Washington (AFP)

The heavy tribute paid by US soldiers to the war is highlighted in a series of portraits exposed in Washington, and made by the very one who sent them into battle, former President George W. Bush.

The wounds are clearly visible on some paintings, presented at the Kennedy Center until mid-November, sometimes showing prostheses replacing a lost arm or leg. Other men seem apparently unharmed, despite the clashes endured.

NCO Brian Flom was wounded in the face and throat after a rocket fire in Iraq in 2007, but "it was the easy part," he told AFP in front of a painting representing him alongside other members of the army.

"The most difficult thing was head trauma, and post-traumatic stress, which accompanies a lot of the time spent in the combat zone," he explains.

Her recovery "is still going on - it's an everyday process, and some days are better than others."

He was one of those selected for a ride with George W. Bush in 2015, and has since met him "many times", including at a dinner party with the former president. Then he "one day decided to paint people with whom he had established a link, and here I am".

"It's a great honor," said the NCO.

The 43rd President of the United States sent American troops to Afghanistan after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and launched the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The war in Iraq caused the death of more than 3,500 American soldiers in hostile actions, and more than 32,000 wounded. In Afghanistan, the 18-year-old conflict has killed nearly 2,000 people and injured more than 20,500 on the US side.

George W. Bush began painting after leaving office in early 2009, and sought to help veterans who participated in the wars that marked his passing.

"I painted these men and women to honor the service to their country and show my respect for their sacrifice and courage," said George W. Bush.

- Head trauma -

"All those who were painted (...) participated in one or two events organized by the president each year with wounded veterans and their families," a bike ride or a golf tournament, explained the sergeant to retirement Michael Rodriguez.

He was deployed nine times during his 21 years in the military and was wounded several times, "including head injuries" due to explosions.

The former president has dedicated a portrait, a canvas on display at the Kennedy Center.

Michael Rodriguez met George W. Bush on a mountain bike ride, and was later chosen to be part of an advisory committee reflecting on how to "better help post-9/11 veterans and their "family", allowing him through this to spend more time with the former president.

Michael Rodriguez says he has no anger against the American leader, despite the aftermath of the fighting.

"During my 21 years of service, I worked for four different presidents - you know, I would never pretend to have the arrogance to think that I had all the information to make the decisions they made." he explained.

DeWitt Osborne, another former sergeant painted by George W. Bush, was wounded in the shoulder and right foot in an explosion near Baghdad in 2006, which also fractured his vertebrae, caused head trauma and post-traumatic stress. -traumatic.

He underwent 21 operations, and spent four years recovering at the Walter Reed Military Hospital.

Osborne said he is still following events in Iraq, where the US withdrawal has been followed by a surge of violence, jihadist-led land grabbing and years of fighting to dislodge them. Since last week, the country, where US soldiers are still present, is facing a protest against corruption, whose repression has left more than 100 dead.

"It's a shame," Judge DeWitt Osborne said of Iraq. "We, as a country, shed a lot of blood, weeping, and did a lot of work there."

"I wish the situation was different."

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