Obituary of Colonel Joseph Bush

Colonel (Retired) Francis J. (Joe) Bush, 91, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at his home in Columbia, South Carolina surrounded by family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 3600 Devine Street, Columbia, SC at 11:00 am on Friday, January 21, 2011. Following a reception at the church, burial will be 2:00 pm at the Fort Jackson National Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to www.greenlawnmemorialparkandfh.com. Colonel Bush was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on September 8, 1919, the son of George Bush and Grace Anderson Bush. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Evelyn (Jones) Bush, two daughters Carol Bashant of Lake Hopatcong, NJ and Ellen Bradford of Aberdeen, NC, two sons, George Bush of Miami Beach, FL, and Paul Bush of New Ipswich, NH. In addition, he is survived by his sister Dorothy Wangberg of Lake Ariel, PA, four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He is pre-deceased by his parents, a sister, Grace, and a brother, George. In 1937 Colonel Bush enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard as a private in the horse drawn field artillery. During the Second World War he rose to the rank of First Lieutenant, serving in the European Theater with the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team. He jumped into southern France with the 460th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion on August 15, 1944 and fought in five major campaigns. In the immediate post war years he participated in the occupation of both Germany and Japan. Progressively more challenging assignments took him, and often his family, to postings in the USA, Europe, Asia and South America. In 1965, as the commander of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 19th Field Artillery, 1st Air Calvary Division (Airmobile), then Lieutenant Colonel Bush deployed his unit by ship to the Republic of Vietnam where it successfully pioneered radically new helicopter assault techniques. In his final decade of service, Colonel Bush?s fluent Spanish prompted the Department of the Army to request he specialize in military foreign affairs. He served in the highest level US Army Military Assistance Group command positions in Panama, Venezuela and Spain. In 1977 he retired after 40 years of honorable service. Among his many decorations are the Legion of Merit (four awards), Air Medal (four awards), Purple Heart (two awards), Glider Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge with combat jump star, and the Belgian and French Croix de Guerre. The family wishes to thank The Reverend Monsignor Harris, Dr. Todd Crump, Sister Andrea Callahan and the congregation of St. Joseph Catholic Church for their unwavering support. Special thanks also to Dr. Bruce Easterling and Dayna Mason, RN, at the Dorn VA Medical Center Home Based Primary Care program. Memorial contributions may be made to The Free Medical Clinic, 1875 Harden Street, Columbia, SC 29204 and to the St. Vincent DePaul Society at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, 3600 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205.