Years after President George W. Bush sent Michael Rodriguez into war, the two men now call each other friends.

Rodriguez was a U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret who served from 1992 to 2013. He’s featured in President Bush’s book of portraits of more than 60 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served in wars under his watch. It’s called Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.