The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum boasted some special offerings to observe the 12th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 yesterday, including unique artifacts and special video presentations.
Only open to the public since May 1, hundreds of library visitors stopped to reflect Wednesday on the many booths representing the former President’s time in the White House. The exhibits detailing Bush’s eight years as commander-in-chief highlight everything from Bush’s education policy to his involvement with the War on Terror, though his presidency is largely defined by the 2001 terrorist attacks in Manhattan, at the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Penn., as well as Hurricane Katrina.
Richard Swarts of Arlington toured the library for the first time with fellow members of the YMCA Wednesday morning and was “very impressed” with the exhibits.
Referring specifically to Sept. 11, he said that day was “the beginning of a lot of terrible things.”
“It was unbelievable,” Swarts said, adding that he remembers where he was during another American tragedy—the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986.
Over in the Bush Library and Museum classroom, guests perused items like archived letters written by the Florida 2nd-grade students Bush read to on Sept. 11, the official response card sent by the Bushes for the many letters they received following the terrorist attacks, and a block of granite from the World Trade Center mounted with a plaque that reads, “World Trade Center ‘Good Will Triumph Over Evil, May God Bless America…’”
The tone at the museum was relatively quiet and reflective, and the themes echoed throughout the looping video of Bush’s post-9/11 speeches were unity and strength. It was clear that for some, the visit to the library brought healing and a sense of closure. Several veterans wore t-shirts and hats displaying their past involvement with the U.S. military. And, much like the morning of Sept. 11 in Manhattan, it was a clear, beautiful day, put on display through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the museum.
Denise Christenson, a Colorado resident, along with her traveling buddies, made a detour in Dallas Wednesday en route to Tennessee just to visit the Bush library.
“I saw [the museum] on TV when they were doing the grand opening,” Christensen said. “9/11 was a good day to come. I wanted to see some of the special stuff they might have, since [Bush] was the president at that time.”
She noted the interactive nature of the museum as one of her favorite features, mentioning the Decision Points theater, which simulates for guests some of the most time-sensitive decisions that Bush made
Christensen said she enjoyed seeing some of the more humanizing aspects of President Bush at the library, such as information about his pets and a video of Bush poking fun at himself for mispronouncing “nuclear."
She said, “So much of [Bush’s] presidency was defined by 9/11, Katrina, all those big events… so it was nice to see that they did have some laughs.”