The Howdy and welcome to a special bonus episode of Wies About Texas.

I'm Ken Wies, your host, and I wanted to do this episode as a tribute to the life and times of the 41st president of the United States George Herbert

Walker Bush. We lost President Bush last Friday. I'm releasing this episode on

Wednesday, December the 5, 2018, the day of the state funeral in Washington,

D.C. The reason that I wanted to do this bonus episode is that President Bush was a Texan and I got to

thinking the other day what is it that makes us Texans do you have to be born

here that's probably the most common definition and most certainly someone who's not born here will be trumped in any conversation by somebody that was born here and then we'll start arguing about how far back

our ancestors go but is that really what it means to be a Texan? I don't think so I

think what it means to be a Texan is to live your life a certain way to exhibit a

certain character a strength of character to exhibit certain qualities

individualism perhaps even idealism, a great work ethic,

a strong set of values to which you remain true your entire life.

And of course, a presence in Texas. Well, let me tell you, President Bush had all of those things.

Born in the Northeast, when he was 18 years old and graduated high school, His parents wanted him to go to college and he would

have gone to Yale and he had an opportunity to do so and avoid fighting in World War II, but that was not President Bush.

He said, no, I'm going to go join the Navy and I'm going to be a pilot.

And that's exactly what he did.

And he was the youngest, as far as we know, the youngest naval

aviator ever to get his wings. He flew in World War II successfully until the Japanese shot him down on a mission.

And what's significant about that event, he was fished out of the Pacific Ocean by a submarine.

What's significant is that the rest of his crew

were lost and that stayed with him his entire life and I believe probably shaped

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