For 'horrible moment,' Bush White House thought US military shot down Flight 93
Bush, Rice Revisit 9/11 Memories at Texas Anniversary Gathering
Former President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shared their recollections of the September 11, 2001 attacks at a commemorative event in Texas this week, marking the 25th anniversary of the day that reshaped U.S. security policy.
The two officials, who served together in Bush’s first term, spoke about the frantic hours after the attacks while they sat in a government bunker. “We were coordinating the domestic response,” Bush said. “We were working to ground civilian flights across the country and at one point we thought the U.S. military had shot down United Airlines Flight 93.”
Rice described the confusion that surrounded the fate of Flight 93, the passenger plane that was intercepted by U.S. fighters after the hijackers failed to properly identify themselves. “At one point we thought we had shot it down,” she recalled. “And for about ten minutes we believed we had shot down a civilian aircraft.” She went on to say that the moment “represented just how hard the decisions were that you had to take under a lot of pressure.”
The conversation also touched on the chain of command during the crisis. Rice recalled Vice President Dick Cheney’s role in passing the order that any aircraft not squawking properly should be shot down, a directive she said she communicated through the vice president. “We were trying to land planes, I remember Norm Mineta, the transportation secretary, trying to land planes on a legal pad,” Rice recounted. “If a plane didn’t squawk properly, it was to be shot down.”
Bush echoed Rice’s recollections, adding, “Yeah, I thought it was the same thing.” In the same breath, Rice referenced General Daniel Caine, noting that “something in what you said, our paths crossed in a strange way.”
The event, titled “A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9/11,” drew several former members of the Bush administration to the Bush Museum in Texas. Beyond the reminiscence, Bush unveiled 16 original paintings he created to commemorate the attacks. The works, which he described as reflecting “the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of the most defining moments in American history,” will be displayed in Freedom Hall through September.
The gathering also served as a reminder that 9/11 is not merely a historical footnote but a living memory that continues to shape national security and foreign policy. As the anniversary passes, the event in Texas underscores the enduring impact of that day on the leaders who guided the nation through its darkest hours.