Bono ditched his U2 bandmates in Montreal and made a trip to Dallas this past Thursday to pick up an award from former President George W. Bush.

The U2 singer received the inaugural George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership for his work on the the HIV/AIDS crisis and poverty in Africa.

Back in 2002, Bono lobbied the then-President to lend financial support to help stem the AIDS crisis in poor countries, which led to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Bush told Bono, “The truth of the matter is, [that] never would have made it out of Congress had you not been engaged. The first time I met you, you knew more statistics, like you were coming right out of the CIA.”

~Anna Kinkade