After rescuing Lt jg. Bush, and two other pilots and two aircrewmen, Finback continued its war patrol. As an unexpected member of the submarine's crew, Bush experienced the claustrophobic existence of the Silent Service. Finback attacked Japanese shipping, and was also depth-charged by Japanese surface ships. He also helped out by censoring outgoing mail and standing night watches while the sub ran on the surface to recharge its batteries.

Lt jg. Bush received the DFC for attacking the target on ChiChi Jima through heavy flak just before he was shot down. He also accumulated three Air Medals during his combat tour.

President Bush was no stranger to aviation mishaps. His TBF's landing gear collapsed on landing during FCLPs in November 1943. Before being hotdown, he ditched hisTBM  onJune19,1944, in the middle of the great air battle that became known as the "Marianas Turkey Shoot." SanJacinto was operating near Guam as part of the invasion force against Japanese bases in the Marianas, and his aircraft was on the cat. A Japanese raid turned the carrier's attention away from launching aircraft. The ship's guns fired at the enemy aircraft while Bush and his crew sat on the cat, their aircraft's engine running.

   As the attack passed, the VT51 "Turkey" (the   1944 nickname for the TBM) Bush saw that he had no oil pressure, perhaps as a result of damage from fire by the Japanese raiders or from one of the carrier's flak guns. Before he could signal to abort the launch, the catapult fired, sending the heavily loaded bomber into the air. As he lost power, Mr. Bush warned his crewmen to prepare for ditching and made a smooth landing ahead of his carier. The three men left their sinking aircraft and got into their rafts. An accompanying destroyer picked them up.

President Bush: Our preflight training taught us certain underwater proceduresand gave us familiarity with the water, itself. Actually, I never trained at Pensacola; I got my wings at Corpus Christi. Bailout procedures from the TBF(1) were taught at Fort Lauderdale before I got to VTS1 in June 1943. There were no simulators in those days, just verbalinstructions.

Approach: During your combat tour, did you think about safety much, as much as we do today?

President Bush: We thought about safety a great deal. There were a lot of safety posters around, especially for brandnew pilots. The posters related to taxiing, care of aircraft, and a lot of elementary areas. We didn't pack our own parachutes, but we did learn about caring for our chutes. We received a lot of instruction about safety during a bailout. I remember being hit and I instinctively turned my aircraft to the right to release the air stream pressure from the door leading into the ventral gunner's compartment.

Approach: As the highestranking government official, you've had several opportunities to see today's Navy aircrews in action. Has the basic se- quence on the carrierflight deck changed in the 40 years since you flew from the San Jacinto?

President Bush: I've seen carrier crews in action and the basic sequence has changed dramatically. Things seem much more efficient and more complex than they were in my day.

Approach: Today's naval aircraft rely heavily on so called "systems" to fly and  perform their missions, and part of today´s saftety awareness is thorough knowledge of aircraft and weapons systems. How did you train in the Avenger regarding its operation and missioin?

President Bush: Our planes did not rely on "systems." They were "needle-ball" and "airspeed" and slightly more. We had an automatic pilot but it was not particularly reliable, and I did not use mine very much. The weapons systems were simple by today´s standards. We dropped bombs and torpedoes but in a very unscientific manner. We had a .50-caliber machine gun in the dorsal turret, but there was no complex electronics suite or anything of that nature.

President Bush: The way I trained in the TBM at Fort Lauderdale was to climb in and put the throttle forward and take off. We had Link trainers for instrument training but there were no special simulators for the TBM. We didn´t train by fighting different types of aircraft. We did a lot of low-level flying but none of the simulated attack flying that I have seen today. The bottom line is: It was a lot different then--a lot diffferent.

My first acquaintance with the A-4 came on a visit to the Naval Academy, which was near my home.  I believe they still have the same aircraft on static outdoor display, though my recollection is that the last time I saw it, it wasn't in good condition.

The Blues transitioned to the "Hawk" from the venerable but fuel-hogging McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The A-4 was not only much more fuel-efficient, but vastly more maneuverable --its roll-rate is an astonishing 720 degrees per second. Not to mention that it´s just plain prettier.

The Blue Angels chose the A-4F for flight demonstrations in 1974. - photo by Ken Kula

The U.S. Navy retired its last Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk jets from squadron service in September 1999. The retirement ended a span of 45 years during which the Douglas A-4 Skvhawk had performed continuous service for the United States. Originally envisioned as a carrier-based, lightweight nuclear bomber, the prototype YA-4D-l first flew in 1954. Two thousand nine hundred and sixty airframes later, production ended in 1979. The Skyhawk had the longest production run of any tactical bomber in U.S. history.

Along the way, the A-4 picked up names such as: the Bantam Bomber, Tinker Toy, Scooter, and Heinemann's Hot Rod. Extensively used as an attack bomber during the Vietnam War, versions also served as advanced jet trainers for both the US Navy and Marine Corps. Various models of the Skyhawk have been operated by nine countries. Some nations still have this versatile aircraft in first-line use today. The jet was a mainstay for Israel during two different wars. In recent history, Kuwait Skyhawks flew missions against their Iraqi aggressors, and Argentinean Skyhawks nearly turned back the British task force during the battle for the Falkland Islands. Here's how the Skyhawk evolved and some of its accomplishments:

Early Design and Development

The prototype aircraft met and surpassed the Navy's requirements. Orders were immediately issued for an initial production run. Nicknames of "Heinemann's Hot Rod" and "Scooter" spoke of its size and speed. An example of the initial production version, the A-4A, set a world speed record over a 500-kilometer course flying at 695 miles per hour on October 15, 1955. The jet could carry up to 10,000 pounds of ordnance, and was armed with twin 20mm cannons in the wing roots.

