IamA Lazaro Dubrocq (One of the kids that read to George Bush on 9/11) AMA!

What did your teacher tell you when he had to leave?

our teacher Mrs. Daniels was very brusque and upfront about it. The first thing I recall her saying was that America was being attacked and that people were dying. She had a way with words

Damn, if she really used similar wording, wtf. That would be so scary to a kid. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK AND PEOPLE ARE DYING"

I remember being in second grade and watching the Challenger explode on live TV that the teachers had set up in the cafeteria to watch. There are times when blunt language, even around children, is appropriate and necessary.

Still I'd argue you should choose the words well. When I was a kid and didn't understand anything if someone told me "the country is under attack" I would think of a massive ground invasion and bombing sorties and would be scared shitless.

Why is it so necessary that a child never experiences fear? Fear is a natural emotion. Everybody was scared on 9/11.

I think we were more afraid of us being a target with the President being here and everything

How long did he sit there looking dumbfounded holding that book after he was given the news?

Very briefly, honestly looked like he just had to urgently use the bathroom. But it was noticeable and I think a lot of us at the time could tell it was something a little more than that

Was he a good storyteller?

Nothing phenomenal but I suppose it's easy to talk to 7 year olds. I liked his story about his dogs though

Any chance you could repeat it here?

from what I remember it was just a casual conversation about his poodles I think? All I can remember was that he had a black dog and a white dog

Thanks for doing this! During the time he was there, did you have the sense that something was wrong? How serious did you think it was?

I think we all had some intuition but it varied. I think at one point I thought he just had to urgently use the bathroom, maybe one of his aids farted next to him? That was my mindset for a second or two until I noticed his expression was a little too grave for that

Could your young mind grasp that THE POTUS was reading to you? or was it not that big of a deal to the 7 year old you? Thanks for the swift AMA;)

We were more impressed with all the cameras, lights, and cops parked outside our class. I actually don't even think I recognized the President immediately, he just seemed like some eldery man in a suit to me.

What was the security like? Did you get searched?

Very tight. Parking lot was packed with cops and Secret Service. Every student was searched before allowed entry. I remember that I wasn't because my backpack was a plastic seethrough so the inspector laughed it off and allowed me in

One of my classmates wasn't allowed in because he showed up 10minutes late to class

Did his face change after the news? Did he try not to reveal to the kids something bad was happening?

breifly, he looked slightly distressed. Honestly I got to give him credit for having that tenacity and sangfroid. But there was a break in his expression, it was pretty clear to us

Assuming your teachers had a better understanding of the magnitude of the events, what was their reaction like and what was the rest of that day like after the President left?

They were quiet, my teacher Mrs. Daniels was speaking with some other teachers. We were pretty confused until we were shown on TV a live broadcast. The rest of the day was weird, I remember being slightly paranoid that the school was going to be targeted once I better grasped the situation. What better place to attack than a school with the President in it?

Wait so your teacher showed you live videos of people jumping from the towers?

1st grades then, my school had a no TV policy on 911

The first image we saw was one of the towers consumed in fire and smoke. No matter how old I get, that shit sticks with you for life

You guys didn't see the second get hit live, did you?

I can't recall which one it was. But we saw live footage of a tower collapsing

How do you feel when 9/11 comes around each year?

Im reminded every single anniversary of that day. It's a strange feeling and Im actually at a bit of a loss of words to really describe it.

Thank you for your honesty. Do you and your classmates ever get together on the anniversary?

I haven't recently unfortunately. I'm far away attending school in New York by the time the anniversary arrives. The last time we got together was during the 10th anniversary

Does the fact that the great state of Florida misspelled your name on your license ever cause you any problems?

Nope. It's Florida. I'll get it changed when I get my 21 license

What was the energy like before and after he was told? Is this something you remember or is it something you recall after seeing it broadcasted so many times.

Have you seen the President since?

we were kids at the time the energy was very carefree for a while. But there was a little tension, especially when we were completely surrounded by lights, cameras, cops, and secret service.

I remember after he was told that everything just seemed more.. quiet. It was almost harrowing at one point since a lot of us could tell he was uncomfortable about something.

My memory is a mix of both. there are definitely images and sights that I absolutely remember but there are also some details that were brought back due to the numerous broadcasts

What did he talk about?

EDIT: Wow, thanks for all the upvotes and replies :D

Basic things, he spoke about his daughters, his two (three?) dogs. He had a pretty lengthy conversation with one of my classmates about her favorite dogs too, it was Natalie from what I remember? We spoke about the story we were going to read to him

How many friend requests have you gotten after doing this IAmA?

yeah didn't think that one through before posting my Facebook link

What kind of bird is in your Facebook profile pic? Is he/she your pet? Do you have other pets?
Did you have pets during 9/11? If so, how did they respond to the news?

