On a quiet Monday at Trinity Forest Golf Club in southeast Dallas, a former commander in chief has a different title at the Warrior Open.
"I've decided to be the heckler in chief, the observer,'" President George W. Bush said.
No crowds and limited media, today is about 23 wounded warriors who served after 9/11 and their families.
"I mean they have a PhD in life," Bush said.
Bush 43 seems relaxed, upbeat.
"I'm very happy, very relaxed, I love hanging out with the vets," he said as he drove a golf cart from tee to tee.
"I have a unique relationship with the military as a result of being the Commander in Chief. Many men and women got hurt as a result of my orders and I vowed that I would do everything I can to help them recover," he said.
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President Bush said that when veterans suffering from post traumatic stress get together, it creates peer to peer counseling and is incredibly therapeutic.
Over the years, he has watched vets heal wounds of war. He said he personally benefits.
"It helps me maintain my optimism for the country because we need leadership in the future and these men and women who have served will be the leaders of the future."
Monday, pro golfer Ryan Palmer shot a hole in one in the same spot President Bush got his first hole in one. President Bush joked that it would likely be his only.
"Have you ever heard the expression, 'occasionally a blind squirrel can find an acorn? Well, that's my hole in one."