The first Navy attack squadron equipped with the newest tactical attack jet in the U.S.'s inventory was VA-72, the Blue Hawks. The Marine Corps took delivery of their first A-4A via VMA-224, the Bengals, soon thereafter. Both of these deliveries occurred in late 1956. Soon, another version, called the A-4B, was introduced that incorporated the capability of buddy refueling between aircraft. Some single-seat A-4As and A-4Bs were modified to become training aircraft, mainly for VFR conditions.

In 1958, an all-weather version, the A-4C was introduced. The fuselage was stretched some six inches longer, making more room available for increased avionics. The A-4C was the standard Navy attack jet in most light attack squadrons through the early 1960s. By the summer of 1961, the newest version of the Skyhawk, the A-4E, was introduced. This variant was a foot longer than the then standard A-4C, mainly due to its new Pratt & Whitney J52 engine. The engine delivered 2,000 more pounds of thrust, adding a greater margin of safety to the Skyhawk's carrier operations, as well as delivering a slightly higher top speed for the aircraft,

War Years for the Skyhawk

The Skyhawk received its baptism by fire in military service at the beginning of the Vietnam War in 1964. Both the U.S. Navy (from aboard aircraft carriers) and the U.S. Marines (operating from both carriers and airfields in South Vietnam) used the A-4C and A-4E extensively for attack missions ranging into North Vietnam. The A-4's air-to-air refueling capability enabled it to carry full loads of ordnance into the air, and to add to its fuel load in-flight via the hose and drogue (probe and basket) method. Air refueling was a common occurrence from other A-4s. KA-6 Intruders, and KA-3 Skywarriors while traveling both to and from the 'hot zone."

Final attack version of the Skyhawk was the Marines A-4M version, such as this

Several well-known veterans were victims of anti-aircraft fire while flying Skyhawks. Medal of Honor recipient Vice Admiral lames Stockdale (Ret.) was shot down while making a low-level bombing pass in a rail yard in North Vietnam. U.S. Senator John McCain was another unfortunate A-4 pilot that was shot down during the war. A total of 195 A-4s were shot down by North Vietnamese flak and MiGs

Constant improvements to the Skyhawk brought three final versions into operational use. In 1969, the Navy's first twin-seat TA-4J advanced trainer was introduced. The TA-4J was more powerful and improved upon the TA-4F's performance.

This version became the US Navy's advanced jet trainer, capable of landing on aircraft carriers and land, as well as training students in weapons delivery.

Ouch! A4D-2 Skyhawk, takes the barrier aboard the USS Essex on February 5, 1958.

In April 1970, the first A-4M Skyhawk II, otherwise known as the Super Skyhawk. was delivered to the Marine Corps. The Super Skyhawk contained upgraded avionics and the most powerful engine used in any variant. A hump along the aircraft's spine offered additional room for avionics. The Hughes Angle Rate Bomb Sight system was incorporated into the nose of the jet. and various humps and bumps grew on active Skyhawks, as their electronics were continually upgraded. Ultimately, the A-4Ms were relegated to Marine Corps Reserve squadrons, except for a handful that served as aggressors with the Naval Fighter Weapons School. The U.S. Marines also ordered a twin seat version of the Super Skyhawk, called the OA-4M. for forward observation duties. The last of the Super Skyhawks were phased out of service by 1995, replaced by F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers.

McDonnell Douglas successfully exported various versions of the Skyhawk around the world. In 1965, Argentina became the first overseas customer for the Skyhawk, ordering 75 refurbished Navy A-4B and C's, and later, 16 A-4Q versions. Australia purchased a total of 30 single and twin-seat Skyhawks, ultimately selling the surviving aircraft to New Zealand after 1982. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Kuwait are or have been other Skyhawk operators.

Israel has been the most prolific Skyhawk owner and operator worldwide. Almost 300 aircraft have been flown by the Israeli Air Force, bought between 1967 and 1973. Israeli Skyhawks became operational in 1968, and performed attack duties during the so-called War of Attrition through 1970. The jets also played an important role during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Today, although retired from front line service, both single and twin-Seat Skyhawks serve as trainers in the Israeli Air Force.

During the Argentinean/British war over the Falkland Islands, Skyhawk performance was surprisingly effective. Although limited to a few precious minutes in the combat zone due to long range flying from their land bases, Argentinean Skyhawk pilots helped sink four ships and damage almost a dozen others. The sunken ship total would have been higher if not for bombs that did not explode due to incorrect fusing for the type of close-in attacks being made. Nineteen Argentinean Skyhawks were lost during battle, and many of these have since been replaced with later model A-4M and OA-4M aircraft retired from the US Marine Corps.

The newest customer for the Skyhawk is Brazil. In 1997, the country purchased all of the remaining Kuwaiti A-4s, and formed a squadron to operate from their aircraft carrier, Minas Gerias. The Kuwaiti Skyhawks were some of the last built in 1977, with low airframe times and in good overall condition, having been flown in a dry desert climate for most of their lives.