Ex-president's connections to Rhode Island ran deep

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — One of the most defining moments in the life of former President George H.W. Bush involved a fellow Navy man from Rhode Island.

It was Sept. 2, 1944, long before Bush's career would soar to the highest political skies. Back then, he was Lt. Bush, a 20-year-old Navy pilot flying a three-man TBM Avenger bomber toward a Japanese radio facility on the island of Chichi Jima, southeast of Tokyo.

On board were two men: turret gunner Lt. William "Ted" White from Minnesota and radioman Jack Delaney, of South Providence.

Bush would eventually tell the story in countless interviews and in his memoir about what happened that day. He'd win the Distinguished Flying Cross and praise for his service.

And he would admit to being haunted by the memories.

Anti-aircraft fire hit the plane's engine, but Bush continued on toward the target and dropped the four 500-pound bombs.

As the plane began plummeting, Bush told the other two men to bail out. He couldn't see them. He heard nothing in response. When he parachuted into the water, he was alone.

Bush was rescued by a submarine, but White and Delaney weren't found. The Navy determined that one died when the parachute failed to open, while the other went down with the plane.

Not long after the crash, Bush wrote to Delaney's sister Mary about how he felt terrible about her brother's death and that he wanted to do something to help her. She wrote back: "You mention in your letter that you would like to help me in some way. There is a way, and that is to stop thinking you are in any way responsible for your plane accident, or what has happened to your men. I might have thought you were if my brother Jack had not always spoken of you as the best pilot in the squadron. I always had the greatest confidence and trust in my brother Jack's judgment."

Bush enclosed her letter in a scrapbook. When he became president, Bush and his wife, Barbara, hosted the Delaney family at the White House.

During an interview about the plane crash, Bush told Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst that he believed that God spared him that day for a reason.

What was the reason he lived, and others died? Bush called that a "haunting question," one that he'd considered many times.

And at that time, even as the most powerful person in the world piloting the globe's only remaining superpower, Bush didn't have the answer.

It was 75 years ago when Bush was stationed at the Charlestown Naval Air Station, now Ninigret Park, training in night-flight exercises and landings on mock aircraft carriers.

Later, Bush visited Rhode Island as president. He made an appearance at Rocky Point Park in November 1989 at a fundraiser for fellow Republican Claudine Schneider's campaign for U.S. Senate. He also attended a fundraiser for then-Gov. Ed DiPrete, who later told The Journal a story about how the two of them kept a crowd waiting while they played Pac-Man in DiPrete's living room.

Bryant University president Ronald K. Machtley first met Bush when Bush was vice president. Machtley, a Republican who served as Rhode Island congressman from 1989 to 1995, remembered Bush as a gracious and honorable man.

"At a time when the public has such a low opinion of public officials, he stands out as someone who was respected and admired by both sides of the aisle," Machtley said. 

He considered Bush a mentor and a friend, with their shared service in the Navy, and "as a former Ambassador to China, he shared my appreciation for the importance of understanding China as our nations became competitors in a global economy," Machtley said.

Bush accepted his invitation to speak at the 2008 commencement at Bryant University, where he spoke to the graduates about the importance of education and service. He also spoke about the World War II, Machtley recalled. "He said you always think about the people who didn't survive."

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed honored the former president Saturday, recalling a life of public service that began when Bush was 18 and enlisted in the Navy and continued even after his presidency.

“We may not have agreed on every issue, but you had to admire his character, integrity, and resolve," Reed, a Democrat, said in a statement. "He wasn’t afraid to work across party lines to improve the lives of Americans and people around the world. He deserves great credit for signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. His humanitarian work and disaster relief efforts have helped change lives and uplift communities at home and abroad."

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Jim Langevin and Congressman David Cicilline, all Democrats, also echoed Reed in acknowledging Bush's service.

Machtley was thinking about the legacy of the 41st president and what it means in the current political climate.

"I hope, as in his life and loss," Machtley said, "people can step up and remember it is important to serve your country."

In his office, Machtley displays a wooden plaque with the initials "CAVU."

Bush gave it to him after the commencement. The initials stand for "ceiling and visibility unlimited," a Navy pilot's term. "That's when you take off and you just see blue sky," Machtley said. "It's a great day to fly and there's nothing in the way of your mission."