On May 1, 2003, Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem was standing in a briefing room at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego when President George W. Bush entered, wearing an olive-green naval flight suit.

"Mr. President," Zellem said, "you look awesome."

	Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem, right, stands with Lt. Rockne Baker, left, and President George W. Bush.

"Thanks, 'Z-man,' " Bush replied, using Zellem's Navy call sign.

Later that day, the president made a tailhook landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln in a S-3B Viking jet flown by John "Skip" Lussier, commander of Zellem's squadron. Bush then gave a speech that heralded an end to major combat operations in Iraq.

Bush was soon criticized by some Democrats who saw the flight as little more than a "Top Gun" stunt. Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia questioned "the motives of a deskbound president who assumes the garb of a warrior for the purposes of a speech."

But for Scott Zellem, a native of Indiana, Pa., the moment was a high point in his naval career.

Zellem, 35, was buried with full military honors last week at Arlington National Cemetery. He was one of four Navy officers who died Aug. 10 when their jet crashed into an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean during a training exercise.

Zellem gave family members extensive details about his encounter with the president.

"It was one of the highlights of his life," said his brother, Navy Cmdr. Ed Zellem of Dahlgren, Va. "Just to get a chance to meet the commander in chief -- for a military guy, it doesn't get any better than that."

Scott Zellem was an obvious choice for the team of officers who would accompany Bush and Andrew Card, White House chief of staff, to the aircraft carrier, said Lt. Rockne Baker, another member of that team.

"It was a no-brainer," Baker said. "Scott was as motivated and charismatic as they come."

Bush quickly put Zellem, Baker and everyone else in the briefing room at ease with a few jokes, some of them off-color. Zellem showed the president how to use the Viking's ejector seat, and the other officers went over flight routes with Bush.

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Zellem was the navigator and Baker was the pilot on a jet that flew ahead of the president's plane and also carried Card, who briefly took the controls, just as Bush did on his jet.

The crew on the aircraft carrier, not Bush or his staff, decided to put up the controversial "Mission Accomplished" banner that hung behind the president during his speech, Scott Zellem told his brother Ed. Even though the war in Iraq was still raging, the USS Abraham Lincoln was headed home, and for the men and women on board, the ship's mission was accomplished.

Baker said that the ship's crewmembers did not see the event as a political stunt.

"Every person on that boat would have divvied up what it cost to bring the president," he said. "It was so important for them."

Scott Zellem graduated from Indiana High School in 1987 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 1991, and received his naval aviation wings at Pensacola, Fla., in 1991.

He excelled in football in high school and at the Naval Academy.

Zellem had more than 540 carrier landings during his career and he flew 26 combat missions in Iraq. During each mission, he carried two items given to him by his brother: a pocket Bible and a medal depicting St. Christopher, the patron saint of sailors.

On Saturday, Zellem's wife, Jennifer, attended the Tailhook Convention in Reno, Nev., an annual event frequented by many Navy and Marine pilots, where she received a leadership award honoring Scott Zellem's career.

Shortly before Zellem's burial in Arlington, a letter published in the Indiana Gazette heaped praise on the Navy officer:

"Lt. Commander Scott Zellem was a great kid growing up here in Indiana, later a great student, a great athlete, a great U.S. Naval Academy graduate, and then a great military pilot," Ronald Henry wrote.

Another letter, signed by George W. Bush and sent to Zellem's 1-year-old son, Tanner, last month, also praised the pilot:

"I had the privilege of flying with your father Scott on May 1, 2003," the letter reads. "He was a strong, brave man who defended our nation and protected our freedom. I'm proud to have been his commander in chief."