Viewpoint: Seventeen Presidents Have Put Their Life on the Line in War

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?? On page 7, of last week’s Green[1]horn Valley View we highlighted the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) LTC Fred A. Ettleman Post 7305.

?? Of the 45 men who have served as President of the United States, 31 served in the military and 17 actively fought in wars and other conflicts during their military service.

?? I was surprised that Dwight D. Eisenhower, a president associated with World War II, never saw combat, although his role as an advisor and logistical planner was critical to the war effort.

?? ?President 41, George H.W.Bush, was a naval aviator in World War II. He was the youngest pilot in World War II and flew 58 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery.

?? Bush was supposed to bomb a radio station when Japanese forces struck his plane. He continued on to destroy the target while his plane was on fire and then parachuted out of the plane. An American submarine came to his rescue.

?? President 38, Gerald Ford, was in the Naval Reserve in 1942 and reported for active duty one week later. He was promoted to Lieu[1]tenant in 1943 and was stationed on an aircraft carrier. He earned nine battle stars and, in 1945, was promoted again to Lieutenant Commander.

?? President John F. Kennedy, President 35, also fought in World War II. He joined the Navy in 1941 and commanded a torpedo boat, PT 109. In 1943 his boat was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy swam through oil and fire and got his men to refuge on the hull of the ship. He earned several medals for bravery and heroism including a Purple Heart for injuries he received.

?? Harry S. Truman, President 33, fought in World War I. He began his military career in the National Guard in Missouri and ended up in the U.S. Army. Truman fought in France during WWI. He became Captain of a Field Artillery Unit, Battery D. Battery D, with a reputation for being unruly, saw heavy fighting and fired their final shots just fifteen minutes before the armistice ending the war was signed.

?? Theodore Roosevelt fought in the Spanish-American War with the U.S. Calvary. He was Pres[1]ident 26. He also served as the Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley but resigned and became a Colonel of the “Rough Riders” who led the famous charge on the San Juan Hill in 1898. He was nomi[1]nated for a Medal of Honor which he didn’t receive until 2001.

?? The 19th President of the United States was Rutherford B. Hayes who was with the Union Army in the Civil War. Has suffered numerous injuries during the Civil War, including an arm injury that plagued him for the rest of his life. At the end of his military career, he was a Brevet Major General.

?? President 20, James Garfield, was in the Union Army in the Civil War. President 18, Ulysses S. Grant, fought in the Mexican-American War and of course in the Civil War. President 23, Benjamin Harrison, was in the Civil War with the Union Army. William McKinley, President 25, was in the Union Army in the Civil War.

?? James Buchanan, President 15, fought in the War of 1812. Franklin Pierce, President 14, served in the Mexican-American War with the U.S. Army. Za[1]chary Taylor, President 12, was in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, Indian Wars and the Mexi[1]can-American War.

?? President 9, William Henry Harrison, was in the War of 1812 with the U.S. Army. Andrew Jackson, President 7, fought with the Tennessee Militia and the U.S. Army in the Creek War and the War of 1812.

?? James Monroe, President 5, fought in the Revolutionary War with the Third Virginia Regiment. And of course, our first President, George Washington, fought in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War.

?? Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have never served in the military