9/11: Inside the President's War Room

-Everybody not essential, let's go! 493 00:29:32,940 --> 00:29:34,399 This is the real thing. Let's go. 494 00:29:35,442 --> 00:29:39,780 The intensity and the volume of the voices kept escalating. 495 00:29:39,863 --> 00:29:42,866 The calls for us to get moving, to get out, to get out. 496 00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:49,373 Scatter, scatter. Please go home. 497 00:29:49,456 --> 00:29:52,501 I remember making eye contact with a woman 498 00:29:52,584 --> 00:29:55,546 who's part of the Secret Service, and I remember her screaming at me, 499 00:29:55,629 --> 00:29:57,548 "Take off your heels and run." 500 00:29:59,049 --> 00:30:01,635 That 747 is not looking right. 501 00:30:01,718 --> 00:30:05,264 Twelve o'clock high. He's turning hard. Shit. 502 00:30:05,347 --> 00:30:06,890 -Hold it. -They're flying to the Capitol! 503 00:30:06,974 --> 00:30:09,560 Everybody go away from the Capitol. 504 00:30:09,643 --> 00:30:14,565 The streets of Washington, there were cars stopped in the middle of the road, 505 00:30:14,648 --> 00:30:16,692 still running, doors open. 506 00:30:16,775 --> 00:30:19,820 People were running everywhere. There was smoke. 507 00:30:23,282 --> 00:30:24,408 It was Mad Max. 508 00:30:24,491 --> 00:30:27,077 …all of you, back and away. 509 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,955 Do you copy? You need to move back and away. 510 00:30:30,789 --> 00:30:34,459 As America's skies close for the first time in US history 511 00:30:35,252 --> 00:30:36,837 and fear grips the Capitol, 512 00:30:37,588 --> 00:30:40,757 a further threat now causes concern for the president's safety. 513 00:30:41,967 --> 00:30:44,136 As we arrived at the airport, 514 00:30:44,219 --> 00:30:49,183 we began to get intel that Air Force One could be a target. 515 00:30:52,227 --> 00:30:56,315 There could be someone at the end of the runway that could be a threat. 516 00:30:57,357 --> 00:30:59,318 Someone with a stinger missile 517 00:30:59,401 --> 00:31:01,361 or some kind of high-powered rifle, even. 518 00:31:03,864 --> 00:31:05,949 There was an incredible push 519 00:31:06,033 --> 00:31:09,536 to get everybody on the plane as quickly as possible. 520 00:31:09,620 --> 00:31:12,998 They are yelling at us, "Move it, move it, move it," to board more quickly. 521 00:31:15,417 --> 00:31:19,880 I do remember actually feeling scared as I ran up the steps 522 00:31:19,963 --> 00:31:22,007 and having the disjointed thought, 523 00:31:22,758 --> 00:31:26,136 "I've never been scared being with a president before." 524 00:31:31,517 --> 00:31:35,521 I remember some of the air force personnel greeting me at the door, 525 00:31:35,604 --> 00:31:37,356 and they were shaken badly. 526 00:31:40,692 --> 00:31:42,653 So Colonel Tillman said to me, 527 00:31:42,736 --> 00:31:45,239 "I can turn around and fly the other direction, 528 00:31:45,322 --> 00:31:50,786 but it'll be the steepest takeoff you will ever see a 747 take, 529 00:31:50,869 --> 00:31:53,580 and you need to make sure the president's sitting down." 530 00:31:54,456 --> 00:31:56,500 I said, "I'll take care of that. Just do it." 531 00:31:57,751 --> 00:31:59,878 The decision was made to go ahead and rotate 532 00:31:59,962 --> 00:32:02,089 to counter the threat at the end of the runway 533 00:32:02,923 --> 00:32:05,175 and to max perform the aircraft. 534 00:32:05,259 --> 00:32:06,343 So we used full power. 535 00:32:06,426 --> 00:32:09,596 The plane was extremely light, minimal passengers. 536 00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,266 The goal was to get airborne, move away fast. 537 00:32:13,267 --> 00:32:18,105 My seat was 20 yards or so away, and I'm standing there, 538 00:32:18,188 --> 00:32:20,858 and I'm the only one who's not seated with a seat belt. 539 00:32:21,984 --> 00:32:24,570 So, I'm standing there with the president, 540 00:32:24,653 --> 00:32:29,241 and the engines just screamed, and we were screaming down the runway. 541 00:32:30,075 --> 00:32:33,078 And I'm going, "This is unbelievable. The plane doesn't take off like this." 542 00:32:33,161 --> 00:32:39,751 And I put my foot against the president's desk and my backside against the bulkhead 543 00:32:39,835 --> 00:32:42,254 and just pressed myself in there. 544 00:32:42,337 --> 00:32:45,048 The president, he leaned over with his arm. 545 00:32:45,132 --> 00:32:51,013 And we were taking off at an angle that I never want to experience again. 546 00:32:52,931 --> 00:32:55,100 I went partially weightless. 547 00:32:56,310 --> 00:32:59,229 I mean, I was petrified. 548 00:33:04,818 --> 00:33:07,279 It was a very emotional experience for everybody. 549 00:33:08,155 --> 00:33:10,616 I tried to be cool, calm and present. 550 00:33:11,116 --> 00:33:14,119 But some people were hyperventilating or-- 551 00:33:14,203 --> 00:33:16,079 "But what are we gonna do?" 552 00:33:16,163 --> 00:33:19,333 And kind of contagious with fear, 553 00:33:19,917 --> 00:33:23,378 and I didn't want that to infect the decision-making process 5