On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, President George Bush was sitting with second-graders in Sarasota, Fla. when his chief of staff whispered to him that a second plane had struck the Twin Towers and America was under attack.
Three days later, the president went to meet the recovery crews at Ground Zero, where he stood on a flattened fire truck, a bullhorn in his right hand, his left arm around the shoulders of retired firefighter Bob Beckwith.
"I want you all to know that America today, America today is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here; for the workers who work here; for the families who mourn.
"This nation stands with the good people of New York City and New Jersey and Connecticut as we mourn the loss of thousands
of our citizens."
A voice from the crowd shouted "We can't hear you."
"I can hear you," the president responded.
"I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."
The crowd erupted in chants of "USA! USA! USA!"
"The nation sends its love and compassion to everybody who is here," Bush continued.
"Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for making the nation proud and may God bless America."
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: A look back at President George W. Bush's visit to New York after 9/11
