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 ' . Scroll down for video . 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 was n'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 do n't blame her a bit . ' Perino said she then saw 'one tear ' fall from the president 's eye and down his face , which he did n'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 .
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 Marine 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 did n'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 .