Dozens of works by George W Bush on exhibit at the Kennedy Center pay tribute to US military veterans he sent to war.

In some paintings, the wounds are plain to see: an arm or leg lost to war. In others, the injuries that US veterans suffered are hidden from view.

But all of the works by former president George W Bush – painted as a tribute to the men and women he sent to war – reflect the human toll of his decisions as commander-in-chief.

Command Sergeant Major Brian Flom was wounded in the face by a rocket attack in Iraq in 2007.

“That was the easy part,” he said, standing beside a painting in which he appears with fellow military personnel, one of dozens of works on display at theand launched the invasion of Iraq to topple ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003.

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More than 3,500 US military personnel have been killed and about 32,000 wounded in hostile action in Iraq, while combat in Afghanistan – a war that turned 18 on Monday – has left nearly 2,000 dead and more than 20,500 wounded.

Bush, 73, took up painting after leaving office in early 2009 and has sought to help veterans who served in the wars that defined his presidency.

“I painted these men and women as a way to honour their service to the country and to show my respect for their sacrifice and courage,” Bush said in a quote featured at the exhibition, titled Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.

‘Wish it was different’

“Everybody that