Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA former Reuters correspondent has detailed the moment President George W. Bush was told about the September 11, 2001, attacks during a routine education trip to Sarasota, Florida.President Bush was reading to elementary school students at Emma E. Booker Elementary School when a White House aide interrupted the event to tell him: "America is under attack." Cameras captured the shocked look on his face before he was whisked away to Air Force One to leave Florida. Bush spent the day flying across the country on Air Force One, first to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and then to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He later pushed for improved communications equipment on Air Force One after having trouble staying in touch with the White House as he flew around the country.After traveling aboard Air Force One to secure military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska, Bush returned to Washington late that afternoon to deliver an Oval Office address to the nation. "The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger," he told the country.On September 14, 2001, Bush visited Ground Zero in New York City, using a bullhorn while standing on a damaged firetruck to promise emergency crews that those responsible would be held accountable.In fullReporter recounts moment George W Bush was told about 9/11 as aide whispered ‘America is under attack’More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in