Remembering Robert E. Bush: How a Navy Corpsman earned the Medal of Honor at Okinawa

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. — On May 2, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa—one of the largest amphibious assaults and deadliest battles of World War II—a young Navy hospital corpsman charged across an exposed battlefield under heavy fire to save a wounded Marine.

By the end of the day, Hospital Apprentice First Class Robert E. Bush had fought not only to preserve the life of his patient, but for his own survival—actions that would earn him the Medal of Honor.

The Battle of Okinawa, fought from April 1 to June 22, 1945, marked the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific theater. More than 180,000 U.S. service members took part in the campaign as part of Operation Iceberg. The U.S. Tenth Army, comprised of Army XXIV Corps and Marine Corps III Amphibious Corps, faced deeply entrenched Japanese defenses, complex terrain, and relentless resistance, including widespread use of kamikaze attacks.

Supporting the fight at every level, Navy Medicine personnel were embedded with Marine divisions ashore, served aboard more than 580 ships of the Fifth Fleet, and operated from over 25 medical ships, including hospital ships, evacuation transports, and landing ship tank hospitals. During the 82-day battle, Navy Medicine evacuated more than 24,900 casualties by hospital ship, surface vessel, and aircraft while enduring the same dangers as the forces they supported.

Among them was 18-year-old Robert “Bob” Bush, assigned as a corpsman with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

Bush had trained extensively with the Fleet Marine Force, learning not only emergency medicine, but also weapons proficiency—skills that would prove critical in combat. Corpsmen operating with Marines were often described as “a doctor without a license,” expected to make life-or-death decisions in austere, high-risk environments.

On May 2, 1945, Bush’s unit was tasked with securing a small but strategically positioned hill in southern Okinawa. What appeared to be a routine movement quickly turned into a deadly ambush.

“As soon as they got to the base of the hill, the Japanese came out of the ground and all hell broke loose,” Bush later recalled.

Marines were caught in the open under intense fire. Several were killed immediately. A wounded Marine officer lay exposed in a shell hole just yards from entrenched enemy positions.

For a corpsman, the decision to move forward under fire was never taken lightly. If he were hit, the unit would lose its only immediate source of medical care.

Bush made the decision anyway.

“I looked where the lieutenant was and said, ‘Okay, I’ll go out there… I’ll see what I can do,’” he said.

With two Marines attempting to provide cover, Bush sprinted across an exposed rice paddy approximately 100 yards wide. Both Marines were hit before reaching the objective. Bush pressed forward alone.

Reaching the wounded officer, he jumped into the shell hole and immediately began lifesaving treatment—applying a battle dressing and administering serum albumin.

“I immediately noticed that his eyes were dilating and I knew I was losing him,” Bush said.

As Bush worked, the battlefield erupted again.

The wounded lieutenant suddenly regained enough strength to stand and run back toward friendly lines, dragging the plasma behind him. In that instant, the enemy opened fire with renewed intensity.

Bush remained behind in the shell hole, alone and fully exposed.

“I knew I had to fight or die. There were no alternatives,” Bush said.

Armed with the lieutenant’s carbine, Bush began engaging enemy forces at close range, firing deliberately while conserving ammunition. As enemy soldiers exposed themselves along the ridge line, Bush returned fire, holding his position under intense pressure.

Moments later, enemy grenades began landing in the shell hole.

One explosion destroyed Bush’s right eye. Shrapnel tore into his chest and shoulder, and a severe wound beneath his arm compromised his lung.

“The only thing that saved my life was my .45 in the shoulder holster,” Bush later said, describing how the weapon absorbed much of the blast.

Despite catastrophic injuries, Bush refused to withdraw.

He emptied his carbine, then his .45-caliber pistol, before discarding it and maneuvering out of the shell hole. Recognizing that remaining in place meant certain death, Bush made a bold decision to flank the enemy position.

Moving under fire and with limited vision, he circled the hill, retrieved an M1 rifle from a fallen Marine, and climbed to the top—placing himself behind the enemy.

“They had their backs to me… I had the element of surprise,” he recalled.

From that position, Bush engaged multiple enemy combatants, disrupting the ambush and eliminating the immediate threat.

Severely wounded and nearly blind in one eye, Bush then made his way back to friendly lines, where fellow Marines assisted him to safety.

He would be evacuated through a series of medical facilities—from Okinawa to Guam, Pearl Harbor, and ultimately the United States—receiving treatment for extensive wounds sustained in combat.

For his actions on May 2, 1945, Robert E. Bush was awarded the Medal of Honor.

On October 5, 1945 during “Nimitz Day,” a national celebration honoring Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, Bush stood on the White House lawn before President Harry S. Truman to receive the nation’s highest military decoration.

His citation recognized his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” while “fearlessly braving the fury of artillery, mortar, and machine gun fire from strongly entrenched hostile positions.”

It further noted his determination to administer life-saving aid under fire and continue fighting despite his own wounds.

Yet Bush himself remained characteristically humble about his actions.

“I don’t think I was a hero by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “I was out there doing what I was paid to do… trying to protect a man’s life.”

Bush was one of three Navy medical personnel awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Battle of Okinawa. Across the campaign, hospital corpsmen served alongside Marines in some of the most dangerous conditions of the war, often suffering heavy casualties themselves.

Their mission was constant: to save lives under fire.

Bush’s actions on May 2, 1945, remain a defining example of that mission—demonstrating the courage, skill, and selflessness that continue to define Navy Medicine today.

More than eight decades later, his story endures as a powerful reminder that in combat, the line between caregiver and warfighter can disappear in an instant—and that sometimes, the fate of many rests in the hands of one.