This photograph of President George W. Bush greeting firefighters, police, and rescue personnel was taken by Eric Draper on September 14, 2001 in New York City. President Bush visited the first responders to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, meeting the group at what was coined Ground Zero of the horrific events that occurred just days before. Bush toured Ground Zero and gave a speech offering support to the first responders.

In this photograph by Chuck Kennedy, President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush walk side by side down the Cross Hall to a ceremony unveiling President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush's official White House portraits. Mrs. Bush and First Lady Michelle Obama follow their husbands toward the East Room, where the ceremony took place on May 31, 2012. President and Mrs. Obama also hosted a lunch for extended members of the Bush family -- including former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush -- in the Red Room of the White House that day.

In this photograph by Pete Souza, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama host a lunch for extended members of the Bush family in the Red Room on May 31, 2012. The Bush family visited the White House that day for the unveiling ceremony of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush's official White House portraits. The ceremony took place in the East Room. Seated clockwise from President Obama are: former First Lady Barbara Bush, Bucky Bush, Doro Bush Koch, Jenna Bush Hager, Marvin Bush, Jody Bush, former President George W. Bush, Mrs. Obama, former President George H. W. Bush, Patty Bush, Bobby Koch, Barbara Pierce Bush, Margaret Bush, Jonathan Bush, and former First Lady Laura Bush.

In this photograph by Lawrence Jackson, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at a ceremony unveiling the official White House portraits of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush on May 31, 2012 in the East Room. Mrs. Obama is joined onstage by her husband, President Barack Obama, President Bush, and Mrs. Bush. President and Mrs. Obama also hosted a lunch for extended members of the Bush family -- including former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush -- in the Red Room of the White House that day.

In this photograph by Eric Draper, President George W. Bush stands with author Harper Lee in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 5, 2007. Lee was at the White House to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush. Lee was best known for her classic American novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and received her honor alongside Liberian politician Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins, and Benjamin Hooks, civil rights leader and former executive director of the NAACP, among others.

This photograph was taken by Tina Hager on June 17, 2003, during a reception hosted by President George W. Bush in the East Room honoring the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Winter Championship teams. Here, President Bush is presented with a jersey by guard Diana Taurasi of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team. Taurasi was a member of the team for three of its NCAA championship wins from 2002-2004.

In this photograph by Eric Draper, President George W. Bush toasts Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain at a State dinner held in her honor on May 7, 2007. The toast followed President Bush's welcoming remarks at the dinner, which took place in the State Dining Room. The evening also included a performance by violinist Itzhak Perlman in the East Room.

In this photograph by Joyce N. Boghosian, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Welch Bush stand with Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the Entrance Hall of the White House. President and Mrs. Bush welcomed Queen Elizabeth and her husband to the White House for a State dinner held in her honor on May 7, 2007. The State Dinner took place in the State Dining Room and the evening also included a performance by violinist Itzhak Perlman in the East Room.

This photograph was taken by Shealah Craighead on December 15, 2001, during a menorah lighting ceremony in the Entrance Hall near the Grand Staircase. Although previous administrations had observed Hanukkah, and menorah lighting ceremonies had been held in the Oval Office during the Bill Clinton administration, the first menorah lighting ceremony was held in the Executive Residence during the George W. Bush administration in 2001. Here, President George W. Bush delivers remarks. The menorah used for the ceremony was presented to President Harry S. Truman in 1951 by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Israel. The grandsons of both world leaders, Clifton Truman Daniel and Yariv Ben-Eliezer, lit the menorah together at the ceremony.

This photograph was taken by Eric Draper on December 9, 2004, during a menorah lighting ceremony in the East Garden Room. Although previous administrations had observed Hanukkah, and menorah lighting ceremonies had been held in the Oval Office during the Bill Clinton administration, the first menorah lighting ceremony was held in the Executive Residence during the George W. Bush administration in 2001. Here, Menachem, Chaim, and Miriam Felzenberg, the three eldest children of Army Chaplain Shmuel Felzenberg, light the menorah as President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Welch Bush look on. The menorah used in the ceremony was borrowed from the Boca Raton Synagogue in Boca Raton, Florida.

This photograph was taken by Eric Draper on December 10, 2001, during a menorah lighting ceremony in the East Garden Room. Although previous administrations had observed Hanukkah, and menorah lighting ceremonies had been held in the Oval Office during the Bill Clinton administration, this was the first year that a menorah lighting ceremony was held in the Executive Residence. Here, 8-year-old Talia Lefkowitz lights the second candle of Hanukkah, as President George W. Bush looks on. The silver menorah used in the ceremony was borrowed from the collection of the Jewish Museum in New York.

