First published 2017
Former President George W. Bush presents sixty-six oil paintings of military veterans he has met personally, each accompanied by their individual stories. These service members fought in conflicts following September 11th and returned home facing visible and invisible wounds from their deployments. Bush writes about their battlefield experiences, recovery journeys, and current contributions as civilians. The collection emerged from his personal outreach efforts and the Bush Institute's Military Service Initiative. Research reveals that seventy-one percent of Americans understand little about veteran issues, while eighty-four percent of veterans believe the public lacks awareness of their challenges. Bush aims to bridge this civilian-military divide by sharing these stories of resilience and recovery. The book includes forewords by Laura Bush and General Peter Pace. All net proceeds support the Bush Presidential Center's programs helping post-9/11 veterans transition to civilian life through employment assistance and treatment for psychological injuries.
Genres: politics, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, military-history, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, resilience
Period: September 11th
192 pages · Hardcover · Crown
Content warnings: mental-illness