Richard E Bush

Richard was born on the 23rd of December 1924, in Glasgow, Kentucky, and like many in the south at the time, he grew up working on a farm for his father. He only completed one year of high school and he continued to work for a few years on a tobacco farm before enlisting in the US Marine Corps at the age of seventeen on the 22nd of September 1942. Richard attended recruit training in San Diego, California, before transferring to Camp Elliott and was trained as an armorer. He was deployed to the Pacific as a replacement with the Marine Corps Raiders, but it was his actions on the island of Okinawa that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces, during the final assault against Mount Yaetake on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 16 April 1945. Rallying his men forward with indomitable determination, Cpl. Bush boldly defied the slashing fury of concentrated Japanese artillery fire pouring down from the gun-studded mountain fortress to lead his squad up the face of the rocky precipice, sweep over the ridge, and drive the defending troops from their deeply entrenched position. With his unit, the first to break through the inner defense of Mount Yaetake, he fought relentlessly in the forefront of the action until seriously wounded and evacuated with others under protecting rocks. Although prostrate under medical treatment when a Japanese hand grenade landed in the midst of the group, Cpl. Bush, alert and courageous in extremity as in battle, unhesitatingly pulled the deadly missile to himself and absorbed the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his body, thereby saving his fellow marines from severe injury or death despite the certain peril to his own life. By his valiant leadership and aggressive tactics in the face of savage opposition, Cpl. Bush contributed materially to the success of the sustained drive toward the conquest of this fiercely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His constant concern for the welfare of his men, his resolute spirit of self-sacrifice, and his unwavering devotion to duty throughout the bitter conflict enhance and sustain the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Richard’s actions that day left him with the loss of eye sight in one eye and a few fingers, but alive nonetheless. Almost six months after his actions, he was invited to the White House and received the Medal of Honor from President Truman. He went to work for the Veterans Administration, helping others file claims, until 1972. Despite issues with his remaining good eye, he still earned civilian awards for his service to other veterans. Richard Earl Bush had a son with his wife, Stella, and he died on the 7th of June 2004, at the age of 74. He is buried in the Ascension Catholic Cemetery in Libertyville, Illinois: Section 7, Block 10, Lot 63, Grave 7.