George W. Bush was once yelled at by the mother of a dying soldier, Dana Perino reveals

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Dana Perino and Bush were visiting families at the Walter Reed military hospital in Washington, D.C. in 2005
Perino said one mother of a soldier from the Carribean was devastated
'She yelled at the president, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in the hospital bed,' Perino wrote
Perino said Bush 'needed to hear the anguish' and later said he didn't 'blame the woman one bit' for being mad at him
Perino shared the story in her new book And The Good News Is: Lessons And Advice From The Bright Side

By Anneta Konstantinides For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:54 EST, 25 April 2015 | Updated: 21:15 EST, 25 April 2015

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George W. Bush 'just stood and took it' when the grieving mother of a dying soldier screamed at him while he paid visit to a military hospital, his former press secretary has revealed.

Dana Perino was accompanying the former president as he visited wounded soldiers and their families at the Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C.

Perino said these regular visits were usually filled with joy, but this particular meeting was one of the exceptions, she wrote in her new book And The Good News Is: Lessons And Advice From The Bright Side.

'The mom was beside herself with grief. She yelled at the president, wanting to know why it was her child and not his who lay in that hospital bed,' Perino wrote in an excerpt published by The Daily Signal.

Perino said the woman's husband tried to calm her and that, at first, the president tried to offer the mother some words of comfort before he just 'stood and took it'.

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George W. Bush 'just stood and took it' when the grieving mother of a dying soldier screamed at him while he was paying a visit to a military hospital, his former press secretary Dana Perino has revealed (file photo)

She said it was like Bush 'expected and needed to hear the anguish, to try to soap up some of her suffering if he could'.

Perino, who served in the Bush administration for seven years, said the president had been in no hurry to leave the soldier's room as the mother screamed at him.

And she said it wasn't until they were both back on the president's Marine One helicopter, heading toward the White House, that Bush addressed the incident.

'That mama sure was mad at me,' Perino recalled the president saying as he looked out the window. 'And I don't blame her a bit.'

Perino said she then saw 'one tear' fall from the president's eye and down his face, which he didn't wipe away.

On that same day at the hospital, Perino said Bush met a young Marine who opened his eyes for the first time while the president was in the room to award him with a Purple Heart.

Perino said the family of the Marine, who had been injured when a roadside bomb hit his Humvee, was 'so excited' to see the president and 'gave him big hugs' as they thanked him 'over and over'.

After the Marine was presented with the award by a military aide, Perino said his five-year-old son asked the president what a Purple Heart was.

Perino said Bush's regular visits to wounded soldiers and their families at the Walter Reed hospital in Washington D.C. were usually filled with joy, but there were also exceptions (file photo)

Perino said Bush 'pulled the little boy closer to him' and said 'it's an award for your dad, because he is very brave and courageous, and because he loves his country so much'.

'And I hope you know how much he loves you and your mom too.'

Perino said that's when the medical staff noticed the Marine had suddenly opened his eyes.

She said the president 'rushed over to the side of the bed' and took the Marine's face 'in his hands' so they could lock eyes.

That's when he asked the military aide to present the Marine with the Purple Heart for a second time, Perino said.

'The president had tears dripping from his eyes on the Marine's face. As the presentation ended, the president rested his forehead on the Marine's for a moment'.

She said the scene with the Marine, who she would later find out died six days later from his injuries, brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the hospital room that day 'for so many reasons'.

'The sacrifice, the pain and suffering, the love of country,' she said.

'And the witnessing of a relationship between a soldier and his Commander-in-Chief, that the rest of us could never fully grasp.'

Perino (pictured while serving as Bush's press secretary in 2007) said the mother yelled at the president and asked him why it was her son instead of his who was now lying in a hospital bed

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