President George W. Bush
The Presidents day went like this
on the day of the terrorist attacks:
Sept 11 - Oct 6, 2001
9:00 a.m.
President Bush arrives at Sarasota, Florida, school
for speech.
White House chief of staff Andrew Card tells him
a plane has
crashed into the World Trade Center.
9:05 a.m.
President Bush is visiting a second-grade class
when
Card whispers to him that a second plane has struck
the towers.
President delays plans to address the tragedy, deciding
t
o get more information first.
9:30 a.m.
President Bush meets privately with National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who briefs him.
He delivers first remarks on the tragedy.
10 a.m.
Aboard Air Force One en route to Louisiana, President
Bush
calls Vice President Dick Cheney and puts America's
military on a high
alert status. Sifts through reports from staff,
including erroneous
report that a car bomb had struck the State Department.
Gets news
that plane has crashed near Pittsburgh.
11:40 a.m.
President Bush arrives at Barksdale Air Force Base,
Louisiana,
where he makes series of telephone calls from a
general's conference room.
Tells Cheney in telephone call, "It's the faceless
coward that attacks."
He also talks to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
and New
York Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
1:15 p.m.
President Bush departs conference room for Air Force
One
in a camouflaged Humvee. Talks to Cheney again en
route to Nebraska
air force base and schedules a 4 p.m. meeting of
his national security staff.
Also talks to New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Gov.
George Pataki. "I know
your heart is broken and your city is strained and
anything we can do,
let me know," Bush says.
3:07 p.m.
President Bush arrives at U.S. Strategic Command
at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
4:36 p.m.
President Bush departs for Washington. En route,
he calls
first lady Laura Bush and says, "I'm coming home,
see you at
the White House." Works with aides on his prime-time
speech.
7:00 p.m.
President Bush arrives at White House to prepare
for address.
8:30 p.m.
President Bush speaks to nation.
8:35 p.m.
President Bush attends national security meeting.
10:21 p.m.
Meeting has ended. Secret Service radio squawks
with news that
President Bush has gone home to bed:
"Trailblazer. Second floor of the residence."
Courtesy of FOX News
The President Addresses The Nation
September 11, 2001
8:30p.m.
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens,
our way of life,
our very freedom came under attack in a series of
deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.
The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices;
secretaries, businessmen and women,
military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends
and neighbors. Thousands of lives
were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of
terror.
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings,
fires burning, huge structures collapsing,
have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness,
and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of
mass murder were intended to frighten our nation
into chaos and retreat. But they
have failed; our country is strong.
A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the
foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot
touch the foundation of America.
These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent
the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the
brightest beacon for freedom and
opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that
light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human
nature. And we responded
with the best of America -- with the daring of our
rescue workers, with the caring
for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood
and help in any way they could.
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented
our government's emergency
response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's
prepared. Our emergency teams are
working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to
help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have
been injured, and to take
every precaution to protect our citizens at home
and around the world
from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without
interruption. Federal agencies in
Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening
for essential personnel
tonight, and will be open for business tomorrow.
Our financial institutions remain
strong, and the American economy will be open for
business, as well.
The search is underway for those who are behind these
evil acts. I've directed the full
resources of our intelligence and law enforcement
communities to find those
responsible and to bring them to justice. We will
make no distinction between the
terrorists who committed these acts and those who
harbor them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress
who have joined me in strongly
condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American
people, I thank the many
world leaders who have called to offer their condolences
and assistance.
America and our friends and allies join with all
those who want peace and security
in the world, and we stand together to win the war
against terrorism. Tonight, I ask
for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the
children whose worlds have been
shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security
has been threatened. And I pray
they will be comforted by a power greater than any
of us, spoken through the ages
in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me."
This is a day when all Americans from every walk
of life unite in our resolve for
justice and peace. America has stood down enemies
before, and we will do so this
time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet,
we go forward to defend freedom
and all that is good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.
The speech ended at approximately
8:35 pm
Song of Freedom
Ring, O bells, from ev'ry steeple!
Tell the story far and near;
Let the breezes bear your echoes,
Freedom's natal day is here.
Fire the guns and shout for freedom,
See the flag above unfurled!
Hail the stars and stripes forever,
Dearest flag in all the world.
Ring, O bells, and shout, O people,
Float, O flag, from sea to sea!
We, thy children, rally 'round thee,
Hail, O flag of liberty!
Float, O starry flag of freedom!
Flag our fathers died to save;
He on whom your shadow lingers
Never more can be a slave.
May "Old Glory" float forever,
High o'er vale and mountain crag,
See her stars on ev'ry ocean,
One dear country, one dear flag!
Ring, O bells, and shout, O people,
Float, O flag, from sea to sea!
We, thy children, rally 'round thee,
Hail, O flag of liberty!
Other Speeches...
