George W. Bush salutes Kansas town

By Thomas Ferraro

GREENSBURG, Kansas (Reuters) - President George W. Bush saluted a graduating high school class and its small town on Sunday for rebounding from a killer tornado that ripped apart its homes, businesses and churches but not its faith.

"We celebrate the resurgence of a town that stood tall when its buildings and homes were laid low," Bush said in commencement address to Greensburg High School's 18-member graduating class.

"We celebrate the power of faith, the love of family, and the bonds of friendship that guided you through the disaster," said Bush, marking the first anniversary of the twister that left 11 dead, dozens injured and roads lined with rubble.

Bush is greeted with boos and sneers in much of the United States because of the unpopular Iraq war and ailing economy.

But in Greensburg he was greeted as a returning hero by residents appreciative of his relief efforts on their behalf. Hundreds of flag waving towns people lined the route of the presidential motorcade. Some held signs reading "thank you."

Five days after the tornado hit on May 4, 2007, Bush visited this farm town in Middle America amid complaints that his decision to send National Guard equipment to Iraq had hurt state disaster efforts.

Bush brushed off the criticism back then, hugged and comforted residents and ordered federal aid rushed in.

In doing so, he avoided a repeat of the botched 2005 relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and neighboring Gulf Coast communities.