By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Twenty-four years ago, our nation was under attack. Many of us sat in shock and horror as we watched the attack unfold on our television screens. We watched as people ran from the twin towers after a commercial jet had flown into one of them.
We continued to watch as a second commercial jet crashed into the other tower. Then we watched in disbelief as the towers collapsed, and we gasped at the loss of human life that we knew was happening before our eyes.
Fear overcame us as we learned a third commercial plane had crashed into the Pentagon. The reality that we were under attack began to grip the nation.
It was September 11, 2001. With another plane heading toward Washington, D.C., high-level decisions had to be made quickly. Those decisions were witnessed by then-Maj. Robert J. Darling, who retired from the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The details of how our nation’s leaders made rapid-fire decisions in response to the attack are meticulously recounted in Darling’s book, “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker: 9-11-01: The White House.”
As Darling answered phone calls from various sources, including one informing him that a fourth plane was in the air and flying toward Washington D.C., he relayed the callers’ messages to officials, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, who in turn gave him messages to relay back to the callers.
Darling had previously served as an Apache helicopter pilot in conflict zones and had served as a Marine One pilot. At the time of the attack, he was on a White House detail and was responsible for arranging the logistics of travel for President George W. Bush.
Throughout his book, he brings readers into both the experiences of being in the pilot’s seat as a division leader during a nighttime crisis attack and being in the White House bunker on September 11, 2001. The book is gripping, informative and written in a narrative style that keeps readers holding tight to each word on every page.
You can purchase the book from several online booksellers, or you can purchase a personalized copy directly from the author’s website at https://robertjdarling.com/9-11-book.html.
