A Christmas Tradition: Bush Visits the Wounded

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2006 — -- Just as he has each of the last four years, President Bush today paid a visit to members of the military who were wounded in action.

The president spent a few hours visiting with wounded troops and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a private time without reporters and staff that he called "remarkable," before he left for Camp David to celebrate Christmas with the extended Bush clan. He visited 38 members of the Army, Marines and Air Force who'd been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush awarded 16 Purple Hearts to 14 individuals, including two to Sgt. Marcus Wilson from Dermott, Ark., who is recovering at Walter Reed from wounds suffered in Iraq.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said the president and first lady gain strength from seeing the wounded troops and their families. During these visits, the president talks about his appreciation for their service, and Perino noted that it is always a very special private time for him.

These trips to visit with wounded troops are not open to the press -- the small group of reporters who accompany the president every day do travel to the medical facility with him, but they are not permitted inside as he meets with the soldiers and their families.

These visits offer the wounded soldiers an opportunity to meet their commander in chief, and most do not want to do that in the glare of cameras and lights. It gives the president an opportunity to privately thank them for their service and hear about their experiences.

The White House releases a few pictures of the president with the service members, but these are moments that are not captured by a television camera.

Bush frequently meets with families of fallen soldiers when he is flying in or out of cities with military bases. These visits are also not open to the press, and the president does not talk about what he hears from the families.

News reports, however, have quoted family members with whom he has met as saying the president became very emotional, crying with the grieving families and listening as they talked about their loved ones.

Earlier this week, Bush said the most painful aspect of his presidency is knowing that "good men and women have died in combat" and that his decisions "have caused young men and women to lose their lives."

"My heart breaks for a mother or father or husband and wife or son and daughter. It just does. And so, when you ask about pain, that's pain," he said. "I reach out to a lot of the families. I spend time with them. I am always inspired by their spirit.

"Most people have asked me to do one thing, and that is to make sure that their child didn't die in vain. And I agree with that, that the sacrifice has been worth it. We'll accomplish our objective."

This morning the president said every time he comes to Walter Reed he is moved by the courage and bravery of those he meets here.

"It's also remarkable to me, these men and women who have volunteered to serve our country, who've received terrible wounds but whose spirits are strong, their resolve is strong, and their dedication to our country remains strong," he said.

"I want all our fellow citizens to understand that we're lucky to have men and women who have volunteered to serve our country like those who wear our uniform," he said. "We're lucky to have their families support them so strongly. We owe them all we can give them -- not only for when they're in harm's way but when they come home, to help them adjust if they have wounds or help them adjust after their time in service. We owe a huge debt of gratitude for incredible men and women."

Before leaving, the president and first lady pitched in to help volunteers wrap Christmas gifts for families of the wounded.