Random US President Who Saw Combat In The Military (17 items)

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  (#1) George H. W. Bush

  • 95

  Fought In: World War II
  Military Branch: US Navy

  George H.W. Bush didn't see combat on the ground, but as a naval aviator, he participated in World War Two. Bush joined the military at the age of 18 and served as the youngest pilot in the Navy during World War Two. He flew 58 combat missions and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery after completing his mission in a damaged plane.

  Bush was supposed to bomb a radio station when Japanese forces struck his plane on September 2, 1944. However, Bush continued on to destroy his target while his plane was on fire. He then parachuted out of the plane and, later, an American submarine came to his rescue. Bush completed his military service in 1945 and enrolled at Yale. 
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  (#2) Gerald Ford

  • Dec. at 93 (1913-2006)

  Fought In: World War II
  Military Branch: Naval Reserve, US Navy 

  Gerald Ford joined the Naval Reserve in 1942 and reported for active service one week later. Ford was promoted to lieutenant in 1943 before being stationed on the USS Monterey.

  On the USS Monterey, a new lighter aircraft carrier, Ford was a navigator and athletic officer. When the Monterey sailed to the South Pacific, Ford participated in several battles against the Japanese. Ford survived the typhoon that eventually knocked the Monterey out of service and earned as many as nine battle stars for his participation in the war. In 1945, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and was honorably discharged the following year. After the war, Ford returned to his law practice in Michigan. 
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  (#3) John F. Kennedy

  • Dec. at 46 (1917-1963)

  Fought In: World War II
  Military Branch: US Navy 

  John F. Kennedy served in the Pacific during World War Two after joining the Navy as an ensign in 1941. He commanded a torpedo boat, the PT 109, that patrolled the waters near the Solomon Islands. In August 1943, a Japanese destroyer struck the PT 109. The boat split in two and the crew, including Kennedy, flew into the sea. To save his shipmates, Kennedy swam through the water, full of oil and on fire in some areas, and took refuge on the hull of the ship. The men soon abandoned ship and rafted to an island four miles away.  They spent several days on the island before being rescued.

  Kennedy earned several medals for his bravery and heroism, including the Navy and Marine Corps medals and a Purple Heart for the injuries he received. 
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  (#4) Harry S. Truman

  • Dec. at 88 (1884-1972)

  Fought In: World War I
  Military Branches: Missouri National Guard, US Army Reserves, US Army

  Harry S. Truman started his military career as a member of the National Guard in Missouri and ended it as a colonel in the US Army Reserves. Truman fought during World War I in France a a member of the 129th Field Artillery unit. He became captain of Battery D, leading his men through campaigns throughout the Meuse-Argonne offensive. 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.

  After he returned to the United States, Truman became a major in the Organized Reserve Corp. He later became a colonel in the Army Reserves. He was said to have volunteered for active service in 1941 at the age of 56 while serving as a US Senator. 
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  (#5) Theodore Roosevelt

  • Dec. at 61 (1858-1919)

  Fought In: Spanish-American War
  Military Branches: US Volunteer Calvary, US Army, New York National Guard 

  Theodore Roosevelt saw combat during the Spanish-American War and his brief time in the military earned him heroic status. Roosevelt, serving as Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley, resigned his position to become colonel of the First US Voluntary Cavalry. As head of the "Rough Riders," Roosevelt led the famed charge up the San Juan Hill in 1898. This helped the US seize Santiago and ultimately win the war. Roosevelt was nominated for the Medal of Honor for his military service, although he didn't receive it until 2001.
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  (#6) William McKinley

  • Dec. at 58 (1843-1901)

  Fought In: Civil War 
  Military Branch: Ohio Infantry/Union Army

  William McKinley left his job as a school teacher to fight during the Civil War, joining the Ohio Infantry as a private in 1861. He was at the Battle of Antietam in 1862 and promoted to second lieutenant and, by 1864, gained the rank of first lieutenant and captain. He fought at several battles in the Shenandoah Valley and was promoted to brevetted major for meritorious service in 1865. He left the military at the end of the war. 
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  (#7) Benjamin Harrison

  • Dec. at 68 (1833-1901)

  Fought In: Civil War 
  Military Branch: Union Army

  Benjamin Harrison joined the Union Army in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. He went from second lieutenant to colonel to brevet brigadier general in three years. He was with William Sherman during his Atlanta campaign in 1864 and again with him in the Carolinas as the war came to an end. After the war, Harrison returned to his home in Indiana to practice law. 
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  (#8) James A. Garfield

  • Dec. at 50 (1831-1881)

  Fought In: Civil War
  Military Branch: Union Army

  James A. Garfield became a lieutenant colonel in the Union Army in 1861 and successfully led campaigns in Kentucky before being promoted to brigadier general in 1862. He resigned his commission that same year to pursue a career in politics. 
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  (#9) Rutherford B. Hayes

  • Dec. at 71 (1822-1893)

  Fought In: Civil War 
  Military Branches: Union Army

  Rutherford B. Hayes entered military service in Ohio at the start of the Civil War and became a lieutenant colonel in 1861. Hayes suffered numerous injuries during Civil War battles, including an arm injury that plagued him for the rest of his life. He served through the Civil War, rising to the rank of brevet major general. He was still in the military when he first ran for office in 1865 and resigned his commission in 1867.
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  (#10) Ulysses S. Grant

  • Dec. at 63 (1822-1885)

  Fought In: Mexican-American War, Civil War
  Military Branches: US Army, Union Army

  Ulysses S. Grant went to the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY and, after he graduated in 1843, he planned to serve his mandatory four years and then resign. During the Mexican-American War, however, he served under Zachary Taylor as a quartermaster before leading a unit of his own into combat. He acquired a reputation for skill on the battlefield and, although he abhorred war, remained in the military. He became a captain in 1853, but resigned the following year possibly due to scandals involving alcohol consumption. However, Grant rejoined the army during the outbreak of the Civil War, where he commanded a volunteer regiment as a brigadier general. 

