covering his world war ii experiences, not to mention meeting babe ruth. as captain of the yale baseball team. but those were just the early chapters in an epic american story. ( applause ) it was 2011 when president barack obama awarded george h.w. bush the highest honor a civilian can receive, the medal of freedom. >> i'm a man who sees life in terms of missions, missions defined and missions completed. >> reporter: bush enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday, becoming the navy's youngest fighter pilot during world war ii. in 1944, his plane was shot down in the pacific. >> i knew that if something didn't pick me up, i would be captured. >captured. >> glor: he returned home a hero. just weeks later, he married barbara pierce. >> i think he's the wisest, smartest, most decent, caring person i know. >> reporter: after his graduation from yale in 1948,