Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan,
and went on to serve from January 1972 through February 1972
in Vietnam, where he survived being shot down three times.
Due to the confidential nature of his assignments, the time
he spent serving his country in Vietnam was kept secret for
46 years.
(5) As a young Marine officer, Lieutenant Rush was often
called on to perform duties that were of a classified nature
by the intelligence community.
(6) After leaving the United States Marine Corps in
1975, then Captain Rush attended seminary school in
Gettysburg. Captain Rush later joined the United States Air
Force, serving active duty and in the reserves, where he rose
to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a chaplain.
(7) In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Rush again volunteered to serve
his country and went on active duty. He was assigned to
Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, where he served as senior
chaplain of the 1st Air Force. Much like his previous
service, Lieutenant Colonel Rush had access to confidential
material and sat in on all security briefings. As a result,
Lieutenant Colonel Rush was not permitted to communicate with
his family.
(8) Lieutenant Colonel Rush was a direct blood
descendent of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father of the
United States of America and signer of the Declaration of
Independence.
(9) Lieutenant Colonel Rush passed away March 2, 2021,
at home in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
(10) Lieutenant Colonel William Alexander Rush III's
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