  During the Civil War, Grant fought numerous campaigns for the Union Army before becoming lieutenant general and head of Union forces in 1864. After defeating Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army in 1865, Grant was promoted to a four-star general. He resigned from the military in 1868.
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  (#11) James Buchanan

  • Dec. at 77 (1791-1868)

  Fought In: War of 1812
  Military Branches: Pennsylvania Militia

  James Buchanan fought during the War of 1812 as a private in the Pennsylvania Militia where he defended Baltimore in 1814. He was also one of 10 men who went on a secret mission to round up horses from enemy troops. His short stint in the military meant he never became an officer, the only future US President with military service to wear that distinction. 
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  (#12) Franklin Pierce

  • Dec. at 65 (1804-1869)

  Fought In: Mexican-American War
  Military Branches: US Army

  Franklin Pierce enlisted as a private when the Mexican-American War broke out and was promoted first to colonel and then to brigadier general in 1847. After sustaining injuries at the Battle of Conteras in August 1847 (he was thrown from his horse), Pierce continued to serve until the war ended in 1848. He returned to his legal career and soon entered into politics. 
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  (#13) Zachary Taylor

  • Dec. at 66 (1784-1850)

  Fought In: War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Seminole Wars, Mexican-American War 
  Military Branches: US Army

  Zachary Taylor's military career spanned four decades and included participation in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1832), the Seminole Wars (1835-1842), and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). Taylor became an officer in 1808 when he was given command of Fort Pickering, defended Fort Harrison during the War of 1812, and fought against Native American tribes in Florida during the 1830s.

  Taylor's biggest military victories came when he was in his 60s fighting at Palo Alta, Monterrey, and Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. By the time he ran for president in 1848, Taylor was a major general, indicative of a successful military career that helped him win the election. 
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  (#14) William Henry Harrison

  • Dec. at 68 (1773-1841)

  Fought In: Battle of Fallen Timbers, Battle of Tippecanoe, War of 1812
  Military Branches: 10th Regiment, Army of the Northwest

  William Henry Harrison joined the army in 1791 as an ensign and was made lieutenant the following year while serving in Ohio. Harrison took part in numerous campaigns against Native American groups, including the decisive defeat of the Northwest Indian Confederation at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.

  Harrison became a captain in 1797, moved on to politics for awhile, and returned to military service. In 1811, he fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe. His success led to a promotion; he was made brigadier general and given command of the army in the Northwest Territory. He became major general during the War of 1812 and, in 1813, defeated combined British and Indian forces at the Battle of the Thames. He resigned from the army in 1814 and returned to politics.
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  (#15) Andrew Jackson

  • Dec. at 78 (1767-1845)

  Fought In: Creek War, War of 1812
  Military Branches: Tennessee militia, Southern Division of US Army

  Andrew Jackson had a long military career. As a major general in the Tennessee militia, Jackson found himself fighting against Creek Nation during the Creek War between new settlers and Native Americans in the early 1800s.  He also fought against the British during the War of 1812, famously defending New Orleans in 1814.

  Jackson's military career earned him a reputation for toughness and propelled him into the national spotlight. He continued to serve as a commander of the southern district of the US Army, ordering his troops to invade Florida in 1817. He resigned his military commission to become the military governor of Florida in 1818.
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  (#16) James Monroe

  • Dec. at 73 (1758-1831)

  Fought In: Revolutionary War 
  Military Branches: Third Virginia Regiment, Continental Army

  James Monroe joined the Continental Army in 1776, after his involvement in a small attack on the Governor Palace and arsenal in Virginia that year. Monroe became an officer in the Third Virginia Regiment and was wounded during the Battle of Trenton, taking a musket ball to the shoulder. His bravery earned him a promotion to captain.

  Monroe was also with George Washington at Valley Forge, PA, and fought at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Monroe resigned his commission, by then a major, in 1779, but became lieutenant colonel of Virginia forces soon after. He  took over temporary command of all of the state's troops as a colonel in 1780 after British troops invaded Richmond. After a break in fighting to study law with Thomas Jefferson, Monroe volunteered for the Continental Army during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. 
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  (#17) George Washington

  • Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)

  Fought In: French and Indian War, Revolutionary War 
  Military Branches: Virginia Militia, Continental Army

  George Washington became a major in the Virginia militia in 1753 at the age of 21. Washington fought during the French and Indian War, but resigned the post by 1759.  This was due to a variety of inner conflicts within the army that ultimately would have ended with Washington being demoted to a lower rank. 

  With the Revolution on the horizon, Washington became a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was elected General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. Over the next eight years, Washington led his troops in frontier, guerilla-style warfare, using the Fabian strategy to lead the Continental Army to victory. In 1783, Washington resigned his commission, setting an important precedent for future presidents in regards to military service. 

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