two crew members were hit by enemy fire. He ordered his men to bail out while he completed the mission. He then managed to escape the aircraft but neither his fellow crew members survived. Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions. After the war he became a West Texas businessman before ultimately entering politics. He would serve as Ambassador to the U.N., Director of the C.I.A., Vice President and finally 41st President of the United States.