VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new, untold tale of World War II could result in a historical marker being placed in the tiny hamlet of Creeds in Southern Virginia Beach.
There, at a now long-abandoned airfield, a young Navy pilot trained for combat.
His name: Lieutenant George Herbert Walker Bush.
The future 41st President of the United States flew 58 combat missions in the Pacific in World War II. At 19 he was believed to be America's youngest combat aviator, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
"This is the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, and to document our place in history in that great conflict is worthwhile to do," said Virginia Beach resident and retired police officer Dennis Free.
And that's where this story intersects with the old airfield in Creeds.
It was used for drag racing in the 1960's and is now a police training center. But in May and June of 1945, Lieutenant Bush found himself assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT-153, and training right there.
All the proof was found in Bush's logbooks at the Bush Presidential Library.
Free discovered it all.
"I first heard about this when I was with President Bush for the commissioning of his carrier," he said. "He mentioned to me that he flew out of Virginia Beach. And that's what began this whole tale of trying to document where and when."
Now, Free has enlisted Virginia Senators Bill DeSteph and John Cosgrove as well as Delegate Barry Knight to get the needed OK to create and place historical markers at Creeds and Oceana, where Bush also flew.
Time is of the essence.
"And we do need to start documenting it before it's forgotten," said Free.
.