African Grey Parrot, not mine. Had a dalmatian and some fish. The dalmatian chased a bird in my backyard and the fish were pretty indifferent.

In that picture of you shaking Bush's hand, your arm looks really long. Like, much too long for a 2nd grader. What do you have to say to conspiracy theorists who say that isn't really your arm?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_lens

What sticks out most in your memory from that day?

Walking into the classroom looking to my left and seeing a huge assortment of equipment and lights. And seeing my teacher Mrs. Daniels upfront speaking to the President (although I didn't immediately realize it). This was also after my backpack was almost probed by Secret Service at the entrance

or when our teacher brought out a TV and showed us a live broadcast of the attack. Those two events are by far the most vivid

Was he a good story-teller, like using different voices for all the characters and all that?

We read to him, he was just folllowing along.

Were you guys a good story teller?

I kept getting lost constantly, so nope

[deleted]

I'd say roughly a year later when my whole class was getting interviewed by multiple news stations

how was that day for your class after the prez left?

Parents picked me up soon after we all conglomerated to the cafeteria to hear the President addressing the nation. People were starting to fear that the President would be personally targeted.. at our school.

How old were you when you became fully aware of what you had been a part of?

hmm, I was fully aware of it by next year. We were interviewed exactly one year after the attack and that day was a very renowned day at our school especially in the days afterward

Do you own a copy of My Pet Goat?

It's a short story within a larger book, I do not own the book

I was in 3rd grade at the time and it really didn't hit me until years later how big of a deal this really was. I just remember my mom crying and keeping us inside. How did you/your family react?

They picked me up soon afterwords. They were quiet. There was a widespread paranoia that the school would be attacked.

How come your class was chosen to have him read to you? Were you learning about presidents? Was he scheduled for other rooms after? And was there any talk of your school under threat as the prez was there??

From what I recall he was actually supposed to visit multiple classes, as it turned out he could only visit one, ours. Due to obvious reason

Just wanted to say hi from Columbia University, I recognized the ID immediately! On a more serious note, did you or your classmates know anyone who lost a loved one that day?

Howdy!

We did not, many of us were actually a little detached from the situation which is a dark thing to say. Many of us thought it was actually an action movie or something, some of us thought of it as something happening "far away". But we started realizing the gravity of the situation pretty soon

Hi,

Have you ever used the story as a way to get close to a member of the opposite sex?

Nope, I'm not that good with flirting

How does one pronounce your name?

emphasis on the first a. I prefer to be called Lazarus (as in the bible) as for some reason that's easier to pronounce

As a non American I'm not exactly sure how events folded out, did he explain the facts to you guys after the story or did he leave immediately? if the latter, how/when did you find out?

He didn't explain to us. Our teacher Mrs. Daniels led us to the adjacent room, sat us down, and turned on a TV showing us a broadcast of the attack

Most reports put Bush sitting there for 7 to 9 minutes after he was informed of the 2nd plane and "America being under attack."

Does this correspond with your recollection?

that seems a little longer then from what I recall. I know that we were nearing the end of our story. Afterwards I believe he shook each of our hands, and handed us each a box of signed M&Ms though I can't say for sure that the order of events is hi.

How many languages do you know? Impressive vocabulary.

Just english and spanish

As a 2nd grader, how did you feel when you heard the news about the 9/11 attack?

I can't really describe my exact emotions at the time. I first heard about it almost immediately when we were shown a live broadcast of the towers falling. I actually thought for a moment it was a movie or something, it was too surreal. I do remember that there was some paranoia about an attack on our school with the President here and all

Could you tell what was going on? Were you anxious/confused?

I was a pretty dull and unintuitive kid. But after we found out there was some worry about a potential attack on the school

How long was the President there before he was told? Did he seem to be enjoying his time with the kids?

We were nearing the end of our story so not for maybe a few minutes? I thought he was, he shook each of our hands before leaving and imparted a box of Presidential signed M&M's to each of us sometime during our time with him

Thanks for doing this! Do you ever get confronted by truthers and if so how do you react?

Nope. but I guess the discretion's gone now with this AMA

How much time in advance did you know the POTUS was going to be there?

I only ask because in such situations I'd remember a bit of a commotion, or things just working differently. I felt elementary school was very structured in that way.

I honestly don't remember. Weeks prior maybe? I know that what prompted it was that our literacy "grade" as a school had jumped dramatically. Soon afterwards we were told the President would come to visit us

I noticed you're at Columbia University. Damn good school, congrats. Did you write a killer application essay based on your experience on 9/11?

