Portraits of Courage exhibit displays the work of a president-artist

NEWS AND OPINION:

Walt Disney World soon will host dozens of striking color portraits of service members and veterans. But these portraits are also notable because of the artist — the nation’s 43rd president.

Let’s recall that former President George W. Bush came into his own as an artist after he left office, producing noteworthy portraits of world leaders, immigrants, and members of the U.S. military.

A popular book came out of that effort, titled “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors,” published by Crown in 2017. It included 60 full-color portraits, each with an inspiring story of each veteran, written by Mr. Bush himself. The book was called “evocative and surprisingly adept” by The New York Times.

The nation can revisit those portraits.

“The start of May kicks off National Military Appreciation Month, and soon EPCOT will welcome a very exciting collection to The American Adventure Pavilion. With a grand opening on June 9, ’Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors,’ a special exhibit from the George W. Bush Institute, will be featured as part of Disney’s enduring admiration for those who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans,” said Cappy Surette in a written statement.

He is a retired Navy captain who is now senior communications manager for Disney Experiences and co-chair of the Veteran Employee Resource Group.

Ken Hersh, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, said he hopes “that those who have the opportunity to see this special exhibit will also remember the leadership, service, and sacrifice behind each of the heroes painted and the unique challenges our service members and their families face when transitioning out of the military.”

SEEING TO OUR VETERANS

There is more news about military vets today.

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost has revealed 22 specific bills now under the committee’s consideration that may be of interest to a very large and important population.

“Each of the bills we will consider today will improve the lives of veterans and their families,” the Illinois Republican said Wednesday.

And here’s a list describing some of those bills under consideration, verbatim from the committee:

“Allow members of the Selective Reserve to receive in-state tuition rates through a waiver, even if they are not residents of that state.

“Change educational entitlement to reduce the financial burden on veterans attending flight schools.

“Increase VA Work Study opportunities.

“Revise the Veteran Readiness and Employment language to address employment barriers, rather than handicaps.

“Put a permanent stop to violations of veterans’ due process rights when VA assigns them a fiduciary

“Ensure that veterans’ benefits keep pace with inflation.

“Make the VA claims and appeals process more understandable and transparent.

“Ensure that VA prioritizes the needs of veterans’ survivors, including those who are unaware of the benefits available to them.

“Codify scam and fraud prevention efforts within VA.

“Require VA to develop a system to monitor VA.gov for errors and bugs so veterans have more reliable access to their health care and benefits.

“Establish an advisory committee specifically dedicated to resolving accessibility issues for disabled veterans.

“Amend existing law to make clear that if an employee tries to leave VA while under investigation to escape accountability, the Secretary must complete the investigation and record if any wrongdoing was substantiated.

“Authorize a reasonable and achievable supply chain modernization project – unlike the recklessly ambitious project that VA is getting ready to launch.”

A MOMENT ON X

It’s always interesting to see what is trending on X. By 2 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, the phrase “Where is Biden?” had been used in 38,500 posts on the social media site.

Most of those posts referred to anti-Israel protests in New York City and elsewhere — though comments on inflation and other concerns were also in the mix.

FOXIFIED

Fox News Media, in partnership with the National Merit Scholarship Program, has selected Diana Jachman and Nathaniel King as the recipients of its fifth annual Dr. Charles Krauthammer Memorial Scholarship, which provides funds for college. Krauthammer served as a contributor to Fox News Media from 2002 until his death in 2018. Ms. Jachman is the daughter of Fox News Atlanta bureau ENG field photographer Thomas Jachman, and Mr. King is the son of Scott King, Fox News Channel’s Dallas bureau ENG field photographer.

“We are pleased to name Diana and Nathaniel as the recipients of the fifth annual Dr. Charles Krauthammer Memorial Scholarship. Their thirst for knowledge and academic curiosity perfectly embody the spirit of Dr. Krauthammer, whose storied legacy we are proud to honor through this scholarship,” said Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott in a statement.

“ENG,” by the way, stands for “electronic news gathering.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 69% of U.S. adults say they have never attended a political rally, protest or demonstration; 75% of Republicans, 69% of independents and 64% of Democrats agree.

• 71% of women and 67% of men also agree.

• 25% overall say they have attended a political rally, protest or demonstration; 22% of Republicans, 21% of independents and 31% of Democrats agree.

• 22% of women and 27% of men also agree.

• 6% are “not sure”; 3% of Republicans, 10% of independents and 5% of Democrats agree.

• 7% of women and 6% of men also agree.

SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,755 U.S. adults conducted online April 28-30.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@Washingtontimes.com.