The 16 children who shared modern America's darkest moment with President George W. Bush are high school seniors now - football players, ROTC members, track athletes, wrestlers and singers.

◼ link - MITCH STACY - Associated Press via Fresno Bee

They remember going over an eight-paragraph story so it would be perfect when they read it to the president on Sept. 11, 2001.

They remember how Bush's face suddenly clouded as his chief of staff, Andrew Card, bent down and whispered to him that the U.S. had been attacked. They remember how Bush pressed on with the reading as best he could before sharing the devastating news with the nation.

"It was like a blank stare. Like he knew something was going on but he didn't want to make it too bad for us to notice by looking different," said Lenard Rivers, now a 17-year-old football player at Sarasota High.