BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Many witnessed the horror of the September 11 attacks in the U.S., which happened 18 years ago.

For now retired Master Sgt. Darren Joiner, his 9/11 experience was from high above.

"We are living 'doomsday,’" Joiner recalled. "It was surreal."

When the Twin Towers were struck, he was onboard Air Force One serving as a communications specialist.

"When he picked the phone up, I answered," Joiner told Spectrum News. "I made his calls. That was my duty that day. Little did I know what that day was going to be about."

“He” is President George W. Bush, who earlier in the day found out about the terror attacks during a visit to Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County.

Once back in the air, Joiner's team worked tirelessly to keep lines of communication open for the President, who stayed in touch with his Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and Chief of Staff.

Joiner learned moment-by-moment the fate of New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.

"There were so many tense moments, but everybody did their job," he said.

Joiner lives in Cape Canaveral and now spends a quiet retirement helping out at his wife's Cocoa Village hair salon.

18 years later, he still remembers the horror of 9/11, but he says what took place in the days that followed the attack are as important.

"It's what happened after that day," Joiner said. "Everybody came together."

Joiner spoke at a 9/11 ceremony at the Rockledge City Hub on Barton Boulevard.