The Socks George HW Bush Will Be Buried in Show He Was a Sailor First and President Second
When former President George H.W. Bush will be laid to rest at his presidential library this Thursday, he’ll be buried wearing a very special pair of socks.
According to his spokesman, Jim McGrath, the socks are a tribute to Bush’s time in the military.
The 41st President will be carried to his final rest wearing socks that pay tribute to his lifetime of service, starting as an 18 year-old naval aviator in war. That legacy is now being carried, in part, by the brave, selfless men and women aboard @CVN77_GHWB. #Remembering41 pic.twitter.com/OabtK756fO
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) December 3, 2018
The socks are decorated with military aircraft in honor of Bush’s service flying planes for the Navy.
A naval aviator pin, signifying his training as a naval pilot, can also be seen on the socks.
The former president served in the Pacific theater of World War II after enlisting in the United States Naval Reserve in 1942, according to Military.com. He was commissioned a year later.
Bush flew a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber during the war.
During a bombing run over the island of Chichi Jima, the future president narrowly escaped with his life.
Bush’s target was an Imperial Japanese radio tower. Although his airplane was shredded by anti-aircraft fire, he managed to drop his payload on the target. Unable to limp his bomber home, Bush was forced to abandon it. Unfortunately, the two men with him did not survive the day.
After floating on an emergency raft in hostile waters for hours, Bush was rescued by a passing American submarine.
Bush’s rescue was actually caught on film, and can be seen in archival footage posted by TheBushLibrary on YouTube.
As someone who once held the most powerful elected position in the world, any number of elaborate, expensive and stately socks could have been chosen.
Instead of being defined by that, Bush’s time as a frontline defender of freedom and the American way is being celebrated, showing that even in death, he is a military man first.
The nation is in mourning at the passing of this war hero and statesman, and many buildings and offices will be closed Wednesday in honor of his service to the country.
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