This photograph, taken by Paul Morse, shows President George W. Bush delivering an address to the nation from the Oval Office following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Bush delivered the live televised address that evening. Contributors to the speech included President Bush; speechwriters John McConnell, David Frum, Matthew Scully, and Michael J. Gerson; national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and her deputy assistant Stephen J. Hadley; and members of the White House communications team. In his remarks, Bush mourned the loss of American citizens yet asserted the strength of the nation, promised retribution for the perpetrators of the attacks and their supporters, and offered words of prayer.

In this photograph, taken by David Bohrer on September 18, 2001, President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney join White House staff to observe a moment of silence on the South Lawn honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The moment of silence ceremony has remained a tradition in the formal observation of September 11th at the White House. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service.

In this photograph, taken by Paul Morse on September 18, 2001, President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney join White House staff to observe a moment of silence on the South Lawn honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The moment of silence ceremony has remained a tradition in the formal observation of September 11th at the White House. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service.

In this photograph, taken by Kimberlee Hewitt on September 10, 2006, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Welch Bush participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the north reflecting pool at the former site of the World Trade Center in New York, New York. President and Mrs. Bush paid their respects at the site to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The National September 11 Memorial was later built on the site and dedicated on September 11, 2011. In May 2014, an adjacent museum was opened and dedicated by President Barack Obama.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush delivers a speech during the dedication ceremony for the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia on the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld can be seen seated behind the president. Designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, the memorial honors the 184 victims who perished when the hijacked aircraft American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. The outdoor memorial identifies victims by name and age, and includes illuminated water features to represent each victim. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Welch Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, and Second Lady Lynne V. Cheney join White House staff for a moment of silence on the South Lawn in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.

In this photograph, taken by Paul Morse on September 9, 2005, President George W. Bush delivers remarks on the South Lawn during the presentation ceremony for the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor. The medal was created to honor 442 public safety officers, including firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians, who died as a result of performing their duties in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. President Bush invited family members of the fallen officers to the South Lawn ceremony, where they were presented with the posthumous award.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Welch Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, and Second Lady Lynne V. Cheney join White House staff for a moment of silence on the South Lawn in commemoration of the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Welch Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, and Second Lady Lynne V. Cheney join victims' families for a moment of silence on the South Lawn in commemoration of the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Welch Bush participate in a wreath-laying ceremony near the crash site for United Airlines Flight 93 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Flight 93 was one of four airplanes hijacked by al-Qaida terrorists on September 11, 2001. Believed to be targeting the United States Capitol Building, the flight crashed into a field after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the aircraft. Preliminary work for the Flight 93 National Memorial was completed on September 10, 2010, and the permanent memorial opened to the public on September 10, 2015. In 2002, President Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.

In this photograph, taken by Eric Draper on September 11, 2002, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Welch Bush light a candle at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., during a private service of prayer and remembrance honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This first anniversary of the attacks was also the first observation of Patriot Day, a day designated by President Bush for national participation in remembrance ceremonies. On September 11, 2002, President Bush also participated in a moment of silence at the White House and visited the location of the terrorist attacks in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, the former site of the World Trade Center in New York city, and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush delivers remarks from Emma E. Brooker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York city on the morning of September 11, 2001. The president was informed by his chief of staff Andy Card of the second strike on the towers while reading to children at the school. After delivering brief remarks at the school, Bush boarded Air Force One for his own protection, accompanied by roughly 65 advisors, security agents, and staff members. For the next several hours, President Bush worked from his office aboard Air Force One, where he monitored the crisis using the secure phone lines and televisions installed in the aircraft.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush speaks on the telephone as senior staff convene in his office aboard Air Force Once following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York city on September 11, 2001. Bush received news of the suspected terrorist attacks while visiting Emma E. Brooker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, to take part in a reading demonstration. After delivering brief remarks at the school, Bush boarded Air Force One for his own protection, accompanied by roughly 65 advisors, security agents, and staff members. President Bush worked from his office aboard Air Force One, where he monitored the crisis using the secure phone lines and televisions installed in the aircraft.

In this photograph, President George W. Bush speaks with White House press secretary Ari Fleischer (left), and senior advisor to the president Karl Rove (center) aboard Air Force One following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York city on September 11, 2001. Bush received news of the suspected terrorist attacks while visiting Emma E. Brooker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, to take part in a reading demonstration. After delivering brief remarks at the school, Bush boarded Air Force One for his own protection, accompanied by roughly 65 advisors, security agents, and staff members. President Bush worked from his office aboard Air Force One, where he monitored the crisis using the secure phone lines and televisions installed in the aircraft. This photograph was taken by White House photographer Eric Draper during the flight from Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, Nebraska to Andrews Air Force Base near Prince George's County, Maryland.