Also: what did you do with your signed box of M&M's?

I did actually, nice deducation. I kept it, or rather my parents took it and didn't allow me to eat it. We still have it wrapped up in a ziplock in my fridge back home

What story was he reading you? And does it feel good knowing in all them documentaries, references and movies about the attack there is some kid in the scene where bush is reading a story playing you?

Actually we were reading to him. We were supposed to showcase our school's increase in literacy

Have you ever met any survivors from the attacks?

I have not actually, would be interesting

What do you do for a living?

I'm a student at Columbia University. That's pretty much it

What preparations did you/your classmates/school make for the President's visit? Was everyone nervous? (Nervous about meeting the Prezzie)

I think it was emphasized to the students that it would just be another regular day but to be on your best behavior else no recess for a week (that straightened the hell out of us). Arriving to school though, was different. Cops and secret service littering the entire school.

Where did you get the sweet-ass American flag tank top? As a proud American who believes in the right to bare arms, I want one.

http://www.amazon.com/Exist-EXS358-USA-TANK-Patriotic-American-Flag/dp/B00K0XOJZY/ref=cts_ap_2_fbt

Could you tell something was wrong?

I thought he had to take a shit for a second or two. Then I realized something else was bothering him but nothing of that magnitude.

How do you feel now about the entire situation and the class that you were in that day ( now that you understand more about what was going on)?

It's interesting. Obviously I feel horrible for what happened but I can't but feel some semblance of pride for being in a class with the President. But like I've said I'm really only famous as a result of a horrible event so it's tough to put words to it

Do you stay in contact with any of the other students, or the teacher? Has the media tried to get you all together?

Thanks for doing the AmA

Unfortunately no, we've all drifted apart. Though every now and then I reestablish contact with my teacher especially around the anniversary. The last time we were together was during the 10th anniversary

Did the way he responded alter your perception of him? And in hindsight has your opinion changes?

I really didn't have any perception of him during the time. I was 7 years old and here was a man sitting in front of me who was apparently important but that wasn't really enough to garner an opinion from me. In hindsight I do have to commend him on his sangfroid during the whole situation

Looking back on how Bush handled that situation, did it impact your views on his presidency as a whole?

Im 20years old and I still barely have any political views. As a 7 year old I really didnt even know what the President did beside "Lead America"

How did the secret service agents react to the news, compared to the minutes before?

That wasn't really something I paid too much attention too, they all seemed to dissapear soon afterwards but I can't help you too much on that sorry.

Did the president himself ever say anything to you about it?

to me specifically? No, the only personal interaction I had with him was shaking his hand and him giving each of us a box of Presidential M&M's

Did they taste like freedom?

couldn't tell ya, I still have them

What was your reaction when you heard about 9/11?

I'd be nice to say I reacted with horror at this evil but honestly I felt pretty hallow. I didn't really grasp the situation, all I saw were some towers burning that were in some "far away" place. As selfish as it was I think I was more fearful of there being an inevitable attack on the school since the President was known to be here

I was in second grade at the time also. How long was it until you found out what actually happened? I remember my father picking my brother and me up from school at about 10am and telling us.

almost immediately afterwards, we were shown a tv broadcast of the attack

how did you like the parody of that situation in scary movie 3?

Never seen the movie

Wow. I was just talking to my uncle about 9/11. Literally 3 mins ago. He says he thinks Bush knew what was going on and the fact that he was at the school was a front. He feels that he was there too early in the morning to be reading to students. I say it's the president and he has strict schedule and it was a planned visit.

How do you feel about it? My question is. How was Bush acting prior to getting the news? I know you say you could see a visible difference after he got the news but any inclination he might

We were busy reading our books during most of the ordeal. I looked up every now and then to see where we were (I kind of kept getting lost in the reading every now and then) nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

What effect did this have on the rest of your time in school? Was the atmosphere in Mrs. Daniels' second grade class completely changed for the rest of the year?

Hmm, I wouldn't say anything drastically. Mrs. Daniels' did seem a little quiet and somber for a week afterwards but it seemed like everything returned to normal not too long afterwards, she didn't want to upset us.

Thank you for responding to: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2v22rs/ama_request_a_student_from_the_second_grade_class/?limit=500

My question is, now that you are an adult what is your over all view of 9/11? Do you buy the Official Report or are you a truther?

I have no real reason to doubt the report. It would take some solid hard evidence to convince me otherwise. Many of the evidence presented by the truther movement is faulty at best.

So tell us... Was it an inside job!?

And how far in advance were yall told he was visiting?

I don't believe so