July 17, 2004
WITH YOU:
A Mile and a Promise (Ralph Kinney Bennett, 07/15/2004, Tech Central Station)
There's this young Army National Guard sergeant lying in bed at an Army hospital.Posted by Orrin Judd at July 17, 2004 9:50 AMHe's really down. He lost his right leg to a landmine in Afghanistan. Lot of hustle and bustle out in the hall. Someone's coming to visit the wounded.
Turns out it's the President of the United States.
He stops by the young sergeant's bed. They talk. It's a little awkward. What do you say to a guy that loves to run, loves physical activity, and now his leg is gone from the knee down.
But this sergeant tries to be upbeat and he's been told all about prosthetic legs and he has resolved that, dammit, one day he'll run again.
The President is impressed. Tell you what, he says to the sergeant, let's keep in touch and when you're ready to run a mile I'll run it with you.
Yeah, sure.
But, sure enough, ...
This is the second story I've heard about Bush visiting wounded soldiers.
From kausfiles, March 25, 2004: "P.P.S.: The soldier sitting closest to me clearly liked Bush, perhaps because he had just seen the president, in person, for the third time. Apparently, Bush pays regular visits to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. Did you know that? I didn't. Admittedly, it's easier to visit the wounded than to go to funerals, which Bush has been accused of not doing enough of. Still ..."
Posted by: Bill Woods at July 17, 2004 4:25 PM