World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award from President Harry S. Truman at the White House on October 5, 1945, for his actions as a hospital apprentice first class with the 3rd Platoon, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th US Marines, on May 2, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. After dropping out of high school, he joined the US Naval Reserve in January 1944, as an apprentice seaman. After completing his recruit training, he was sent to and graduated from the Naval Hospital Corps School in Farragut., Idaho. He was assigned to the Naval Hospital, Seattle, before completing further medical training at Camp Pendleton, California. In February 1945 he was sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations and by April 1 he was at the Battle of Okinawa, where he distinguished himself a month later after he was wounded in action by shrapnel from three enemy hand grenades while attending to his wounded platoon commander and at the same time, firing the lieutenant's rifle to protect the lieutenant, himself, and rest of the platoon during an enemy attack. Following his discharge in July 1945, he returned home and finished high school and later became a lumber business entrepreneur. Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw wrote a chapter about him in his book about World War II, "The Greatest Generation" (1998). In 2001 he was a recipient of the Freedom Medal. He died from kidney cancer at the age of 79. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Medical Corpsman with a rifle company, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Jima, Ryukyu Islands, 2 May 1945. Fearlessly braving the fury of artillery, mortar, and machinegun fire from strongly entrenched hostile positions, Bush constantly and unhesitatingly moved from one casualty to another to attend the wounded falling under the enemy's murderous barrages. As the attack passed over a ridge top, Bush was advancing to administer blood plasma to a marine officer lying wounded on the skyline when the Japanese launched a savage counterattack. In this perilously exposed position, he resolutely maintained the flow of life-giving plasma. With the bottle held high in one hand, Bush drew his pistol with the other and fired into the enemy's ranks until his ammunition was expended. Quickly seizing a discarded carbine, he trained his fire on the Japanese charging pointblank over the hill, accounting for six of the enemy despite his own serious wounds and the loss of one eye suffered during his desperate battle in defense of the helpless man. With the hostile force finally routed, he calmly disregarded his own critical condition to complete his mission, valiantly refusing medical treatment for himself until his officer patient had been evacuated, and collapsing only after attempting to walk to the battle aid station. His daring initiative, great personal valor, and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice in service of others reflect great credit upon Bush and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service." In 1998, a monument depicting his actions on Okinawa was erected in a park named for him in his hometown of South Bend, Washington The Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital in Twentynine Palms, California was named in his honor.