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"The last time Mr Bush, who was President from 1989 to 1993, used a parachute was on Sept 2, 1944, when he was flying a torpedo bomber from the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto. A year earlier, while still 18 years old, he had won his wings to become the youngest pilot in the US Navy. In the attack on the island of Chichi Jima, 600 miles south of Japan, Mr Bush's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Although the plane was severely damaged and on fire, the young Bush completed his strafing run on the Japanese installation before flying out to sea.
Although Mr Bush was able to bail out, his two crew members were killed as the plane plunged into the sea. After two hours floating in the sea, he was rescued by the USS Finback, a navy submarine. For his courageous service in the Pacific theatre, Mr Bush later received the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals."
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