North Texas is home to hundreds of wounded warriors on the long road to recovery.
Some were recently joined on that journey by their former Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush in Dallas.
It was emotional for everyone, but especially for one man severely hurt while serving in Afghanistan.
Carlos Colon works out with his "tribe" of wounded warriors at the Adaptive Training Foundation in Dallas.
They call him the "Spartan warrior," an elite athlete in tip-top shape.
This warrior had to battle back from devastating injuries of battle.
Colon's scars tell the tale of his 2008 tour in Afghanistan. He was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG.
"We got ambushed with RPGs, AKs, IEDs and they shot an RPG from a wall and I was on the gun, so it blew up on the side of the glass," said Colon. "I think when I went through, I went like this and it took my eye, my ear. This side, I am deaf, this one I've got a hearing aid. And it took my fingers. All my scars are like from here 21 [shows his hand]."
Colon says he remembers nothing of the attack.
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During the uncertain days that followed, his family took pictures while he was unconscious in the hospital.
He says he also doesn't remember one photo in particular.
President George W. Bush pinned a Purple Heart on him while was lying unconscious in his hospital bed. It was his finest moment has a U.S. soldier.
"When I woke up, my family told me he pinned me [with] my Purple Heart and then when I got the pictures, I was like, [opens mouth], so he pinned me and I never met him," Colon said. "So I always wanted to meet him. I just wanted to see him, just see him in person and thank him."
Colon got that chance recently during an unsuspecting day in ATF gym.
Bush enlisted the help of NBC 5's Meredith Land to help surprise the wounded warriors at the gym.
"This is Carlos," Land said to Bush.
"Hey Carlos," Bush said.
"There's a story here," Land said.
"I know it," said Bush. "I remember him, but he doesn't remember me."
"I was sleeping, huh?" Colon said to Bush.
"I wasn't sure you were going to wake up," said Bush. "Congratulations and glad you're doing well!"
"You have the pictures to prove it," Land said to Colon.
"Yeah, I've got them framed in my room," Colon said.
"We will get a new picture!" Bush said. "You look a lot better now than you did!"
"I've been working really hard on it," Colon replied.
"Yeah, you really have," said Bush.
"When I saw him, I was like, 'Awesome!' I love that man," Colon said. "If I could go again to war, under his command, I would do it. I am really proud."
"You're a good man," Bush told Colon. "I am really proud of you."
"I am proud to serve under you," Colon said to Bush.
Colon calls it his "full circle moment" and says, without hesitation, he has no regrets.
"I am proud of every scar, every injury," Colon said. And if I could do it again, I would."
