Commander-In-Chief.
“Read it again.”
Those were the words of President George W. Bush during a visit to Walter Reed military hospital years ago.
Dana Perino, who served as press secretary under Bush, explains in her new book why Bush once asked a military aid to perform a Purple Heart ceremony a second time.
According to Perino, Bush was scheduled to visit 25 patients during a 2005 visit to the hospital — many of them were in serious condition.
The first patient they were scheduled to see was a young Marine in the intensive care unit who had been injured by a roadside bomb, the Chief Naval Officer told Bush.
“What’s his prognosis?” the president asked.
“Well, we don’t know sir, because he’s not opened his eyes since he arrived, so we haven’t been able to communicate with him. But no matter what, Mr. President, he has a long road ahead of him,” said the CNO.