President, first lady visit wounded service members
Official describes visits as 'vital part' of Bush's job
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau
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President Bush shakes hands with Army Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Douglas, who received a Purple Heart. Also pictured is Douglas' wife, Donna.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Friday presented Purple Hearts to several soldiers, sailors and Marines wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom and also watched as two Marines wounded in combat in Iraq were sworn in as U.S. citizens.
The president and first lady Laura Bush visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and the National Naval Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, before heading to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.
"I came today to thank the troops and their families and their loved ones for the sacrifice," Bush said.
Bush's Saturday radio address, to be recorded Friday, talks about the "freedom" dawning on the people of Iraq, but also makes note of difficult challenges -- including more combat -- still facing U.S. and coalition forces in the days ahead.
The president and first lady saw about 40 patients at Walter Reed and presented Purple Hearts to several of them. (Twelve are eligible for the honor, but some already have received theirs.)
At the Bethesda hospital, the president and first lady saw about 33 patients -- a mix of sailors and Marines -- one of whom was wounded in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Four of these patients are to receive Purple Hearts.
The purple heart is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who are wounded in combat and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those killed in action.
The White House said it could not yet release names of any of the patients because of privacy concerns. Bush said one of the men sworn in as a citizen Friday hailed from Mexico; the other hailed from the Philippines.
A senior administration official said Bush views such visits as "a vital part of his job" and that they were difficult because in many cases the injuries suffered are severe. The official, for example, recalled past visits to troops wounded in Afghanistan where Bush met military personnel who had legs amputated because of battlefield injuries.
The official said Bush in those cases tried to rally the spirits of the wounded by recounting a story about a man who worked for Texas when Bush was the governor. That man told Bush he was going to beat him in a road race and, with the help of a prosthesis, became an occasional jogging partner of the then-governor.
