Twenty-four years after September 11, 2001, most of us remember exactly where we were when the Twin Towers fell. But few can say they watched history unfold from inside Air Force One alongside President Bush—except for then-26-year-old Congressman Adam Putnam.
I had a chance to talk with Putnam in 2021 in the early days of “Real News with Rick Outzen” on WCOA. He shared his “three-beer tale” of what was supposed to be a routine presidential visit to a Sarasota elementary school that turned into one of the most pivotal days in American history. What started as a photo opportunity with second graders reading to the president became a front-row seat to presidential crisis management.
Putnam’s account offers incredible behind-the-scenes details that many have never heard. Did you know that in 2001, Air Force One lacked satellite capabilities? To stay informed about the unfolding attacks, the presidential aircraft had to fly low over Pensacola and Mobile, circling to pick up local television transmissions.
- “Pensacola had its moment in the history of the event,” Putnam recalled.
Perhaps most striking is Putnam’s interpretation of President Bush’s cryptic words that all four hijacked planes had been “accounted for one way or another.” The former congressman believes—then and now—that Bush had authorized fighter jets to shoot down United Flight 93, filled with American citizens, to protect the government from attack.
Controlled Chaos
The article paints vivid scenes of controlled chaos: secret service agents frantically whispering to the president during storytime, Air Force One taking off nearly vertical, supply trucks loading weeks’ worth of provisions as officials prepared for Bush to potentially run the country from the air, and the surreal sight of tanks rolling through Washington streets like “a scene from Red Dawn.”
Putnam’s eyewitness testimony adds texture to our understanding of how leadership functioned during America’s darkest hour. For the complete story, including more details about the tense moments aboard Air Force One and the aftermath in Washington, read the full interview with Adam Putnan – here.
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