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American Warriors Home Page

  • ️Duane T. Hove

Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II

                  World War II magazine named American Warriors one of the best World War II books of 2004.

Presidents Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George Bush served their country as Navy Reserve officers in World War II.  Most biographies gloss over this important period of the presidents' lives and are often inaccurate.  American Warriors reconstructs the presidents' wartime roles in the Pacific Theater based on interviews with more than one hundred World War II veterans and on primary sources such as action reports, ships' logs, war diaries, and letters.

Book Cover

About American Warriors:

Hard cover, 224 pages, 58 illustrations, published by Burd Street Press, October 2003.  American Warriors is available through retail  and Internet bookstores including Amazon and BarnesandNoble .  Autographed and inscribed copies of American Warriors are available from Duane T. Hove.

Lyndon Johnson and John Kennedy were commissioned Navy officers before the Japanese attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford sought and received Navy officers’ commissions in 1942.  George Bush entered the Navy Reserve as a seaman, second class after graduating from high school in 1942 and was commissioned in June 1943 during flight training.  Each would face danger in the Pacific and eventually return to civilian life ... and politics.

B-26 Marauder

Lyndon Johnson, attached to the Navy Department, embarked as an observer on a B-26 Marauder during the 22nd Bomb Group's mission over Lae, New Guinea.  One 22nd Bomb Group aircraft was lost to enemy fire.

PT 109

John Kennedy, a PT boat skipper in the Solomon Islands, commanded PT 109, which sank in a collision with the Japanese destroyer Amagiri.  He also commanded PT 59, which was the first  PT boat converted to a gun boat.

Marine Air Group 25

Richard Nixon, a Navy Ground Aviation Officer, commanded SCAT cargo handling units in the Solomon Islands.   SCAT primarily flew DC-3s to rapidly erected Solomon Islands air strips close to the battle lines.

USS Monterey Flight Deck

Gerald Ford, Officer of the Deck of the light aircraft carrier USS Monterey, survived an encounter with a deadly typhoon in the Philippine Sea.   Monterey suffered severe damage and was sent to Bremerton, Washington for major repairs.

Airman Bush in Avenger Cabin

George Bush, flying off the light aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto, was rescued at sea when his TBM Avenger fighter-bomber was shot down over Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands.  Bush was rescued by submarine and returned to the San Jacinto when the submarine's mission was completed.  He continued flyingTBMs until rotated back to the states.

Author Photo
About American Warriors' Author:

Duane T. Hove is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology and the University of Minnesota.  A scientist by training, he has published articles in scientific journals and symposium proceedings.  Duane T. Hove is the author of the Afterword to the 40th Anniversary Edition of PT 109: John F. Kennedy in World War II.


Comments from Readers:
  • "The most detailed description of the LBJ raid that I've seen to date.  American Warriors is an excellent read."  David Ghen, 22nd Bomb Group historian
  • "Most complete Kennedy - PT 109 story I have ever read."  Alvin Cluster, Kennedy's PT boat squadron superior officer
  • "American Warriors is a fine account."  Victor Krulak, Lt. Gen. USMC (Ret.)
  • "I compliment you on the excellent Ford research."  Gerald Ford, USS Monterey Officer of the Deck at General Quarters
  • "Loved your chapter on George Bush."  Jack Guy, USS San Jacinto TBM pilot

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Other Useful Sources:

Last Update of American Warriors Home Page 04/20/07 by Duane T. Hove