He was there to escalate the war between Iran and Iraq. In August, Vice-President Bush was scheduled to visit the Middle East to “advance the peace process”, as the New York Times reported.īush’s true objectives were exactly the opposite of his stated goals. Casey decided he had to force Iran’s hand. Obstinate Iranian leaders had declined Casey’s secret offer to exchange arms for hostages who were being held in Beirut by terrorists tied to Tehran. Casey wanted Bush, then vice-president under Ronald Reagan, to run a covert operation that was part of what became known as the Iran-Contra and Iraqgate scandals. With his posh pedigree and Ivy League credentials, Bush had the perfect résumé to be a spy, and an effective mask with which to disguise his real agendas.Īs Murray Waas and I wrote in the New Yorker, that was precisely the case in the summer of 1986, when Bush received a call from William J Casey, the gruff, perpetually disheveled spymaster who succeeded Bush as CIA director. Nobody in government was better at keeping secrets. Highly disciplined, he mastered the arts of compartmentalization and secrecy. Nevertheless, his decorous manner often concealed objectives that were far darker than the “kinder, gentler” vision he promoted.Īs head of the CIA under Gerald Ford, and later as vice-president, Bush was a consummate pragmatist capable of rapidly changing political positions as expediency demanded. Bush Presidential Center.Refined, gracious and genteel, Bush, in many ways, was the polar opposite of the current resident of the White House. community to tour the exhibit and learn more about the issues our nation’s veterans face in their transition from military to civilian life,” said Kenneth Hersh, president and chief executive officer of the George W. Timed tickets to Portraits of Courage at the Kennedy Center are available for free. All sales proceeds go toward veterans transition and leadership programs sponsored by his institute’s Military Service Initiative. 1 on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list when it was introduced in 2017 and it continues to be a top seller on Amazon. “All of us mean something to him.”īush’s book on the paintings went to No. He is very well aware of it,” Brown said. “It’s so unique to see a president connect so directly with the men and women that bore the burden of these decisions. The former service member who is now studying management and marketing at Georgetown University described Bush’s portrait project as “pretty cool.” “I am pretty honored by the results … it was made by a president, I don’t care if it was a stick figure!” said Brown during the opening reception. He participated in the W100K in 2013 using a hand-cycle and later found out Bush had painted him. Timothy Brown, a former explosive ordinance disposal technician who lost his legs and right arm to a secondary improvised explosive device while disarming a primary IED in Afghanistan, is another of the 96 men and two women featured in Bush’s art. He cares very deeply for veterans and wants to recognize the service and the sacrifice of the force, an all-volunteer force,” Michael said. He happened to be commander in chief on 9/11. troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, a president who continues to be controversial, even in his artwork, which has been described by some critics as atonement for launching the nation’s longest war. He is quick to defend the man who sent U.S. He has since volunteered at Bush’s ranch and traveled to promote the exhibit, including the trip to Washington - his first ever to the nation’s capital. He was was medically retired from the Army in 2013 it was during his recovery that Michael took up mountain biking to strengthen his grip and was offered the chance ride with Bush. He was medevaced to Bagram, then to Landstuhl and eventually to the United States, where he landed on Sept. ![]() The blast shredded Michael’s left arm and leg and “rung bell pretty hard. I remember trying really hard not to say anything stupid because if I survived this, I knew I’d hear it again … I was trying to be all cool,” Michael remembered. It’s a weird thing what goes through your mind, though. “I didn’t know that I’d been hit and when I went to get up, my arm just shattered. ![]() An 82 mm mortar round landed five feet from Michael, the corner of a Hesco barrier he was near shielding him enough to save his life. He had been there nearly a year when his unit came under mortar fire in the Tengi Valley. Assigned to C-Co, 2-30 Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, he deployed to Afghanistan in 2010. Michael grew up in Shelbyville, Illinois, and enlisted in the Army in 2009.
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