Wash. Medal of Honor Winner Dies at 79

TACOMA, Wash. - Robert Eugene Bush, who received a Medal of Honor for bravery in tending to the wounded while under enemy fire at Okinawa, has died at age 79.

Bush was one of Washington state's last living recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, from World War II . He died Tuesday.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, who wrote about Bush in his best-seller "The Greatest Generation," left a voicemail for the family after hearing the news.

"He was one of my very favorite people," Brokaw said. "He was a great man. He was a great model for all of us."

Gov. Christine Gregoire ordered flags lowered to half-staff around the Capitol Thursday. "As a soldier, a businessman, a husband and a father, he served this state with distinction. He was an American hero in every sense of the word," Gregoire said in a statement.

A Navy corpsman, Bush was honored for treating wounded Marines on May 2, 1945, at Okinawa — the longest and bloodiest battle in the Pacific Theater.

According to the citation for his medal, Bush — just 18 at the time — braved enemy fire to tend to the wounded, and was administering plasma to one wounded officer when the Japanese launched a savage attack. He kept the plasma bottle in one hand as he fired at the enemy first with his pistol, then with a discarded carbine when his own ammunition ran out, it said.

Though seriously wounded, the citation said, Bush "calmly disregarded his own critical condition to complete his mission, valiantly refusing medical treatment for himself until his officer patient had been evacuated, and collapsing only after attempting to walk to the battle aid station."

Nationally, only 42 Medal of Honor winners from World War II were still alive as of early this month.

Bush was born in Tacoma on Oct. 4, 1926, and dropped out of high school at age 17 to enlist.

After he returned from the war, he graduated from Willapa Valley High School in Menlo, Wash., and married his school sweetheart, Wanda Spooner. He and his bride traveled to Washington, D.C., that fall and he received the Medal from President Truman on Oct. 5, 1945.

Bush devoted his career to building Bayview Lumber Co. into a multimillion-dollar business.

His military service was recorded at monuments and buildings in South Bend, Wash.; in Twentynine Palms, Calif.; and at Okinawa.

His wife died in 1999. Survivors include sons Mick and Richard; a daughter, Susan Ehle; and eight grandchildren.

ABC News' "This Week" has an "In Memoriam" segment, and include famous people who have died that week, as well as men and women in the armed services who died. Yesterday, they felt it was important to include an author, business "innovator", and film producer, but overlooked Robert Bush (not surprising). I emailed them to point this out; the obit did appear in the New York Times, so it's not as though the wouldn't have been aware of this. (mailto:support@abcnews.go.com)

I did a search, and could not find this posted yet (search terms Bob Bush, Robert Bush, Medal of Honor), so if this is a duplicate, please excuse.

I also placed this on the "Front Page" sidebar, because I felt that Mr. Bush's war service is worthy of that.

Robert Eugene Bush, US Navy receiving congratulations from President Harry S. Truman after being awarded the Medal of Honor October 5, 1945

Robert E. Bush Monument in South Bend, WA dedicated on November 11, 1998
(Photo by Mick Bush)

BUSH, ROBERT EUGENE

Rank and organization: Hospital Apprentice First Class, U.S. Naval Reserve, serving as Medical Corpsman with a rifle company, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. Place and date: Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 2 May 1945. Entered service at: Washington. Born: 4 October 1926, Tacoma, Wash. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Medical Corpsman with a rifle company, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 2 May 1945. Fearlessly braving the fury of artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire from strongly entrenched hostile positions, Bush constantly and unhesitatingly moved from 1 casualty to another to attend the wounded falling under the enemy's murderous barrages. As the attack passed over a ridge top, Bush was advancing to administer blood plasma to a marine officer Iying wounded on the skyline when the Japanese launched a savage counterattack. In this perilously exposed position, he resolutely maintained the flow of life-giving plasma. With the bottle held high in 1 hand, Bush drew his pistol with the other and fired into the enemy's ranks until his ammunition was expended. Quickly seizing a discarded carbine, he trained his fire on the Japanese charging pointblank over the hill, accounting for 6 of the enemy despite his own serious wounds and the loss of 1 eye suffered during his desperate battle in defense of the helpless man. With the hostile force finally routed, he calmly disregarded his own critical condition to complete his mission, valiantly refusing medical treatment for himself until his officer patient had been evacuated, and collapsing only after attempting to walk to the battle aid station. His daring initiative, great personal valor, and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in service of others reflect great credit upon Bush and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

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