This Sunday ... "George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview"

"I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people."

- President George W. Bush, 2001

This is one of my favorite photos of President George W. Bush. Taken on Air Force One in the hours after the 9/11 terrorism attacks, he and his advisers were busy working to protect American citizens after the disaster that had come to our shores.

Sunday night the National Georgraphic Channel will air "George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview" to kick off its series of remembrances on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that killed 3,000 innocent people and set in motion military action and a war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Reuters gave details of the interview that took place in May of 2011:

The interview was recorded over two days in May, without any questions being submitted in advance, the channel said.

National Geographic said Bush gives "intimate details'' of his thoughts and feelings in a way never seen before. Most of the interview is about the first minutes and hours of the day that Islamic militants hijacked four planes and crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Executive producer and director Peter Schnall said Bush, who has adopted a low public profile since leaving office in January 2009, brought no notes to the interview.

"What you hear is the personal story of a man who also happened to be our president. Listening to him describe how he grappled with a sense of anger and frustration coupled with his personal mandate to lead our country through this devastating attack was incredibly powerful,'' Schnall said.

The special includes footage from behind the scenes on that historic day that changed America, the world, the American people, and a president who had been in office only eight months but who was determined that his most important priority was the safety of the American people and the homeland. Mission accomplished. For that, we are eternally grateful.