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USA Today reporter Richard Benedetto wrote what I thought one of the finest pieces illuminating vividly a side of Bush seldom, as Benedetto notes, conveyed by the media:
Here it is:
President Bush shines spotlight on softer side of U.S. military
Richard Benedetto
MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, Fla. ? When President Bush came here Thursday to rally the troops, the news media focused largely on his speech about the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, the possibility of going to war soon and the display of American military muscle arrayed around him.
But what most missed, or at least failed to report, was a poignant sidelight to the event: the president's attempt to show, honor and encourage the softer, more human side of the men and women who serve in U.S. armed forces.
Lets' begin at the beginning: When Bush arrived here on Air Force One, he walked down the gangplank, greeted waiting dignitaries and saluted the base commander. But then, rather than enter the black limousine ready to whisk him to his first event, he walked briskly over to a lone sailor standing at attention just to the side of the gangplank.
The sailor smartly saluted his commander in chief. His commander in chief smartly saluted him back. But then Bush reached out and shook the man's hand, put an arm around his shoulder and talked quietly with him, well out of the earshot of those on the tarmac. They posed for a picture and then the sailor presented the president with a black baseball cap emblazoned with the name of his ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, an aircraft carrier better known in Navy circles as the "Big John" and now in port here.
But later, with Bush, in Navy flyer jacket over his shirt and tie (he is a former jet fighter pilot), two flag-bedecked warships docked behind him and a cheering sea of thousands of sailors gathered before him, told us who the sailor he met earlier was. We'll let the president's words speak for themselves: "Today, when I landed on Air Force One, I met a fellow named Arden Battle. He is a machinist mate, senior chief, U.S. Navy.
"Let me tell you something. He represents the spirit of this military that makes me proud. Not only are we tough and good fighters; he leads hundreds of your fellow sailors into volunteering in the community in Jacksonville, Fla. He and others like him serve as a role model for young kids. He mentors. He and his group teach children how to read. He not only serves this country to keep the peace, he serves this country to be more compassionate for all of our citizens.
"My call to you is a lot of people look up to you because you wear the uniform. Do your duty. Not only work hard to be a good soldier and sailor but also love somebody like you'd like to be loved yourself. "I want to thank Arden and all those of you who have heard a call to become involved in your neighborhoods and your communities to help somebody who hurts. America is a better place for your compassion and your love."
So amid all the bellicose rhetoric of war, we have a president out at a military base talking softly about "compassion and love," and highlighting the good works of those who wear the uniform in service to their communities.
He does it all the time. Each time Bush visits a city, he pays tribute to someone who volunteers to make his or her community better, hoping that by highlighting their example, others will follow. We just never report it.
His remarks here were greeted with strong applause from the troops. One woman holding a little boy in her arms, more than likely the wife of a sailor who soon may be in harm's way, wiped a tear from her eye. Some of these tough sailors did the same.
Yet, for all the soft talk, Bush did not minimize the dangers that lie ahead of them. But he expressed confidence in their skills, the justness of their cause and the goodness of their hearts.
Little of the story of Arden Battle made its way onto your televisions sets or into your newspapers. And that is too bad ? because there's more to this latest crisis than just whether or not we are going to go to war with Iraq.