Modern Missions

Inside the White House on 9/11

with Retired Lt. Col. Robert J. Darling, USMC

Thursday, August 28, 2025 | 12 p.m. ET | Virtual and In-person

Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Robert J. Darling was a White House Airlift Operations Officer who, during the terrorist attack on America on Sept. 11, 2001, responded to the underground White House Bunker Complex. There, he became the liaison between the Vice President, National Security Advisor, and The White House Situation Room. Throughout the attacks and their aftermath, Darling witnessed the unprecedented actions the nation’s leaders took to defend America. Join us for a detailed discussion of this momentous day as experienced by a participant at the center of the crisis.

Robert J. Darling retired from the United States Marine Corps with just over twenty years of active duty service in October 2007. He flew Cobra attack helicopters in Desert Shield and Desert Storm during the first Gulf War and in Somalia, Africa in support of Operation Restore Hope. His wrote of his experiences in his book “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker: 9-11-01: The White House” (2010).

This program is offered VIRTUALLY and IN-PERSON on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Museum guests may attend in-person. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register for the VIRTUAL Modern Missions on August 28 at 12 p.m. ET

Register for the IN-PERSON Modern Missions on August 28 at 12 p.m. ET

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