2006年VOA标准英语-President Bush Jogs with Wounded US Soldier

By Deborah Block
Washington
29 June 2006
 
Watch Soldier Report

 
Bush and Bagge running
  
President George Bush took a jog Tuesday with an American soldier who lost both his legs in Iraq, after his convoy¹ was hit by roadside bombs last year. The president delivered on a promise made at the man's bedside in a U.S. military hospital.

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Sergeant² Christian³ Bagge told President Bush he wanted to run with him during a visit to an Army hospital in January. This week, using a special set of prosthetic legs, the soldier took a slow jog with the president around a track that circles the White House south lawn. 

Christian Bagge  
  
After a roadside explosion tore apart his humvee, Sergeant Bagge's left leg was amputated just above the ankle, and his right leg ends just above the knee.

"I was praying that God would stop the pain," Bagge said.

President Bush recalled their meeting.

"He said ‘I want to run with you.’ He was in bed, lost both legs. I looked at him and said, 'You know, there is an optimistic person.' But I could tell in his eyes that he meant it."

Bagge in hospital   
  
Sergeant Bagge has been through 11 surgeries this year alone. He says it is not easy, but he is determined⁴ to keep moving forward.

"There's a lot of days when I don't want to do it anymore,” he said. “But I can't call in sick. I can't quit."

About halfway⁵ through their run, the pair paused briefly⁶ for reporters, and gripped hands in an emotional handshake. Sergeant Bagge was in the U.S. National Guard. He is still in the military and has now joined the Army full-time

1 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

6 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。