November, being the month to honor the sacrifices of America’s veterans, seems the perfect time to recount the military service of some of our recent presidents.
Harry Truman served in the field artillery in World War I, memorizing the eye chart in order to gain induction.
Dwight Eisenhower served as a general in both World Wars, finishing World War II as supreme allied commander.
John Kennedy, despite severe back issues, was a Navy officer aboard two PT boats, even surviving a collision with a Japanese warship in WWII.
Lyndon Johnson was a naval Reservist who, while serving in Congress, requested combat duty but was assigned to the US. Eventually, he was sent to the Pacific Theater as an observer by FDR.
Richard Nixon was a Quaker who could have avoided the draft legally but volunteered for naval service and was sent to the South Pacific in 1943.
Gerald Ford joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific during WWII.
Jimmy Carter graduated from the Naval Academy and served on submarines from 1946 to 1953.
Ronald Reagan was commissioned in the U.S. cavalry and requested active duty in 1942 but was assigned stateside due to vision difficulties.
George H.W. Bush was a decorated combat pilot who was shot down in the Pacific and rescued, retiring after 58 combat missions.
Despite their flaws, these men all stepped up to serve their country. The same can’t be said of some other Oval Office occupants. Perhaps this should be a lesson about differentiating heroes from zeroes?
Tim Kaczmarek
Natrona Heights