What did George H. W. Bush actually do?

Aylin Ortega, Writer

Flags are flying half staffed this week, as George H. W. Bush is laid to rest in Houston, Texas. Bush was honored with a series of memorials, including having his body be held for public viewing from Monday to Wednesday evening. The former president died on November 30th as a result of vascular parkinsonism.

Our student body at Whitney Young was not yet alive during Bush’s presidency, so do any of us actually know what he did in office or the legacy he left behind?? “Some of us get confused on who is who”, Ariel Avina, ‘19 says, “I forgot he was in office. Are you sure it wasn’t the guy who had an affair with Monica Lewinsky?” To be quite honest, that whole period throughout 1990-2005 is very foggy when regarding politics for teenagers now. Our United States History teachers are wallowing in grief right now at our lack of knowledge. However, some of us are actually in the know. Jorge Pantoja, ‘19 shows off his knowledge by saying,  “He enlisted in the army and flew combat missions in World War II.”

After some research, George H. W Bush was most notably remembered for his response to the 9/11 attacks, initiating the Iraq war. Don’t make the rookie mistake and confuse him for his son, George W. Bush. He had traditional American values and had intentions of making America a ‘gentler and kinder nation.’ Whether he completed that or not, is up for debate. However, we can all be sure he did have an impact, whether or not a high school population remembers him.